On the night of September 7-8, 2025, a stunning total lunar eclipse—known as a "blood moon"—cast its red glow over skies across Asia, Australia, Europe, and Africa. Stargazers from Delhi to Sydney and London to Cape Town marveled at the celestial spectacle, snapping photos that quickly made the rounds on social media and news outlets alike. According to NASA, a blood moon occurs when Earth positions itself between the sun and the moon, filtering sunlight through the planet’s atmosphere and painting the lunar surface a deep, coppery red. It’s a phenomenon that inspires awe and curiosity, but in some corners of the globe, it also stirs up a storm of superstition and misinformation.
While international media such as DW News, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, and the Associated Press focused on the eclipse’s scientific underpinnings and the joy it brought to skywatchers, the story played out quite differently in India. There, mainstream television news channels including NDTV India, Republic Bharat, News Nation, Aaj Tak, and ABP News devoted hours of programming to the eclipse—but not for its beauty or scientific significance. Instead, these channels filled their Sunday primetime slots with sensational claims, warnings, and advice, much of it rooted in astrology and superstition rather than science.
Viewers were told, sometimes with dramatic music and ominous headlines, that cooking or eating during the eclipse could be harmful, that looking at the eclipse with the naked eye posed dangers, and that pregnant women should remain indoors to protect their unborn children. Some anchors advised against taking a bath, starting new ventures, or even engaging in sex during the eclipse—claims that, according to actual scientists, have no basis in fact. As reported by The New Indian Express, Dr. B Vijay Bhaskar, an orthopaedician, emphasized, "Restrictions are imposed on pregnant ladies during eclipses based on misunderstandings." The article further clarified, "If lunar eclipses were harmful, the WHO or the Health Ministry would have issued an advisory."
The coverage sometimes bordered on the absurd. NDTV India’s show Bharat Ki Baat Batata Hu featured astrologers repeating unsubstantiated claims and urging viewers to chant mantras for protection. Host Syed Suhail asked, “Rahu Ketu jaise graho ka Chandrama par prabhav padhta hai jisse vatavaaran dushit ho jaata hai, manyaata hai ki mandir band karne se devtaon ko negative energy se suraksha milti hai,” which translates to, “The influence of planets like Rahu and Ketu falls upon the Moon, which is believed to pollute the environment. It is believed that closing temples protects the deities from negative energy.” He also intoned, “Grahan sehat par bura asar daal sakta hai, jyotishi ye bhi kehte hai isliye savdhaan rahe aur mantro ka jaap karte rahe,” or, “An eclipse can harm health; astrologers also say this, so one should remain cautious and keep chanting mantras.”
Republic Bharat’s anchor Priyanka Sharma took things further, instructing viewers to avoid eating, cover their eyes with glasses, and sprinkle ganga water around the house for purification. She urged, “Bhagwan ka bhajan jitna zyada ho sakta utna Bhagwan ka bhajan kare,” meaning, “Pray to God as much as you possibly can.” The advice didn’t stop there; viewers were told to put tulsi leaves in leftover food and to refrain from using sharp objects during the eclipse.
On News Nation, the spectacle became a debate, with astrologers and astronomers facing off on live TV. The anchors, Rohit Ranjan and Ranjana Singh Rathore, frequently gave the floor to astrologers, who asserted that planetary alignments could trigger disasters and that the eclipse would have personal consequences based on one’s horoscope. One anchor even claimed, “Astrologers study this extensively; they also consider it a form of calculation, they keep records of these calculations, and based on them, they say what possibilities might arise after such an event. When the plane crash happened in Ahmedabad, they had also predicted it from here.”
Aaj Tak’s online coverage zeroed in on the supposed dangers for pregnant women, with anchor Arpita Arya asking, “During this period of 3 to 3.5 hours, should they sleep or not? Should they also be reciting the same religious chants?” The program suggested that food cooked before the eclipse could be “protected” by placing a tulsi leaf in it—a claim Arya herself entertained, asking, “You’re saying to put tulsi leaves in it. So, if food is cooked the night before or in the morning, you’re saying to put tulsi in it. Then, for how long should it be kept in there?”
ABP News, meanwhile, took things to a new level, featuring astrologers who read viewers’ horoscopes and ascribed cosmic significance to the blood moon. One astrologer even cited India’s victory over South Korea in the Asia Cup hockey finals as evidence of the eclipse’s auspiciousness, declaring, “You will see – first, the biggest good news is that the sky is clear in Delhi, and people can watch it comfortably. In Delhi-NCR, that’s the most positive thing. Second, today India also won the Asia Cup – defeating South Korea 4–1. So, this also signals that this event is very auspicious. In every way, it is a good sign.”
The sensationalism wasn’t limited to television. YouTube channels and digital outlets ran thumbnails warning pregnant women not to make “mistakes” during the eclipse, and even claimed that having sex during the lunar event would lead to ruin. This digital trend mirrored the television coverage, prioritizing superstition and fear over science or reason.
Yet, scientists and medical professionals have long debunked these myths. Space scientist Dr. Suvendu Patnaik stated unequivocally that people can safely witness a lunar eclipse with the naked eye and that food does not become impure during the event. “People can eat and drink without worry, as food spoilage during an eclipse is nothing but a misconception,” he explained. Scientific research has also found no link between eclipses and pregnancy outcomes, nor any evidence that lunar eclipses trigger earthquakes or floods. In fact, as Forbes noted, even if lunar alignments exert a slight tidal influence on earthquakes, the effect is negligible—nothing like the catastrophic warnings seen on TV.
This wave of misinformation is not just a matter of poor science communication; it’s also a violation of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, which prohibits content that promotes superstition or anti-scientific attitudes. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting can issue advisories, warnings, or even suspend channels that cross the line, though enforcement often lags behind the media’s appetite for sensationalism.
In contrast, international coverage presented the eclipse as a moment of collective wonder and curiosity. DW News invited scientists to explain the phenomenon in simple terms, and both The Guardian and the Associated Press shared images and stories from around the globe, focusing on the shared human experience of looking up at the same red moon. There was no mention of disasters or doom, just a celebration of science and the night sky.
For those who missed this week’s lunar show, there’s good news: the next total lunar eclipse visible in the Americas will occur in March 2026. Until then, perhaps the biggest lesson is that while the moon may turn red, there’s no reason for us to see red over it—especially when science offers a far more illuminating story than superstition ever could.