Sun Moon Earth : The History of Solar Eclipses from Omens of Doom to Einstein and Exoplanets

A solar eclipse is a truly awe-inspiring sight. But as amazing as it is to watch the sun vanish behind the moon, leaving behind a perfect ring of light unlike anything else you’ve seen before, that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what solar eclipses have meant to our culture as a whole.

Sun Moon Earth is part-tribute, part-science text, and part-entreaty to those who have never given themselves the privilege of experiencing a marvel of celestial mechanics. Nordgren explores how we used eclipses to map the Earth, how eclipses fed our fascination with the moon (and helped us understand how it formed), and even the curious science of how using planes lengthens eclipses from our perspective. It’s incredible, mind-bending stuff.

Although there’s a lot of science in this book, it is so draped in appreciation and genuine wonder by Nordgren that it’s easy to forget you’re learning anything at all. His section pondering the idea of the last eclipse (due to the moon slowly moving away from the Earth) is a particular treat.

Even the title reflects that simple relationship, spelling out the order in which these miraculous moments take place. Elegant.