.TOTAL SOLAR eclipses possess impressed people given that time out of thoughts. The very first document of one, preserved on a clay tablet located at Ugarit, now in Syria, is actually strongly believed coming from its age and place to describe either an eclipse that took place in 1375BC or one in 1223BC. Epic explanations for eclipses include the Sun being actually consumed through pet dogs, frogs or monsters. The truth is more prosaic. Eclipses are brought on by the Moon moving in between Sunlight and also The planet in a manner that casts a shadow on portion of Planet's surface area. Why are actually complete ones, like the one crossing component of The United States on April 8th, therefore rare?