Astronomers across the world are gearing up to capture the longest solar eclipse of the century on camera on Wednesday.

Now, the Ahmedabad Astronomy Club and the Rajkot-based Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha has taken the initiative to host a candlelight breakfast during the total solar eclipse in a bid to eradicate superstitions related to such astronomical phenomena.

The Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha is organising a ‘tea and snacks’ programme in villages across the state.

Chairman Jayant Pandya said the campaign is meant to do away with the age-old superstitions of throwing away cold food and water after the eclipse.

He said: “Astrologers misguide people by various non-scientific and irrational talks. It shows the backwardness of the human mind that needs to be rooted out now. To abolish these superstitions, we are running the campaign in Jetpur, Dhoraji, Upleta, Porbandar, Veraval, Somnath, Savarkundla, Amreli, Mota Kukavav, Dwarka, Okha, Surendranagar, Morbi, Bhuj, Anjar, Gandhidham, Mahuva, Talaja, Mehsana and Palanpur among other big cities.”

One of the most common superstitions observed across the country is to avoid eating as people believe that food gets polluted due to the ill effects of the shadow of the eclipse.

Aslesh D’Souza, coordinator of the club said: “We want to cut off the mythological superstitions linked with such astronomical events and to do that we will all have breakfast exactly when we are in the middle of the umbra shadow (after the formation of the diamond ring), which is dreaded as an inauspicious moment across the country. We will stand in the total shadow and have a candlelight breakfast along with students and the invitees.”