The American continent is preparing to witness an astronomical event of great magnitude: On Saturday, October 14, an annular eclipse of the Sun will occur which can be found in many countries of the Western Hemisphere, from North America to South America.
Solar eclipses have attracted the attention of mankind since ancient times. Throughout history, many cultures considered it a bad omen and even as the end of times, because they could not explain the changes made in the sky by entering the Moon between Earth and Sun.
According to a NASA publication, The oldest writings that mention eclipses are about 4,000 years old.
For example, In ancient Chinese records there is a description of a solar eclipse that occurred approximately in the year 2134 BC.
The emperor of China at the time, Chung K’ang, became aware of this event when he heard noises in the streets as his subjects tried to drive away the “dragon” that had eaten the Sun. This first record of an eclipse shows how mankind tried to understand and explain these natural phenomena..
The ancient Greeks also left evidence of eclipses in their writings. The poet Archilochus mentions a total eclipse of the sun that occurred in the year 648 BC, describing the fear that gripped people at the disappearance of sunlight.
This is how the text quoted by NASA reads: “Nothing is beyond hope, nothing can be sworn to be impossible, nothing amazing, because Zeus, father of the Olympians, made night from noon , hiding in the light of the bright Sun. , and a painful fear came upon the people.”
In recent centuries, British poet John Milton (1608-1674) wrote about eclipses in Paradise Lost a classic work of English literature.
“As the rising Sun looks upon the misty air of the horizon, deprived of its rays, or as when from behind the moon, in the gloomy eclipse, it spreads a fatal twilight in the half of nations and afflicting monarchs by giving them the fear of change.”
But throughout the centuries, Humanity has increased in knowledge about solar eclipses. Now we know that there are different types of eclipses, such as total, annular and partial.
Total eclipses occur when the Sun, Moon and Earth align, and the Moon completely blocks the sunlight. On the other hand, annular eclipses occur when the Moon is at its farthest point from the Earth and does not completely cover the Sun. Finally, partial eclipses occur when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are not perfectly aligned, and only part of the solar surface is not visible.
Besides, Thanks to advances in science and technology, we can accurately predict when and where the next solar eclipse will occur..
After the annular eclipse that will occur on October 14, the total solar eclipse will occur on April 8, 2024, which will be visible to millions of people in North America.
It is also possible to know in advance and with great accuracy the incidence of this type of phenomena in different regions of the planet.. Like this NASA animation, which shows in detail the route of the next solar eclipse through Colombia:
NASA will broadcast these events live with the participation of experts from the agency who will explain the science behind these natural phenomena.
Undoubtedly, these solar eclipses allow us to appreciate the beauty and magic of the universe, while showing us the progress we have made in our understanding of it throughout history.
