Eclipse: A Journey to Darkness and Light

A fascinating look at one of the most riveting tales in astronomy, a total eclipse, from the award-winning author of IMPACT JUPITER and co-discoverer of the comet Shoemaker-Levy. According to the world famous astronomer David Levy, an eclipse of the Sun "is a natural event with unnatural consequences. In fact a total eclipse of the Sun has the power to rip through to the core of your being." Levy should know, having experienced the power of the vanishing Sun first as a child and most recently in August, 1999, on a ship in the North Atlantic. It was that voyage to the darkness of the disappearing Sun, followed by a rendezvous with a brilliant display of the Northern Lights, that formed the inspiration for this book Levy describes the experience of being shipboard on a calm and quiet sea, watching a crescent Sun rise above the waves at dawn. Seeing a crescent Moon rising in the night sky is a common and often beautiful experience. Seeing the Sun come up as a mere sliver of itself can fill the heart with dread. Just a mere twenty minutes passed from the beginning of the event to totality, but Levy reveals that the actual experience is so powerful it can be mind-altering. In a manner accesible to all readers, David Levy recounts the story one of nature's most profound displays.