How ancient peoples experienced eclipses

Since the dawn of humanity, solar eclipses have sparked awe and wonder — and sometimes fear.

“Imagine you’re a farmer—you’re out there, and all of a sudden sky goes dark,” says Bradley Schaefer, an astronomer at Louisiana State University who has studied the history of solar and lunar eclipses. “It can only be a message from the gods.”

Read the full article in Smithsonian.

A total solar eclipse, showing the sun's corona.