August 12 eclipse energy: between superstition and physics

The August 12 eclipse: between the end of the world, aikido and physics

What kind of energy does an eclipse bring? Is it absolute darkness or an opportunity to practice aikido with the universe? The event on the 12th divides those who lock themselves at home from those who want to channel the phenomenon to their advantage. Physics, meanwhile, looks the other way: the only relevant radiation is the kind that damages the retina.

Superstition with a historic pedigree

It is nothing new for an eclipse to stir antiestéticar. People once said a dragon devoured the sun; today the talk is of windows to evil or energies that touch the soul. The costumes change, but the script stays the same. Commerce plays its part too: distrusting cheap eclipse glasses is reasonable, though for pure market logic rather than astrology.

The business of darkness

The advice to stay home that day is cultural panic. Science finds no connection between the alignment of the stars and the mood of a country that, according to one voice, is "immune to the positive". The astronomical event has become a thermometer of national scepticism.

The counterpoint: elastic potential energy

Between doomsayers and aikido gurus, there is always someone who brings up physics: the only energy in an eclipse is elastic potential energy, and not much else. The comparison with the Middle Ages comes naturally. The full opinions range from isolation advice to a cosmic aikido manual worth reading.

While some see a door to evil, others dust off their textbooks. The only energy in excess is that of the imagination. That said, if you look at the sun, make sure it is with certified glasses: the star has no time for hunches.