The Historical Timeline of Eclipses And How It’s Changing

Eclipses are astronomical events that occur when a celestial body is obscured by the shadow of another. We typically say eclipse when we speak about one of two such events that involve the Earth, Moon and Sun, but eclipses also happen when other astronomical objects fall into one another’s shadow. These events have been noted by astronomers and astrologers for thousands of years.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth and blocks the line of sight on a certain part of the Earth’s surface. As the Moon’s shadow travels over this part of the surface, day turns to night. Lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon. If the eclipse is total, then the Moon will seem to disappear momentarily when viewed from Earth’s surface.

These events caused great dismay among most human societies until the advent of scientific understanding in the last few centuries. They were typically seen as bad omens and signs of impending doom for individuals or entire communities. Now these occurrences are greeted with curiosity by most people. Usually an eclipse of one kind or another occurs on some part of the Earth every year or two.