A post is being shared on social media with a claim that NASA has finally accepted that accurate information regarding solar eclipses can be found only in the Indian ‘Panchang’ (Hindu calendar). Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: NASA has accepted that accurate information regarding solar eclipses can be found only in the Indian Panchang.
Fact: No such declaration from NASA has been reported by any credible source. On one of its websites, NASA has mentioned that they predict eclipse forecasts using complex computer calculations. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched on the internet about the claim mentioned in the post, no credible reports were found. If NASA had made any such declaration regarding the Indian Panchang, at least all Indian news agencies would have reported about it. But none of the reputed agencies has reported about it. A similar article was published by ‘The Fauxy’ website, which publishes fictitious news for entertainment purposes.
On one of its websites, NASA has mentioned that they predict eclipse forecasts using complex computer calculations. The detailed answer to how modern-day scientists predict eclipses can be read here.
Talking about the concept of eclipses in the Hindu religion, a solar astronomer from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in 2010 said – “Eclipses in Hindu are related to Rahu and Ketu, which are actually associated with the nodes of the moon’s orbit. There are two times when the moon can be in the same plane as a line between the Earth and the sun. This is called the ecliptic — when the nodes occur is when eclipses are possible. Tradition says that Rahu is the head of a demon, and Ketu is the tail. I suspect that the ancient Hindu actually knew about the nodes”.
To sum it up, NASA did not accept that accurate information regarding solar eclipses can be found only in the Indian Panchang.
