Jay Pasachoff travelled the world to catch the Moon eclipsing the Sun
The solar astronomer and passionate proselytiser died on November 20th, aged 79
Since the very beginnings of humankind, solar eclipses have caused terror. The gradual encroaching of the Moon’s shadow between the Earth and the Sun was a sign of divine wrath, withdrawing the light that made crops grow and men and women live; it foretold the end of empires and the deaths of kings. Among the ten plagues of Egypt, one was the sudden descent of darkness in the middle of the day. In the modern world, a total eclipse is still a deeply eerie occurrence: a sudden cold darkness in daylight when the birds stop singing and begin to roost, and even know-it-all Westerners feel a strong twinge of disturbance.
This article appeared in the Obituary section of the print edition under the headline “The shadow-lover”
From the December 10th 2022 edition
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