Claim: A message has been forwarded on WhatsApp platforms, claiming that the sun will not appear for three days from April 8 due to the earth passing through the photon belt.
Verdict: The claim is false. The concept of a photon belt is a myth, while what is expected to occur on April 8 is a 4-minute total eclipse in some parts of the United States of America (USA).
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A WhatsApp message with the note, “Forwarded many times,” has claimed that there will be darkness around the world due to the earth passing through the photon belt.
The claim was first posted on video sharing site, TikTok by a user @your_fave_shop, with a narrator commenting that the situation would led to the absence of sunlight and moonlight for 72hours.
The 59-second video also urged people not to travel and stock up on water and food.
The narrator said, “Three days of darkness will occur when the earth passes through the photon belt, this is as the earth enters and passes through this belt. There will be no sunlight, no moonlight on the earth’s surface. Photons are electromagnetic particles that travel at the speed of light and will act as a barrier or temporary shield on the earth, preventing the sun or stars from passing through it.
“This is expected to last for 72hours as there are no breaks or periods of light during the three days, only darkness.
“Recommendations: stock up on food, water, candles and other essentials items. All sunlight will be blocked and solar panels will not generate energy, so stay at home and avoid travelling for safety reasons. The sunlight will return to the earth, marking the beginning of the golden age.”
What is photon?
Photon is an intrinsic aspect of physics that has to do with light. An article by Symmetry Magazine, an online publication, noted that photon, to a layman, is simply light, but explained that in physics, it is the smallest particle of electromagnetic energy that carries images to the eyes.
What to know about photon belt
A blog post by Virgil Armstrong described the photon belt as an astronomical or scientific postulates that believe the solar system and its planets would rotate around Alcione, earth’s central sun.
Another article on Mazzastick, a blogging website, said the origins of the Photon Belt theory is not certain, but has been associated with ancient Sumerian or Egyptian mythology.
“Others believe it was developed in the 1970s by New Age spiritualists.”
The article described the photon belt as a hypothetical region in space, which some “New Age and alternative spiritual circles believe the earth will pass through shortly.”
It said the followers of the theory prophesied the passage of the earth in the passage would lead to transformative effects, both physical and spiritual.
It, however, said there is “no scientific evidence to support the existence of the photon belt, and many scientists and astronomers consider it a pseudoscientific concept.”
“Many people believe the photon belt is just a ‘New Age Disinfo Belief,’ and many researchers debunked it as fake. Maybe it’s not real; however, like anything you read or hear, ensure you aren’t taking it all in as truth or dismissing it entirely.”
An article on Wikipedia said the inefficiency of the theory has led to propagation of different dates of the occurrence of the event but which did not happen.
It said the date had ranged from “1992 to the most recent failed prediction of 2012.”
“Various explanations have cropped up (naturally) for each of the failed predictions. Regardless, our transit through the photon belt is supposed to take approximately 2,000 years, so the excuses can’t hold up forever.”
What to expect on April 8
While it is certain that there won’t be the occurrence of a photon belt any time soon, a report by the Associated Press, however, said the earth would witness a total eclipse on April 8.
The report added that the eclipse would last up to 4 minutes, 28 seconds in areas where it would occur and ensure that there is no sunlight in the daytime.
It added that the darkness would only occur in a part of the USA, “dashing up through Texas and Oklahoma and crisscrossing the Midwest, mid-Atlantic and New England, before exiting over eastern Canada into the Atlantic.”
NASRDA debunks claim
The spread of the video has made the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) to deny that there will be total darkness in the world.
Speaking with newsmen, the Director of Media and Corporate Communications of the NASRDA, Felix Ale, said there would be an eclipse that would last for four minutes only in the North America axis.
He said the four-minute eclipse would not even be witnessed in Africa.
“It will happen on the North America axis. We will not feel it here because it will be at night in Africa. The eclipse will only last for four minutes and it will not affect us at all,” he said.
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