astronomy

Solar eclipses in fiction

Solar eclipses in fiction is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Solar eclipses in fiction rather than just read about it. In short: This is a list of fictional stories in which solar eclipses feature as an important plot element. Mere passing mentions are not listed.

Key takeaways

Solar eclipses in fiction belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Solar eclipses in fiction to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Solar eclipses in fiction from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

This is a list of fictional stories in which solar eclipses feature as an important plot element. Mere passing mentions are not listed.

Written works

Novels Le Pays des Fourrures (The Fur Country) by Jules Verne (1873). Scientists witness a solar eclipse north of the Arctic Circle in the summer of 1860. King Solomon's Mines by Henry Rider Haggard (1885). A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, by Mark Twain (1889). The protagonist avoids being burned at the stake by predicting a solar eclipse in 528 CE. Pharaoh by Bolesław Prus (1895). A historical novel with a solar eclipse c. 1085 BCE (at the fall of Egypt's New Kingdom and 20th Dynasty) predicted by the priest Menes. The Secret Mountain by Enid Blyton. A group of children and their guardian, captives of a sun-worshipping African tribe, escape by threatening to kill the Sun, having prior knowledge of an imminent solar eclipse. Voyage: A Novel of 1896 by Sterling Hayden (1976). Depicts a solar eclipse of the titular year, viewed from the South Pacific. Black Robe by Brian Moore (1985). Jesuit missionaries in 17th century Quebec use their astronomical knowledge of the exact time of an eclipse to prevent their slaughter by Hurons. Nightfall by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg (1990). Based on Asimov's 1941 short story of the same name. El Eclipse by Augusto Monterroso. Short story in which a Spanish missionary is captured by Mayans and tries to use his knowledge of a solar eclipse to scare them into releasing him. They sacrifice him anyway, already having calculated the infinite dates of upcoming eclipses. Gerald's Game and Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King (1992) depict the solar eclipse of July 20, 1963. Illegal Alien by Robert J. Sawyer (1997). Aliens visit Earth and observe a total solar eclipse. Their scientist host speculates that Earth may be the only planet in the entire universe whose moon covers its star perfectly (with only transits or occultations occurring on other planets). Although it is not explicitly stated in the novel, Sawyer has noted that the eclipse was the historical eclipse of August 11, 1999, which allows the reader to ascertain the time the novel takes place. Eclipse of the Sun by Phil Whitaker (1997). Set in India and has at its center a dramatic attempt to organize a public viewing of the solar eclipse of October 24, 1995. Solar Eclipse by John Farris (1999). Sunwing by Kenneth Oppel (1999). The Eclipse of the Century by Jan Mark (1999). Pitch Black: Fight Evil with Evil by Frank Lauria and David Twohy (c. 2000). Eclipse (2000) and Shroud (2002) by John Banville. Interlinked novels set against the backdrop of a solar eclipse. Eclipse, by Erin Hunter (2008). Part of the Warriors series; the solar eclipse occurs during the battle between the clans, foretold by a strange cat named Sol. Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan (2008). The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan (2009). Every Soul A Star by Wendy Mass (2008). A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (2013). Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart, (2015). A historical mystery centered around a solar eclipse in early Qing Dynasty China. The Eclipse by Willer de Oliveira. Trade winds to Meluhha by Vasant Davé (2012). A historical novel where the unique total lunar eclipse and total solar eclipse in Babylon in May 2138 BC set off a young Mesopotamian's adventures in the ancient Indus Valley civilization.

Films

There is a body of films featuring solar eclipses. Compared to other astronomical events featured in films, such as full moons and asteroid strikes, solar eclipses are less commonly seen. When they have featured in films, they often drive the plot and have a portentous presence. NPR's Glen Weldon said that films use eclipses "to signal to audiences that the normal rules have temporarily lifted, and things are about to get weird." The first film to feature a solar eclipse was the 1907 silent film The Eclipse, or the Courtship of the Sun and Moon, which featured a solar eclipse as a fantastical consummation between the Sun and the Moon. Eclipses have been seen as bad omens throughout history and filmmakers leverage that belief "as visual cues or key plot points", according to The Oregonian's Amy Wang. Lisa Yaszek, a professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication at Georgia Tech, has remarked that the most accurate depiction of a solar eclipse she has seen in film was in the 1961 religious epic Barabbas, which included film of an actual solar eclipse during a crucifixion scene.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Solar eclipses in fiction

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Solar eclipses in fiction claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Solar eclipses in fiction before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Solar eclipses in fiction ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Solar eclipses in fiction

In research: Solar eclipses in fiction appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Solar eclipses in fiction in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Solar eclipses in fiction is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Eclipses in popular culture, Fiction about the Sun, History of fiction, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Solar eclipses in fiction outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Solar eclipses in fiction in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Solar eclipses in fiction means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Solar eclipses in fiction out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Solar eclipses in fiction in simple terms?

This is a list of fictional stories in which solar eclipses feature as an important plot element. Mere passing mentions are not listed.

Why does Solar eclipses in fiction matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Solar eclipses in fiction?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Solar eclipses in fiction.