The first and only total solar eclipse of 2016 is set to blanket the sky with darkness this week on March 9, and many are excited to get a look at the fascinating event. Astronomers and astrophotographers in particular wait for these eclipses patiently and are rewarded when the moon's shadow finally completely blocks out the sun.
Despite the excitement that surrounds these events today, solar eclipses used to be a sign of something much darker. Throughout history, cultures all over the world attempted to explain the events of the solar eclipse, and many of them resorted to evil legends or the activity of gods. Adding to this fear is the name - "eclipse" is derived from the Greek word "ekleipsis," which means "an abandonment."
We now know that solar eclipses occur when the darkest part of the moon's shadow is cast over the sun at a specific point during the moon's orbit. At this point, it is close enough to the Earth that the shadow completely blocks the sun's light. Anyone witnessing the process will see a sky gradually becoming engulfed by darkness, a stark contrast to the day and night cycle that we are familiar with.
However, years ago, humans did not understand the aforementioned process. Many people, not understanding the science behind it, felt abandoned by the light and took the darkness as an omen of something terrible to come.
In the 16th century, a Spanish missionary named Fray Bernardino de Sahagún detailed the behavior of Aztecs in central Mexico during an eclipse. Edwin Krupp, astronomer and director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, has studied such accounts in great detail.
"There was shouting everywhere. People of light complexion were slain [as sacrifices]," de Sahagún wrote, according to Krupp. "It was thus said: 'If the eclipse of the sun is complete, it will be dark forever! The demons of darkness will come down. They will eat men.'"
Another common perception of both standard and solar eclipses was that hungry demons or gods ate them. For example, Mayan glyphs hinted at a giant serpent swallowing the sun during an eclipse, Chinese and Armenian tales shared similar stories with dragons instead, and in Vietnamese culture it's a frog or toad.
In addition to the solar eclipse just around the corner, there will also be prenumbral lunar eclipse on March 23, which should be visible to most of the United States.
