The Science and History of Nature's Most Spectacular Phenomenon
Through many centuries of recorded history, humanity has exhibited a changing response to the remarkable phenomenon of an eclipse of the sun. Primitive societies cowered in caves waiting for plagues and disasters. Oriental potentates and European monarchs, fearing their demise, imprisoned their court astrologers demanding prognostications. The ancient Mexicans believed the Sun and the Moon were quarrelling during an eclipse whilst the Tahitians though the two celestial objects were making love.
Today astronomers can calculate the exact path across the globe which the moon's shadow will track during a solar eclipse. As millions encamp for the brief spectacle with mylar glasses, pinhole cameras, binoculars and telescopes, space agency satellites and mountain-top observatories will study the corona, flares and magnetosphere of the sun as the 125-mile wide black patch zooms along the ground at almost 2000 mph.
With diagrams and black-and-white photographs.
