Total solar eclipses provide an opportunity to engage with science, culture and history

By Nikhil Arora, Mark Richardson, Queen's University, Ontario

On April 8, 2024, there will be a total solar eclipse in Canada. This is an opportunity to experience, learn from and participate in the excitement and wonder. And rather than hiding inside, researchers have been communicating how people can safely enjoy this unique opportunity.

Roughly every 18 months, the sun, moon and Earth come into perfect alignment and somewhere on Earth experiences a solar eclipse. During this phenomenon, the moon casts a roughly 250 km wide shadow onto Earth.

This ephemeral daytime darkness can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The last time Toronto experienced a total solar eclipse was on Jan. 24, 1925; the next total solar eclipse will occur in 120 years, on Oct. 26, 2144.

Our interpretation of, and response to, total solar eclipses has advanced enormously. Eclipses were once considered cosmic omens that predicted dying kings, good harvests or the need for new territorial treaties. Today, they provide a unique opportunity to consider the physical nature of the universe, and the cosmic privilege of witnessing the alignment of the moon and sun.

Eclipses and knowledge creation

Due to their sudden darkness, solar eclipses have been perceived through history as catastrophic events. Many societies developed stories to explain these unusual events, often filled with fear and violence.

Indian myths tell of an immortal demon seeking revenge on Vishnu by trying to eat the sun and moon. The Pomo, Indigenous people of Northern California, describe a huge angry bear trying to eat the sun. In other mythologies, eclipses were thought to be heavenly forces removing our source of warmth and life.

Beliefs about eclipses motivated ancient Greek astronomers to create the antikythera mechanism, a complex analog computer that predicted the timing of future eclipses with a precision of 30 minutes. These predictions were critical for Greek society as a solar eclipse could mean an upcoming death of the king, requiring the appointment of a pseudo-emperor to be killed instead.

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