Bryan Brewer's enduring classic - now updated with maps and details for the 2024 event - takes you on a grand, full-color pictorial tour of the history and science of eclipses. Discover how these rare and dramatic celestial events have influenced culture throughout the ages, from Stonehenge and ancient Egypt to Shakespeare and Mark Twain. Follow the sagas of scientists who traveled the globe to glimpse precious minutes of totality to study our solar system. Learn the simple secrets of how eclipses occur, and why they continue to rivet the human imagination.
This background lays the foundation for your breathtaking appreciation of this beautiful spectacle on the day of the eclipse. This generously illustrated, full-color book - printed on high-quality paper - includes a comprehensive viewing guide, with tips on selecting a location and knowing what to look for. Over the centuries, observers have described the delicate solar corona - visible only during a total solar eclipse - as a sublime and otherworldly sight. Few ever get the chance to experience totality, and those who do never forget it.
Also included: Foreword the the First Edition of ECLIPSE by the late Frank Herbert, author of Dune.