SPACE — On December 29, 1777, Captain James Cook observed an annular solar eclipse. Captain Cook was an English explorer who sailed through uncharted territory, then mapped much of the South Pacific.
During his third and final voyage across the Pacific Ocean, he saw the moon partially blocking the sun. Captain Cook and his crew sailed from England in 1776 to discover the Northwest Passage to Asia.
They were sailing around the southern tip of Africa and around Australia when the phenomenon of the moon overtaking the sun occurred.
On the morning of December 29, the moon passed in front of the sun. This created what looked like a ‘ring of fire’ in the sky, or later called an annular solar eclipse.
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An annular solar eclipse, also known as a ring of fire eclipse, occurs when the moon passes between the earth and the sun. However, because it is too far from the earth, it does not completely cover the sun (total solar eclipse) when viewed from the earth’s surface. When the moon only passes through part of the sun, it is called a partial solar eclipse. Source: Space.com
2023-12-29 14:12:00
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