Claim Of 72 Hours Total Darkness On Earth False — NASRDA Dismisses Viral Tik Tok Post

The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has stated as false claims on the Tik Tok platform that there will be total darkness on the earth from April 8 due to the eclipse of the sun.

Recall that a viral message on Tik Tok platform claimed that there will be three days of darkness on earth which would occur when the earth passed through the photon belt.

The video claimed that there will be no break or periods of light during the days of darkness adding that when sunlight returns to earth, it will mark the beginning of the golden age.

The post claimed that all sun lights will be blocked and solar panels will not generate energy.

It recommended people to stay at home and avoid traveling for safety reasons, stock food, water candles and other essential items.

However, NASRDA Director of Media and Corporate Communications, Mr Felix Ale, said that the claim was false, explaining that there would be an eclipse that would last for only four minutes.

Ale, who spoke to the press, added that the eclipse will occur only in the North America Axis and 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.

Also speaking, NASRDA Director of Physical and Life Science Department, Ayantunji Gbenro, stated that the claim of t three days total darkness on earth was ‘false alarm’.

“This is my professional position. What is true is a total solar eclipse that will take place as the moon is ascending node on Monday, April 8, 2024, visible across North America..

“A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between earth and the sun, thereby obscuring the image of the sun for a viewer on earth.

“A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon’s apparent diameter is larger than the Sun’s, blocking all direct sunlight, turning the day into darkness,“ he said.

Gbenro, who is also a Fellow Nigeria Institute of Physics added that totality occurs only in a narrow path across earth’s surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide.