Early risers in the Northeast US on Thursday morning, June 10th, will – weather conditions permitting – be treated to the most unusual sunrise of their lives, for we will not see a yellow-orange circle of light, but a large solar eclipse which will transform the Sun into a fiery scimitar! Eclipses of the Sun and Moon are dramatic natural events which have been described in records going back for centuries in many civilizations. Ancient astronomers discovered certain cycles of occurrence of eclipses, which then allowed prediction. Accurate prediction could command power and prestige. In this presentation we’ll examine the mechanics of what causes eclipses as well as look at events coming our way in the future, including the total eclipse visible from upstate New York and New England in April 2024.
