Eclipse: The Science and History of Nature's Most Spectacular Phenomenon

by J.P. McEvoy

J.P. McEvoy looks at the remarkable phenomenon of a solar eclipse through a thrilling narrative, charting the historical, cultural, and scientific relevance of solar eclipses through the ages, and exploring the significance of this rare event.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 1999

Reviews

[Robert Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just the right mix of eclipse facts and stories

If you're put off by numbers, dates and ancient history, this may not be the book for you. But for someone who wants to get a better understanding of eclipses and how we figured out their patterns, this little book is filled with amazing history and scientific facts. Just the realization that we are very fortunate to have a moon that is just the right size to cover the sun is mind boggling. The key to it all is the 18 year cycle (6585 days) and its multiples (notably every third cycle of an eclipse series comes back to the same region). Just a few points off for the quality of the photos and drawings, but the concepts they expressed were better than I have seen in other astronomy books.

[D. Carson Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I particularly liked this line when discussing Arthur Eddington's confirmation of Einstein's Theory of General Relativity during the 1919 eclipse.

"...a new theory of the universe, the brain-child of a German Jew working in Berlin, had been confirmed by an English Quaker on a small African island."

[Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book it got a little complicated at times but I definitely learnt alot from reading this book. I give it 3.5 stars it was a good find on libby.

[Sandi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm learning how to photograph rainbows. In my search I have stumbled upon an interesting shelf of book! Ecllipse is the science and history of nature's most spectacular phenomenon