Assyrian eclipse
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A total solar eclipse, commonly referred to as the Assyrian eclipse or the Bur-Sagale eclipse, occurred on 15 June 763 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar, recorded in Assyrian eponym lists that most likely date to the tenth year of the reign of king Ashur-dan III. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and Sun, completely or partially blocking the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than that of the Sun, blocking all of the Sun's light and causing day to turn into darkness. A total eclipse also appears as a partial eclipse, only blocking part of the Sun's light, over a region thousands of kilometers wide. This eclipse was a member of Saros series 44.
A total solar eclipse, commonly referred to as the Assyrian eclipse or the Bur-Sagale eclipse, occurred on 15 June 763 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar, recorded in Assyrian eponym lists that most likely date to the tenth year of the reign of king Ashur-dan III. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and Sun, completely or partially blocking the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than that of the Sun, blocking all of the Sun's light and causing day to turn into darkness. A total eclipse also appears as a partial eclipse, only blocking part of the Sun's light, over a region thousands of kilometers wide. This eclipse was a member of Saros series 44. ==Modern research== In 1867, Henry Rawlinson identified the near-total eclipse of 15 June 763 BC as the most likely candidate (the month Simanu corresponding to the May/June lunation), visible in northern Assyria just before noon. This date has been widely accepted ever since; the identification is also substantiated by other astronomical observations from the same period. This record is one of the crucial pieces of evidence that anchor the absolute chronology of the ancient Near East for the Assyrian period. ==See also== Chronology of the ancient Near East Akitu Historical astronomy Eclipse of Thales Mursili's eclipse ==References== ==External links== Path map of eclipses 780–761 BCE (NASA) – Includes total eclipse of June 15, 763 BC (labeled −0762 June 15) Path map of eclipses 800–781 BCE (NASA) – includes annular eclipse of June 24, 791 BC (labeled −0790 June 24) Five Millennium (−1999 to +3000) Canon of Solar Eclipses Database – maps the visibility of the total solar eclipse of June 15, 763 BC. Five Millennium (−1999 to +3000) Canon of Solar Eclipses Database – maps the visibility of the annular solar eclipse of June 24, 791 BC.
Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1373241066 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.