Just when you think you've heard it all, conspiracy theorists find new things to be concerned about - and this time, it's the upcoming total solar eclipse.
On 8 March, the Moon will pass between the Sun and the Earth - completely obstructing our view of it and casting a dark shadow on our planet.
During any one eclipse, totality only occurs in a narrow track on the surface of the Earth.
This is known as the path of totality.
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While total solar eclipses happen every 18 months or so, they typically recur at any given place only once every 360 to 410 years.
Until next week, that is.
And it's left conspiracy theorists believing that the upcoming event will cause a 'massive human sacrifice'.
What?
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One user on Reddit's r/conspiracy thread explained that if you overlay the path of totality of the total solar eclipse from 2017 to that due next week, the two paths form an X near the New Madrid fault line.
"If something were to trigger that fault line, something man-made they could make look completely natural, it could mean a serious loss of life disaster for the US," they wrote.
"An earthquake on the New Madrid Fault Line could be up to 20 times larger than an earthquake with a SoCal epicenter."
Now, of course, the two paths crossing years apart is about as meaningful as your running route looking like the shape of a dog on Strava.
But if that's not wild enough, they also delved into theories about the 'Ring of Fire' eclipse - an eclipse that happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth whilst at its farthest point from Earth.
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Because the Moon is further away, it appears smaller than the Sun and doesn't completely cover it - creating a 'ring of fire' effect in the sky.
The post continued: "Speaking of X, Elon Musk changes Twitter's name to X.
"His baby's mother, Grimes, posted a strange image on Instagram before Covid that literally told us Covid was going to happen, all the way down to the three injections."
But hold on - there's more.
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They also claimed that in the same image is a 'solar eclipse' and 'under it' is a 'flower between two dragons' - with 2024 being 'the year of the dragon'.
"The lotus flower begins blooming in China on April 8th. The eclipse is happening on April 8th." they continued.
"That is way too many coincidences for me to feel comfortable, along with the Deagel projection of a 225 Million person decrease in the US by 2025.
"It would appear some massive sacrifice could possibly be in the works."
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Whew, that was a lot.
The poster rounded off their post by claiming that 'Reddit's truth suppression bots will attack and call me crazy' before saying that would be 'further validation that there's something here'.
And some shared their suspicions, as one person saying they 'appreciate the theory'. While some didn't appear to buy it, with someone else writing: "This day will pass and nothing will be different."
However, it's more likely that the only real risk you face from the eclipse is damage to your retinas.
So, for those lucky enough to be in its path, pop on a pair of sunglasses, sit back and enjoy.
Topics: News, Reddit, Conspiracy Theory, Weird
Bec Oakes