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Solar Eclipse Trivia

Impress your friends with these fun and interesting questions you probably never even have thought before.

What was the most famous total solar eclipse in history?

In 1133 CE, King Henry I of England, son of William the Conqueror, died on the day of a total solar eclipse that lasted 4 minutes and 38 seconds.
A manuscript, called "Historia Novella," William of Malmesbury stated that the "hideous darkness" caused turmoil in the hearts of men. After King Henry’s death, the kingdom turned to chaos and war as men struggled to claim the throne. 

What is the earliest recorded total solar eclipse?

An ancient Chinese document called Shu Ching, or Book of History, stated “the Sun and Moon did not meet harmoniously.” - a statement that many historians have taken to be a description of a solar eclipse on October 22, 2134 BCE. According to the legend, two royal astronomers, Hsi and Ho had neglected to predict the event and had instead gotten drunk. As a result, the emperor had the pair beheaded for not carrying out their duties.
In the western world, Babylonians documented an eclipse on May 3rd, 1375 BCE. It has been found that Babylonians were actually even aware of the Saros Cycle, a cycle of repeating eclipse patterns over an 18 year 11 day period, allowing them to predict future eclipses.

What historical person’s birth is tied to a solar eclipse?

According to The Koran, Mohammed’s birth was preceded by an eclipse. Later, historians have determined this eclipse to have taken place in 569 C.E. and lasted 3 minutes and 17 seconds. Interestingly, another eclipse was also recorded after the death of Mohammed’s son Ibrahim that lasted 1 minute and 40 seconds. However, instead of being viewed as a positive sign from God, Islamic texts called the Hadiths, Mohammed proclaimed "the sun and the moon do not suffer eclipse for any one's death or life."

The same pattern of solar eclipses repeats every 18 years 11 days and 8 hours. What is this known as?

The Saros cycle.

What is it called during the beginning and the end of a total solar eclipse when the last bit of sunlight is visible?

The diamond ring effect. After baily’s beads subside when “dancing beads” of sunlight pass through the craters of the Moon, one single bead is left. This is known as the diamond ring effect since there is one large bright bead surrounded by a bright ring on the outer edges of the Moon. 

When and where was the last total solar eclipse?

The last solar eclipse was March 9th 2016. A total solar eclipse was visible in Indonesia, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands. A partial eclipse was visible in Australia, southeast Asia and Hawaii

What is the name given to an eclipse when the Moon is too far away from Earth to completely cover the disk of the Sun?

This event is called an Annular eclipse which can last from a fraction of a second to a maximum of 12 minutes 29 seconds. 

When was the last total solar eclipse in the US?

The last total eclipse was February 26th, 1979, 38 years ago. The path of totality passed through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota. Additionally, the Moon’s shadow passed though parts of Canada in the provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nunavut, and even Greenland! The end of the eclipse will be visible on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, just southeast of Key Bay, South Carolina. 

What changes do you begin to notice in your surroundings as an eclipse progresses? 

In addition to wildlife behavior changing, you will also notice: the colors in your surrounds beginning to grow more dim, shadows casted by objects will begin to grow sharper, and you may even see the shadow of the Moon sweep across the sky from West to East.

What’s a unique fact about this year’s eclipse visible in the United States?

Actually, the 2017 eclipse will be the first total solar eclipse visible from the southeastern states since the solar eclipse of March 7, 1970.

What is the earliest recorded total solar eclipse?

One of the earliest records of an eclipse is documented in a ancient Chinese document called Shu Ching, meaning Book of History. The book describes October 22, 2134 B.C.E. as a day in which “the Sun and Moon did not meet harmoniously.” which historians believe to be describing a solar eclipse. 

According to the legend, two royal astronomers, Hsi and Ho had neglected to predict the event and had instead gotten drunk. As a result, the emperor had the pair beheaded for not carrying out their duties.
In the western world, Babylonians documented an eclipse on May 3rd, 1375 BCE. It has been found that Babylonians were actually even aware of the Saros Cycle, a cycle of repeating eclipse patterns over an 18 year 11 day period, allowing them to predict future eclipses.

How far away can you be from the path of totality and still see the eclipse?

Observers who are not in the path of totality will not see a total solar eclipse, but instead, a partial solar eclipse. These can be seen 2,000 to 3,000 miles from the track of totality.

Can two consecutive solar eclipses be total?

No, they can never both be total because of the relative orbits of the Sun, Moon, and Earth as well as their relative distances.

What was the most famous total solar eclipse in history?

On August 2, 1133 CE, King Henry I of England, son of William the Conqueror, died on the same day a total solar eclipse lasted 4 minutes and 38 seconds. 

A manuscript, called "Historia Novella," William of Malmesbury stated that the "hideous darkness" caused turmoil in the hearts of men. After King Henry’s death, the kingdom turned to chaos and war as men struggled to claim the throne.

Additionally, in the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle," it recalls the same eclipse: "In this year King Henry went over sea at Lammas, and the second day as he lay and slept on the ship the day darkened over all lands; and the Sun became as it were a three-night-old Moon, and the stars about it at mid-day. Men were greatly wonder-stricken and were affrighted, and said that a great thing should come thereafter. So it did, for the same year the king died on the following day after St Andrew's Mass-day, Dec 2 in Normandy," according to a NASA statement.

It is common for the path of totality to trace along the entire United States? 

The August eclipse will be the first total solar eclipse whose path of totality stays completely in the United States since 1776.

Do eclipses have ties to western religious beliefs?

Christian gospels refer to a period of time in which the sky went dark after the Crucifixion of Jesus. This mention of a possible eclipse has been used by historians to determine the date of Christ’s death, although this date varies. Some believe the crucifixion, if actually tied to an eclipse, must have happened in 29 C.E. during an eclipse that lasted 1 minute and 59 seconds. 

Others believe it was tied to an eclipse that took place in 33 C.E. and lasted 4 minutes and 6 seconds. 

What are shadow bands?

During an eclipse, you can place a white sheet of paper on the ground and see what looks like ripples of sunshine at the bottom of a swimming pool. These are called shadow bands. 

Fort Morgan NE Colorado and Lewellen in Nebraska haven’t seen a total solar eclipse in how long?

Most places on Earth will not have a solar eclipse for about a hundred years (with the exception that some actually have many more than that). Interestingly, Fort Morgan NE Colorado and Lewellen in Nebraska haven’t seen a total solar eclipse in over 1000 years!

Why do eclipse tracks move eastward even though the Earth rotates from west to east?

The Moon travels east at 3,400 km/hr, twice as fast as the Earth rotates (1,670 km/hr) therefore, the eclipse tracks eastward.

What must the Sun and Moon have in common for an eclipse to happen?

A unique feature that is common to both the Sun and the Moon is the fact that they have the same angular diameter. This common quality is makes the total solar eclipse possible. 

Is the speed of the path of the eclipse constant?

You must travel at the same speed of the umbral line along the central line. At both the beginning and the end of path, the speed is extremely fast. During the greatest eclipse (the center of the path), the speed is the slowest (which is why viewing an eclipse from this location gives you the longest totality). Eclipse shadows travel at 1,100 miles per hour at the equator and up to 5,000 miles per hour near the poles.

What is the longest possible duration of the total phase of a solar eclipse?

The longest historical total eclipse lasted 7 minutes 28 seconds on June 15, 744BC. The longest eclipse theoretically possible for the 3rd millennium is 7 minutes and 32 seconds, a limit set by the geometry of celestial mechanics. 

For this to be possible, the eclipse needs to occur in the northern hemisphere during summer months. The moon also needs to be in its closest position to Earth, near perigee. Additionally, the greatest eclipse needs to be as close to the equator as possible, elongating the duration of totality. 

When is the next longest eclipse possible?

The next solar eclipse whose totality approaches the longest possible duration of 7 minutes and 32 seconds won’t occur until June 13, 2132. However, this eclipse will still only last 6 minutes and 55 seconds.

How many eclipses can there be in a single year?

At most, there can be 7 eclipses in a single year. This would be 5 solar eclipses and 2 lunar. Alternatively, it could also be 4 solar eclipses and 3 lunar. 

Why are predictions of future solar eclipses not perfectly accurate?

As the Earth’s spin slows down over the next thousands of years, we are unsure exactly how long the days will be. 

In 1919, a total solar eclipse was used to test a famous theory. What theory was it?

In 1919, physicists, particularly Albert Einstein viewed the solar eclipse to test one of his most famous scientific revelations, his theory of general relativity. During this eclipse, the Sun’s light disappeared for 6 minutes and 51 seconds, making the surrounding stars visible. Einstein was able to take the light from these stars and measure how their emitted light would bend near the Sun. Because of these findings, Einstein was able to confirm his theory stating that a massive object’s gravity warps space-time. 

What can act as small pinhole cameras and show crescent Suns in their shadows?

The leaves on trees can cast small shadows on the ground which will actually show the progression of the eclipse.

Do eclipses happen on other planets?

Since eclipses happen when an object moves in front of another, other celestial objects can have eclipses as well. 

For example, Phobos, Mars’ Moon, creates two annular eclipses every Martian day. 

Does a solar eclipse effect the wind?

During the total solar eclipse of August 1999, scientists studied the effects on wind speed and direction using 121 different weather stations across England. Their findings concluded that wind had actually slowed down during the eclipse, and had even changed direction. The change in wind speed wasn’t particularly surprising. As the temperature drops, energy decreases, damping turbulence and reducing wind. 

However, the wind changing direction was a bit more interesting but they did fit a previously described hypothesis suggested by H. Helm Clayton in 1901. After studying the effects of eclipses’ on weather, Clayton proposed that the Moon’s shadow resulted in cooling temperatures, slowed winds, decreased turbulence, and in the core, a weak, anti-clockwise cyclone. 

When was the very first eclipse in the universe?

Although this question may seem a bit outlandish, it’s not entirely impossible to answer if we base our answer on rudimentary conditions. First, we define an eclipse as a three body system which includes a star, a planet, and a moon. For this type of eclipse to happen, we could use the oldest known planet PSR B1620-26 b, also known as "Methuselah" and "The Genesis Planet", which formed around 1 billion years after the Big Bang. The planet orbits both a white dwarf and a neutron star - taking about 100 years to complete one orbit. Although it is not known exactly, it is fair to assume that the Jupiter sized planet is large enough to have it’s own moons that would be completely capable of eclipsing the white dwarf star in the system! 

Why have people tried to chase eclipses in planes?

Solar eclipses only last a few short minutes for observers on the ground. This is because as the moon passes in front of the sun, the shadow quickly traces across the surface of the earth. But what if you were to chase that shadow using non-military supersonic jets? People realized that you can fly along the path of totality as quickly as possible in order to stay within the Moon’s shadow. This gives observers a continuous view of the eclipse which could be up to several hours from start to finish! On June 30, 1973, Concorde 001 intercepted the path of a solar eclipse over North Africa. The 7 observers aboard the jet were able to witness a total of 74 minutes of totality while travelling at Mach 2.05! They were able to eliminate weather concerns, reduced atmospheric interference, and allowed for chromospheric observations of improved height resolution. 

When were solar eclipses first predicted accurately?

Since solar eclipses can happen all over Earth and only last mere minutes, accurately predicting their locations has always proven difficult. Babylonians, 1155–1026 BC, were fairly accurate when predicting lunar eclipses, but solar eclipses proved more difficult. Thales, 610 BC, were more accurate as they became aware of the Saros cycle. It was not until Ptolemy, 100 AD - 168 AD, that predicting solar eclipses became reasonably accurate. 

How much longer will we be able to see total eclipses of the Sun?

You may have heard that the Moon is slowly drifting away from the Earth. This unstable orbit is due to tidal friction. Since a total eclipse is the result of the Moon and Sun having the same angular size, as the moon’s orbit increases its angular size will decrease. Currently widening by 1.5 inches per year, once the Moon’s average distance from Earth increases another 14,600 miles, it will not longer appear to cover the disk of the Sun. Thankfully, this will not happen for over 600 million years! In this time frame, it’s also important to note that the Sun itself will also have increased in size through its stellar evolution cycle, meaning it may take a bit less than the projected 600 million years.