Eclipses in mythology and culture

Did You Know?

• In some cultures, eclipses are thought to harm pregnant women and their children, causing birthmarks or birth defects.
• In Mexican superstitions, pregnant women wear a pin on their shirts or carry something metal near their wombs, and wear red underwear or ribbons.

Religious and cultural practices

Solar and lunar eclipses, now understood as one celestial body blocking another, were interpreted very differently by ancient cultures. Mark Littmann, Fred Espenak, and Ken Willcox identified four main types of solar eclipse myths: a monster trying to devour the Sun, the Sun battling its lover the Moon, the Sun and Moon hiding while making love, or a Sun god who is angry, sad, sick, or neglectful. In the Talmud, solar eclipses are seen as bad omens, and some events in the Hebrew Bible are thought to have happened during eclipses. Judaism generally accepts the modern scientific explanation, and many rabbis today view eclipses as reminders of the divine, calling for prayer and reflection.

The regularity of lunar eclipses was worked out by Neo-Babylonian astronomers in the 6th century BCE, while Greek astronomers in the 1st century BCE figured out solar eclipse cycles, built the Antikythera mechanism, and—since Aristotle—knew the Sun, Moon, and Earth were spheres. This astronomical knowledge was common in the Ancient Near East when Christianity began. The New Testament describes darkness lasting hours during Jesus’s crucifixion. Because it happened at a full moon and lasted too long to be an eclipse, early Christians saw it as a divine omen and sign of Jesus’s divinity. In 12th-century Christian Europe, eclipses were linked to earthly rulers: the deaths of Charlemagne and Henry I were each preceded by an eclipse. Saints were also associated with eclipses, with a solar eclipse at their death marking their holiness. Christian end-times writings, like Revelation 6:12, describe the sun turning black and the moon becoming like blood. A small number of modern Christians believe eclipses signal the Second Coming.

Medieval Islamic astronomy was advanced. Al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf ibn Maṭar translated Ptolemy’s Almagest and corrected its eclipse prediction method. The Quran explicitly denies that the Sun and Moon are divine.

Modern secular practices

Some people are so fascinated by solar eclipses that they travel the world to see them. These enthusiasts are called umbraphiles, which means shadow lovers. They rely on tools like eclipse glasses and telescopes to safely watch the Sun. Schools and other educational groups often use both solar and lunar eclipses as chances to teach the public about astronomy. A lunar eclipse can be seen from about half the Earth at once, making it a simple event for a single organization to plan. In places with heavy light pollution, regular stargazing is impossible, so educators focus on lunar eclipses instead. By studying the Moon’s phases and eclipses, students can learn how big the Sun, Earth, and Moon are compared to each other and how far apart they are. Solar eclipses happen during the day and are only visible along a narrow path, which lets educators hold daytime events that attract big crowds. Astronomy teachers often feel it is their duty to make sure viewers wear proper solar glasses, and they use these events to hand out glasses and promote safety. When a total and an annular solar eclipse occur close together in the same area, educators can explain how the elliptical orbits of Earth and the Moon affect the eclipse’s size. Because solar eclipses cross continents without regard for borders, rural and poor regions along the path can get extra attention and science education. Eclipses also offer chances for citizen science. Since each eclipse is brief and spread over a wide area, traditional experiments are hard to run. Crowd-sourced projects have included testing radio wave behavior, observing how plants and animals react, and measuring changes in air temperature.