Egg-standing test goes viral as ring-of-fire eclipse crosses Asia

Egg-standing test goes viral as ring-of-fire eclipse crosses Asia

by Joseph Anthony
155 views
An egg is seen on the ground in Shah Alam, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia December 26, 2019 in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. HAKEEM MAAROF via REUTERS.

According to a popular scientific theory, an egg will support itself that way when the moon obscures the sun and during the spring equinox, due to increased gravity.

While the theory has been debunked, that did not stop Malaysian and Indonesian social media users from putting it to the test on Thursday, as thousands of skywatchers gathered across parts of Asia to witness a rare annular solar eclipse.

Videos shared online showed dozens of users succeeding in getting eggs to balance on different surfaces including on gravel, a window pane, and a plate during the โ€˜ring-of-fireโ€™ eclipse.

Hakeem Maarof, a Malaysian father of two, filmed eggs standing on end on a stone pavement and on the road after remembering being told about the theory by a friend.

โ€œItโ€™s more of an experiment for my kids,โ€ Hakeem, who posted the footage of Facebook, told Reuters.

Dr Chong Hon Yew, a retired physicist from the Malaysian Science University, said there was no evidence to back up the theory.

โ€œYou can do the same experiment tomorrow, before or after eclipse โ€“ itโ€™s easy to do it,โ€ Chong said. โ€œBut itโ€™s a fun trick to do (during an eclipse) to get young kids interested in science and astronomy.โ€

Thursdayโ€™s annular eclipse – which occurs when the moon covers the sunโ€™s center but leaves its outer edges visible to form a ring – was also visible in Saudi Arabia, Singapore, India and Sri Lanka.

In most years, two solar eclipses are visible from somewhere on Earth. The maximum number per year is five.

REUTERS

You may also like

Leave a Comment

Chijos News is an independent online publication that provides readers with the latest breaking Nigerian news, world news, entertainment, sports, business, and many more.

@2024 – Chijosnews.com. All Rights Reserved.

-
00:00
00:00
Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00