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Astronomy Picture of the Day - Solar Eclipses and Culture
NASA ^ | 2 Sep, 2026 | Image Credit & Copyright: Javier Castro Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)

Posted on 09/02/2026 11:30:17 AM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: Pretend you have never heard of a solar eclipse. The Sun’s behavior has been predictable your whole life. One day, you witness the sky transform as it does in today’s spliced image spanning two hours of the August 12, 2026 solar eclipse. The Sun disappears, leaving behind a bright, empty ring. What would you think had happened? Humans have interpreted eclipses in countless ways throughout history, embedding beliefs about connection, rebirth, or danger into culture. “Eclipse” comes from the Greek word “ékleipsis” meaning “abandonment”. In ancient Greece, the solar eclipse marked the anger of the gods and the Sun abandoning humanity. To the Diné people, this celestial alignment is a time of renewal. Out of respect and to avoid the danger of sunlight, the Diné stay inside until the Sun and Moon separate. The Batammariba people of Benin and Togo believe that the Sun and Moon fight during an eclipse, so the community encourages peace among themselves. Eclipses are an example of the longstanding connection between astronomy and society.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science; Society
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa

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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

1 posted on 09/02/2026 11:30:17 AM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 09/02/2026 11:30:42 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 31R1O; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; ...
Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

3 posted on 09/02/2026 11:31:35 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber
And all that is gone

And all that's to come

And everything under the sun is in tune (Everything)

But the sun is eclipsed by the moon..... (Referring to Lunacy)

The end of the Pink Floyd song Eclipse

Likely referring to the change to a departure from reality (insanity) of one of their founding members, Sid Barrett, who they had to kick out of the band.

4 posted on 09/02/2026 11:43:15 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

There was a total eclipse in southern Quebec in April of 2024 and I went up there. The sky was completely clear. It was really spooky...at totality it was about as dark as you’d expect it to be a few minutes before total darkness on a summer evening.IOW it wasn’t as dark as it is at 2AM but pretty close.


5 posted on 09/02/2026 11:58:50 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Import The Third World,Become The Third World)
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To: MtnClimber
Eclipse by Pink Floyd: Eclipse
6 posted on 09/02/2026 12:12:27 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Great photo!


7 posted on 09/02/2026 12:14:50 PM PDT by BBB333
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To: MtnClimber

Proving yet again that the moon is made of cheese to make us all a delicious cheeseburger.


8 posted on 09/02/2026 12:18:02 PM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer” )
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To: blueunicorn6

The moon could make enough cheeseburgers to satisfy most of the raving lunatics on Earth.


9 posted on 09/02/2026 12:27:37 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber
And there is no dark side of the moon, really.

As a matter of fact it's all dark.

10 posted on 09/03/2026 5:20:01 AM PDT by Blogatron (Brought to you by The American Frog Council - "Frog; the other green meat.")
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