.TOTAL SOLAR eclipses have impressed folks given that time out of mind. The 1st record of one, preserved on a clay-based tablet found at Ugarit, now in Syria, is believed coming from its age and site to explain either an eclipse that took place in 1375BC or even one in 1223BC. Fabulous illustrations for eclipses include the Sunshine being actually eaten through pet dogs, frogs or monsters. The truth is a lot more prosaic. Eclipses are triggered by the Moon relocating in between Sunshine and also Planet in a way that projects a shade on component of Planet's surface area. Why are actually total ones, like the one crossing component of The United States and Canada on April 8th, so uncommon?