Imagine such a picture. A typical day: the sun is at its zenith, shines brightly, warming passers-by, hurrying about their business. At first they do not notice how a defect appears on the disk of the star. But it increases, covering the star partially, and then completely. Now it is impossible to ignore an incomprehensible phenomenon: a black disk is visible in the sky, along the edges of which a small rim shines. Night falls, stars appear. But a few minutes pass and everything returns to normal - the sun shines again, gradually freeing itself from the dark spot ...
The reaction of people to a solar eclipse
It is clear that in ancient times, our ancestors were afraid of such inexplicable phenomena. If they were afraid of a simple thunderstorm with thunder or earth wobbles, then what about the disappearance of the sun in the middle of a white day. They interpreted the solar eclipse as the wrath of higher powers. People in ancient times believed that in this way the Gods warn mankind about an imminent terrible catastrophe. Even now in the XXI century, when scientists have fully studied the mechanism of a natural phenomenon, we still wait for it with trepidation and experience, linking the disappearance of the sun with something terrible and mystical.
At any time when there were solar eclipses, doctors advised people to stay at home, relax, and not solve important issues. Indeed, on such days, an increase in anxiety, a sense of fear, depression or arousal is noticed. In hypertensive patients the
pressure jumps, people with problems of the cardiovascular system also feel bad. A person's nerves can be shaken, he falls into a state of stupor. Skeptics say that all this is from auto-suggestion. But the opposite version testifies to another: when there were solar eclipses, gravitational pressure on the Earth was observed. As a result, weather-dependent and emotional people felt this.
Mechanism of natural phenomena
The solar eclipse model is easy to describe to incompetent people. It begins with the right edge of the star. The moon, which becomes one line with him, gradually closes its outline. First, only a dark horn appears, then it expands, growing into a huge black disk.
In these seconds around the Sun one can observe the radiance, the so-called crown. This is the outer atmospheric layer, which is invisible on ordinary days because of its relatively small brightness against the background of the daytime sky. Almost every time this diadem is different: it changes depending on solar activity. A pinkish ring appears over the horizon. It is formed this way: light penetrates into the darkened area by the Moon from other zones, where not a total, but only a partial eclipse is observed.
An interesting fact is that the size of the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun. At the same time, it is 400 times closer to the Earth than it is. Even cynics find in it a certain mysticism and mystery.
Mythology
You can not do without it, because everything inexplicable and mysterious for our ancestors immediately acquired legends and legends. When there were solar eclipses, the scientists of that time took up a pen to describe this amazing and at the same time awesome beauty. The pagans said that during the natural phenomenon, the battle of the Gods takes place. The Vietnamese believed that the Moon and the Sun were two goddess sisters who took turns watching over people. Their husband was a bear, who periodically demanded the performance of conjugal duty from the maidens . He followed them, and when he overtook, solar and lunar eclipses occurred in the sky .
The ancient Germans claimed that the wolf eats the celestial bodies. And in order to scare him away, in the days of the eclipses they created a lot of noise. The Egyptians believed that the day trip of the god Ra was interrupted when the Apop serpent bursts from the other world and swallows the boat. The deity fights the monster and invariably prevails. And the Indians in Colombia and Mexico were inclined to believe that the eclipse is the witchcraft of evil demons. From their spell the luminaries fell ill. All these versions are interesting today when we study the culture of ancient peoples. Mythology gives us a clear idea of the way of life of old people, their beliefs and beliefs.
The most famous solar eclipses
Historians have noticed that a total solar eclipse has always warned of tipping points. The most famous, of course, is what marked the death of Christ. It is known that they crucified him on Friday afternoon. At this time, from 6 to 9 pm, the sun completely disappeared and a deep darkness fell. This phenomenon in the gospel was described by Mark, Luke and Matvey. It was the beginning of a new life for humanity, which is still trying to atone for its sin.
At the same time, the very first eclipse that occurred on the human age occurred in China. It happened in 2134 BC. Previously, people did not encounter anything like this, so the sudden disappearance of the sun turned into a strong panic in the country right up to the riots. In Kievan Rus, a natural phenomenon also predicted a bad trip for Prince Igor. It appeared when the prince crossed the river Donets. Ignoring the bad sign, he was captured and was killed.
Another famous eclipse occurred in 1919 and completely changed the idea of physics, while confirming the theory of relativity of Einstein. There was no sun for only 6 minutes. During this short time, the British astronomer Arthur Eddington proved that bodies with strong gravity can bend time, space and light.
Solar eclipses in the history of Russia
They also influenced the events in our country. For example, the birth of Karl Marx, the man who indirectly changed the course of the power’s history, was also accompanied by a solar eclipse. Years later, historians drew a parallel: the famous politician and philosopher was born on May 5, 1818 in the German city of Trier. It was then that the sun completely disappeared into the sky. In Germany itself, this phenomenon went unnoticed, but it was well seen by the inhabitants of Russia, especially St. Petersburg. Scientists see a certain mysticism in this, since it was in Russia that the revolutionary ideas of Marx were tested in practice, and Peter became the center of three revolutions.
The solar eclipse in Russia in 1945 became a symbol of the victory over fascism and the triumphal parade that took place on June 24. By the way, a natural phenomenon was also observed on the eve of the nuclear bomb test and the
death of Princess Diana. All these events affected humanity, forcing him to rethink life, and also greatly influenced many significant events in Russian and world history.
What to expect in 2015
Astronomers predict a strong solar eclipse, which will occur in the near future on the Faroe Islands. March 20, 2015 the solar disk is completely hidden from the gaze of people. Only this beauty can be observed either on the Faroe Islands or on the Svalbard archipelago. This is about sushi. From the sea, an eclipse will be visible from the Atlantic Ocean and from the Arctic ice. Some partial phases will fall into the zone of visibility of Europeans, residents of the northern Arctic and western Russia. In our country, it will be best to observe the disappearance of the sun in Murmansk at 13.18 local time.
Whenever there were solar eclipses, astronomers warned people not to look at them with the naked eye. Otherwise, you can burn the retina. If you are going to see this amazing phenomenon next time, do not forget about basic precautions. And then your impressions will remain truly colorful and such that they are remembered for a lifetime.