Eclipse: The science and history of nature's most spectacular phenomenon. J. McEvoy P.

      

COPYRIGHT

      William Collins

      An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street Lodnon SE1 9GF

       www.harpercollins.co.uk

      Copyright © J. P. McEvoy 1999

      First published in Great Britain in 1999 by Fourth Estate Limited

      Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders for permission. Any omissions or errors will be corrected in future editions.

      Designed by Robert Updegraff

      Illustrations by Mark McEvoy

      The right of J. P. McEvoy to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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      Source ISBN 9781841151847

      Ebook Edition © MARCH 2017 ISBN: 9780007480302

      Version: 2017-03-01

      

      

DEDICATION

       For Emily, Muirenn, Joel

       and the baby arriving with the eclipse

       in August 1999

      CONTENTS

       Cover

       Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Prologue

Understanding an Eclipse

The Babylonians, Chroniclers of Eclipses

       The Saros Cycle: the 6585-Day Coincidence

       Ancient Predictions of Eclipses: Controversies

       Tracking a Solar Eclipse

       The Sun’s Surface: Victorian Solar Eclipses

       Confirming General Relativity

       The Last Eclipse of the Millennium

       Glossary

       Further Reading

       Acknowledgements

       Index

       Other Books By

       About the Publisher

PROLOGUE

       Darkness at Noon: Baja Mexico, 11 July 1991

      Stretching over 1,300 km south of the California state line between San Diego and Tijuana is a peninsula of mountains, deserts and plains ending at one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Fine golden sand for miles and miles slopes into the azure Sea of Cortés and the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula, called Baja California, is actually part of Mexico. In the heat of the summer of 1991 I arrived, planning to view my first total eclipse of the Sun.

      The morning of 11 August is bright and clear. Amid the palm trees and cactus plants all along the beach, tripods are being set up in the sand, an army of straw hats and Bermuda shorts appear as far as the eye can see. Everyone is buoyant. Not a single cloud in the sky, though still a few hours