Both the popular and technical literature contain many references to solar eclipses of the past. Some of these references are from ancient texts. In other cases, they are attempts to tie an eclipse with a historical event. The purpose of this web page is to present eclipse calculations for many such eclipses mentioned in the literature.
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEhistory.html
Although a total eclipse was seen on the Big Island of Hawaii on July 11, 1991, no other total eclipse is visible from the lower 48 states of the USA between 1979 and 2017 – a lapse of over 38 years! August 21, 2017: Total eclipse of the sun.
http://earthsky.org/space/total-solar-eclipses-in-the-usa
In 2013, researchers found evidence that ancient Maya could accurately predict solar eclipses. An astronomical calendar from the 11th or 12th century predicted an eclipse that took place on 11 July, 1991. Solar eclipses were known as chi' ibal kin, or 'to eat the sun'. What they understood or believed about eclipses is unknown, however, with missionaries destroying almost all the written records in the 1600s.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/solar-eclipse-apocalypse-how-ancient-civilisations-explained-disappearance-sun-1492508
The path of the Moon's penumbral shadow covers the region of partial eclipse, while the track of the umbral shadow defines the path of total or annular eclipse. These figures are described in greater detail in the Key to Solar Eclipse Maps. Each figure is stored as a PDF file.
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEhistory.html
With interest rapidly building for the upcoming total solar eclipse in the USA on August 21, 2017, I became curious about the rarity of total eclipses in America. The very first total eclipse I witnessed was on March 7, 1970.
http://earthsky.org/space/total-solar-eclipses-in-the-usa
This article needs attention from an expert on the subject. The specific problem is: On Solar Systems and astronomy. (April 2014) This is an incomplete list of solar eclipses visible from the United States. For additional eclipses, use the list of 20th century solar eclipses.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solar_eclipses_visible_from_the_United_States
A solar eclipse as seen from Australia's Palm Cove in 2012Getty. A solar eclipse is set to plunge parts of Europe into darkness for a few minutes on 20 March, with the moon obscuring the light from the Sun in a celestial event that takes place in some part of the world once every 18 months or so.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/solar-eclipse-apocalypse-how-ancient-civilisations-explained-disappearance-sun-1492508
They were the first people to use the saros cycle to predict eclipses. The saros cycle relates to the lunar cycle and is about 6,585.3 days (18 years, 11 days, and 8 hours) long. Like the ancient Chinese, the Babylonians believed that solar eclipses were bad omens for kings and rulers.
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar-eclipse-history.html
If we only count total eclipses visible from the lower 48 states, we have 4 eclipses from 1951 to 2000, and 4 more from 2001 to 2050. Put another way, there are 8 chances to view a total eclipse from the USA in the period spanning just over a single lifetime.
http://earthsky.org/space/total-solar-eclipses-in-the-usa
This is a list of solar eclipses in the 20th century. During the period 1901 to 2000 there were 228 solar eclipses of which 78 were partial, 73 were annular (two non-central), 71 were total (three non-central) and 6 were hybrids. The greatest number of eclipses in one year was five, in 1935, and one month, July 2000, had two eclipses. Notable eclipses of the 20th century.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solar_eclipses_in_the_20th_century
what years were total eclipses in the past
One of the total eclipses in the past was on August 21, 2017. The total eclipse occurred in 2017. Total eclipses was in the year 2017. In the past, the total eclipse was seen in 2017.