                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2026 September 2
   The image is split into several vertical slices where each slice is an
       image of the Sun in the sky. It follows the Sun slowly becoming
   eclipsed by the Moon. The sky goes from light to dark. The total solar
   eclipse occurs in the central slice. As the eclipse goes away, the Sun
                                 is setting.

                         Solar Eclipses and Culture
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Javier Castro
         Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)

   Explanation: Pretend you have never heard of a solar eclipse. The Sun’s
   behavior has been predictable your whole life. One day, you witness the
   sky transform as it does in today’s spliced image spanning two hours of
   the August 12, 2026 solar eclipse. The Sun disappears, leaving behind a
   bright, empty ring. What would you think had happened? Humans have
   interpreted eclipses in countless ways throughout history, embedding
   beliefs about connection, rebirth, or danger into culture. “Eclipse”
   comes from the Greek word “ékleipsis” meaning “abandonment”. In ancient
   Greece, the solar eclipse marked the anger of the gods and the Sun
   abandoning humanity. To the Diné people, this celestial alignment is a
   time of renewal. Out of respect and to avoid the danger of sunlight,
   the Diné stay inside until the Sun and Moon separate. The Batammariba
   people of Benin and Togo believe that the Sun and Moon fight during an
   eclipse, so the community encourages peace among themselves. Eclipses
   are an example of the longstanding connection between astronomy and
   society.

                  Gallery: Solar Eclipse of 2026 August 12
                       Tomorrow's picture: empty space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

