History of Solar eclipse in Timeline

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the Sun's light partially or completely for observers on Earth. This alignment happens roughly every six months during the new moon phase when the Moon's orbit is near the Earth's orbital plane. A total solar eclipse completely obscures the Sun, while partial and annular eclipses only block a portion. Unlike lunar eclipses visible from Earth's night side, solar eclipses are visible only from a small region. While total solar eclipses happen somewhere on Earth about every 18 months, they only recur at any specific location approximately every 360 to 410 years.

May 29, 1919: Confirmation of Einstein's theory of general relativity

On May 29, 1919, observation of a total solar eclipse helped confirm Einstein's theory of general relativity. Arthur Eddington compared the apparent distance between stars in the constellation Taurus with and without the Sun between them, confirming theoretical predictions about gravitational lenses.

1954: Allais effect reported

In 1954, Maurice Allais reported observing unusual and unexplained movements during a solar eclipse, a phenomenon that would become known as the Allais effect.

June 20, 1955: Total solar eclipse

On June 20, 1955, a total solar eclipse occurred that lasted 7 minutes and 8 seconds.

1959: Allais effect reported again

In 1959, Maurice Allais reported observing unusual and unexplained movements during another solar eclipse, adding to the observations related to the Allais effect.

1966: Gemini 12 observes solar eclipse from space

In 1966, the crew of Gemini 12 observed a total solar eclipse from space, providing a unique perspective unaffected by weather conditions.

1970: Saxl effect observed

In 1970, Saxl and Allen observed a sudden change in motion of a torsion pendulum during a solar eclipse, a phenomenon known as the Saxl effect.

June 30, 1973: Long total solar eclipse

On June 30, 1973, a total solar eclipse occurred lasting 7 minutes and 3 seconds. Observers aboard a Concorde supersonic aircraft stretched totality for this eclipse to about 74 minutes by flying along the path of the Moon's umbra.

1997: Possible gravitational shielding effect

During the 1997 solar eclipse, observation by Wang et al. suggested a possible gravitational shielding effect, which sparked debate.

1999: Partial eclipse visible from Mir

In 1999, the partial phase of a total eclipse was observed from the Mir space station.

2002: Unexplained gravitational phenomenon

In 2002, Wang and a collaborator published detailed data analysis from the 1997 solar eclipse observations, suggesting that the observed gravitational shielding phenomenon remains unexplained.

April 29, 2014: Last Non-Central Solar Eclipse

The last umbral yet non-central solar eclipse, which was an annular eclipse, occurred on April 29, 2014.

March 20, 2015: Impact of solar eclipse on power system

On March 20, 2015, a solar eclipse was estimated to potentially have a significant impact on the European power system. The electricity sector took measures to mitigate any impact as production was estimated to temporarily decrease significantly due to the eclipse.