Stargazing in April: A total eclipse

I certainly wasn’t prepared for the emotional impact when I saw my first total eclipse, writes Nigel Henbest

A total solar eclipse (AP)

Fifty-second day: fog until next dawn. Three flames ate the Sun, and big stars were seen.” So runs the oldest written account in the history of astronomy, dating back to 5 June 1302 BC.

To anyone who’s witnessed of a total eclipse of the Sun, the description strikes a chord even today. The “three flames” are streamers in the Sun’s atmosphere, the corona, reaching out from around Moon’s silhouette. And when the sky goes dark, we suddenly get to see ‘big stars’ – in this case, Sirius and the planets Saturn and Venus.

The eclipse was such an incredible sight that this eyewitness account echoes down to us over three millennia. And even in today’s world of constant visual stimulation, a total solar eclipse is something so unique that I guarantee it’s a sight that you will never forget.