"Three Days of Darkness": Strange Rumors Surrounding the Upcoming Eclipse

As North America prepares for a total solar eclipse on April 8, an event that both the scientific community and enthusiasts eagerly await, a wave of rumors has spread on social media. Several pages and accounts in various languages around the world have circulated false claims about this anticipated eclipse, including that it will last for three days, plunging the Earth into complete darkness. Some posts even claimed that the eclipse would "turn day into night" and that the entire world would witness this "historic day." These posts have garnered thousands of shares and interactions on social media in multiple languages. However, they contained completely inaccurate and exaggerated information. According to the U.S. space agency (NASA), the eclipse will only be visible in North America, passing through Mexico, the United States, and Canada, thus it will not cast darkness over the entire planet. Furthermore, the claim that "darkness will turn sunlight into night," as suggested by some posts, has been denied by scientists. Robert Simko, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Astronomy and Space Research Institute, confirmed that "the sky will not turn black." While some claimed the eclipse would last for three or five days, NASA announced that the maximum duration of this anticipated event will be four minutes and 28 seconds, which will occur specifically in Torreón, Mexico. Experts also denied the validity of circulating warnings about the need to stay indoors or avoid traveling. Instead, they warned about the dangers of looking directly at the sun without using special lenses or telescopes. These rumors emerged as North America indeed prepares for an eclipse that amateurs, as well as scientists and researchers, eagerly anticipate. Scientists specifically hope to use this total solar eclipse, a rare event, to further study the solar atmosphere and the Earth's atmosphere, as well as to examine the effects of this cosmic phenomenon on the behavior of certain animals, birds, and insects.