# Eclipse: Wikis

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# Encyclopedia

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Totality during the 1999 solar eclipse. Solar prominences can be seen along the limb (in red) as well as extensive coronal filaments.

An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when one celestial object moves into the shadow of another. When an eclipse occurs within a stellar system, such as the Solar System, it forms a type of syzygy—the alignment of three or more celestial bodies in the same gravitational system along a straight line.[1]

The term eclipse is most often used to describe either a solar eclipse, when the Moon's shadow crosses the Earth's surface, or a lunar eclipse, when the Moon moves into the shadow of Earth. However, it can also refer to such events beyond the Earth-Moon system: for example, a planet moving into the shadow cast by one of its moons, a moon passing into the shadow cast by its host planet, or a moon passing into the shadow of another moon. A binary star system can also produce eclipses if the plane of their orbit intersects the position of the observer.

## Etymology

The term is derived from the ancient Greek noun ἔκλειψις (ékleipsis), which is derived from the verb ἐκλείπω (ekleípō), "to cease to exist,"[2] a combination of prefix εκ- (ek-), from preposition εκ, εξ (ek, ex), "out," and of verb λείπω (leípō), "to be absent".[3][4]

## Syzygy

Umbra, penumbra and antumbra cast by a solid object occulting a larger light source.

A syzygy is the alignment of three or more celestial bodies in the same gravitational system along a straight line. The word is usually used in context with the Sun, Earth, and the Moon or a planet, where the latter is in conjunction or opposition. Solar and lunar eclipses occur at times of syzygy, as do transits and occultation there is a syzygy between a star and two celestial bodies, such as a planet and a moon. The shadow cast by the object closest to the star intersects the more distant body, lowering the amount of luminosity reaching the latter's surface. The region of shadow cast by the occulting body is divided into an umbra, where the radiation from the star's radiation-emitting photosphere is completely blocked, and a penumbra, where only a portion of the radiation is blocked.[5]

A total eclipse will occur when the observer is located within the umbra of the occulting object. Totality occurs at the point of maximum phase during a total eclipse, when the occulted object is completely covered. When the star and a smaller occulting object are nearly spherical, the umbra forms a cone-shaped region of shadow in space.

Beyond the end of the umbra is a region called the antumbra, where a planet or moon will be seen transiting across the star but not completely covering it. For an observer inside the antumbra of a solar eclipse, for example, the Moon appears smaller than the Sun, resulting in an annular eclipse.[5] The remaining volume of shadowed space, where only a fraction of the occulting object overlaps the star, is called the penumbra. An eclipse that does not reach totality, such as when the observer is in the penumbra, is called a partial eclipse.

For spherical bodies, when the occluding object is smaller than the star, the length (L) of the Umbra's cone-shaped shadow is given by:

$L\ =\ \frac{r \cdot R_o}{R_s - R_o}$

where Rs is the radius of the star, Ro is the occulting object's radius, and r is the distance from the star to the occulting object. For Earth, on average L is equal to 1.384 × 106 km, which is much larger than the Moon's semimajor axis of 3.844 × 105 km. Hence the umbral cone of the Earth can completely envelop the Moon during a lunar eclipse.[6] If the occulting object has an atmosphere, however, some of the luminosity of the star can be refracted into the volume of the umbra. This occurs, for example, during an eclipse of the Moon by the Earth—producing a faint, ruddy illumination of the Moon even at totality.

An astronomical transit is also a type of syzygy, but is used to describe the situation where the nearer object is considerably smaller in apparent size than the more distant object. Likewise, an occultation is a syzygy where the apparent size of the nearer object appears much larger than the distant object, and the distant object becomes completely hidden during the event.

An eclipse cycle takes place when a series of eclipses are separated by a certain interval of time. This happens when the orbital motions of the bodies form repeating harmonic patterns. A particular instance is the Saros cycle, which results in a repetition of a solar or lunar eclipse every 6,585.3 days, or a little over 18 years. However, because this cycle has an odd number of days, a successive eclipse is viewed from a different part of the world.[7]

## Earth-Moon System

An eclipse involving the Sun, Earth and Moon can occur only when they are nearly in a straight line, allowing one to be hidden behind another, viewed from the third. Because the orbital plane of the Moon is tilted with respect to the orbital plane of the Earth (the ecliptic), eclipses can occur only when the Moon is close to the intersection of these two planes (the nodes). The Sun, Earth and nodes are aligned twice a year, and eclipses can occur during a period of about two months around these times. There can be from four to seven eclipses in a calendar year, which repeat according to various eclipse cycles, such as the Saros cycle.

Between 1901 and 2100 there are the maximum of 7 eclipses in: [8]

• 4 (penumbral) lunar and 3 solar eclipses: 1908, 2038.
• 4 solar and 3 lunar eclipses: 1917, 1973, 2094.
• 5 solar and 2 lunar eclipses: 1935

Excluding penumbral lunar eclipses, the maximum 7 eclipses have occurred in:[9]

• 1591, 1656, 1787, 1805, 1917, 1935, 1982, and will next occur in 2094.

### Solar eclipse

The progression of a solar eclipse on August 1, 2008, viewed from Novosibirsk, Russia. The time between shots is 3 minutes.

An occultation of the Sun by the Moon is termed a solar eclipse. The type of solar eclipse event depends on the distance of the Moon from the Earth during the event. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Earth intersects the umbra portion of the Moon's shadow. When the umbra does not reach the surface of the Earth, the Sun is only partially occluded, resulting in an annular eclipse. Partial solar eclipses occur when the viewer is inside the penumbra.[10]

The eclipse magnitude is the fraction of the Sun's diameter that is covered by the Moon. For a total eclipse, this value is always greater than or equal to one. In both annular and total eclipses, the eclipse magnitude is the ratio of the angular sizes of the Moon to the Sun.[11]

Solar eclipses are relatively brief events that can only be viewed in totality along a relatively narrow track. Under the most favorable circumstances, a total solar eclipse can last for 7 minutes, 31 seconds, and can be viewed along a track that is up to 250 km wide. However, the region where a partial eclipse can be observed is much larger. The Moon's umbra will advance eastward at a rate of 1,700 km/h, until it no longer intersects the Earth.

During a solar eclipse, the Moon can sometimes perfectly cover the Sun because its apparent size is nearly the same as the Sun when viewed from the Earth. A solar eclipse is actually a misnomer; the phenomenon is more correctly described as an occultation of the Sun by the Moon or an eclipse of the Earth by the Moon.

### Lunar eclipse

The progression of a lunar eclipse. Totality is shown with the last two images to lower right. These required a longer exposure time to make the details visible.

Lunar eclipses occur when the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow. Since this occurs only when the Moon is on the far side of the Earth from the Sun, lunar eclipses only occur when there is a full moon. Unlike a solar eclipse, an eclipse of the Moon can be observed from nearly an entire hemisphere. For this reason it is much more common to observe a lunar eclipse from a given location. A lunar eclipse also lasts longer, taking several hours to complete, with totality itself usually averaging anywhere from about 30 minutes to over an hour.[12]

There are three types of lunar eclipses: penumbral, when the Moon crosses only the Earth's penumbra; partial, when the Moon crosses partially into the Earth's umbra; and total, when the Moon circles entirely within the Earth's umbra. Total lunar eclipses pass through all three phases. Even during a total lunar eclipse, however, the Moon is not completely dark. Sunlight refracted through the Earth's atmosphere intersects the umbra and provides a faint illumination. Much as in a sunset, the atmosphere tends to scatter light with shorter wavelengths, so the illumination of the Moon by refracted light has a red hue.[13]

### Historical record

Records of solar eclipses have been kept since ancient times. Eclipse dates can be used for chronological dating of historical records. A Syrian clay tablet records a solar eclipse which occurred on March 5, 1223 B.C.,[14] while Paul Griffin argues that a stone in Ireland records an eclipse on November 30, 3340 B.C.[15] Chinese historical records of solar eclipses date back over 4,000 years and have been used to measure changes in the Earth's rate of spin.[16]

## Other planets

### Gas giants

A picture of Jupiter and its moon Io taken by Hubble. The black spot is Io's shadow.
Saturn occludes the Sun as seen from the Cassini–Huygens space probe

The gas giant planets (Jupiter,[17] Saturn,[18] Uranus,[19] and Neptune)[20] have many moons and thus frequently display eclipses. The most striking involve Jupiter, which has four large moons and a low axial tilt, making eclipses more frequent as these bodies pass through the shadow of the larger planet. Transits occur with equal frequency. It is common to see the larger moons casting circular shadows upon Jupiter's cloudtops.

The eclipses of the Galilean moons by Jupiter became accurately predictable once their orbital elements were known. During the 1670s, it was discovered that these events were occurring about 17 minutes later than expected when Jupiter was on the far side of the Sun. Ole Rømer deduced that the delay was caused by the time needed for light to travel from Jupiter to the Earth. This was used to produce the first estimate of the speed of light.[21]

On the other three gas giants, eclipses only occur at certain periods during the planet's orbit, due to their higher inclination between the orbits of the moon and the orbital plane of the planet. The moon Titan, for example, has an orbital plane tilted about 1.6° to Saturn's equatorial plane. But Saturn has an axial tilt of nearly 27°. The orbital plane of Titan only crosses the line of sight to the Sun at two points along Saturn's orbit. As the orbital period of Saturn is 29.7 years, an eclipse is only possible about every 15 years.

The timing of the Jovian satellite eclipses was also used to calculate an observer's longitude upon the Earth. By knowing the expected time when an eclipse would be observed at a standard longitude (such as Greenwich), the time difference could be computed by accurately observing the local time of the eclipse. The time difference gives the longitude of the observer because every hour of difference corresponded to 15° around the Earth's equator. This technique was used, for example, by Giovanni D. Cassini in 1679 to re-map France.[22]

### Mars

Phobos transits Sun, as seen by Mars Rover Opportunity

On Mars, only partial solar eclipses (transits) are possible, because neither of its moons is large enough, at their respective orbital radii, to cover the Sun's disc as seen from the surface of the planet. Eclipses of the moons by Mars are not only possible, but commonplace, with hundreds occurring each Earth year. There are also rare occasions when Deimos is eclipsed by Phobos.[23] Martian eclipses have been photographed from both the surface of Mars and from orbit.

### Pluto

Pluto, with its proportionately large moon Charon, is also the site of many eclipses. A series of such mutual eclipses occurred between 1985 and 1990.[24] These daily events led to the first accurate measurements of the physical parameters of both objects.[25]

### Mercury and Venus

Eclipses are impossible on Mercury and Venus, which have no moons. However, both have been observed to transit across the face of the Sun. There are on average 13 transits of Mercury each century. Transits of Venus occur in pairs separated by an interval of eight years, but each pair of events happen less than once a century.[26]

## Eclipsing binaries

A binary star system consists of two stars that orbit around their common center of mass. The movements of both stars lie on a common orbital plane in space. When this plane is very closely aligned with the location of an observer, the stars can be seen to pass in front of each other. The result is a type of extrinsic variable star system called an eclipsing binary.

The maximum luminosity of an eclipsing binary system is equal to the sum of the luminosity contributions from the individual stars. When one star passes in front of the other, the luminosity of the system is seen to decrease. The luminosity returns to normal once the two stars are no longer in alignment.[27]

The first eclipsing binary star system to be discovered was Algol, a star system in the constellation Perseus. Normally this star system has a visual magnitude of 2.1. However, every 2.867 days the magnitude decreases to 3.4 for more than 9 hours. This is caused by the passage of the dimmer member of the pair in front of the brighter star.[28] The concept that an eclipsing body caused these luminosity variations was introduced by John Goodricke in 1783.[29]

## References

1. ^ The New York Times (March 31, 1981). "Science Watch: A Really Big Syzygy". Press release. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
2. ^ http://www.in.gr/dictionary/lookup.asp?Word=%E5%EA%EB%E5%DF%F0%F9+++&x=0&y=0
3. ^ http://www.lingvozone.com/main.jsp?action=translation&do=dictionary&language_id_from=23&language_id_to=8&word=%CE%BB%CE%B5%CE%AF%CF%80%CF%89+&t.x=55&t.y=16
5. ^ a b Espenak, Fred (September 21, 2007). "Glossary of Solar Eclipse Terms". NASA. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
6. ^ Green, Robin M. (1985). Spherical Astronomy. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0521317797.
7. ^ Espenak, Fred (July 12, 2007). "Eclipses and the Saros". NASA. Retrieved 2007-12-13.
8. ^ http://hermit.org/Eclipse/when_stats.html
9. ^ http://www.phys.uu.nl/~vgent/eclipse/eclipsecycles.htm
10. ^ Hipschman, R.. "Solar Eclipse: Why Eclipses Happen". Retrieved 2008-12-01.
11. ^ Zombeck, Martin V. (2006). Handbook of Space Astronomy and Astrophysics (Third ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 48. ISBN 0521782422.
12. ^ Staff (January 6, 2006). "Solar and Lunar Eclipses". NOAA. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
13. ^ Phillips, Tony (February 13, 2008). "Total Lunar Eclipse". NASA. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
14. ^ de Jong, T.; van Soldt, W. H. (1989). "The earliest known solar eclipse record redated". Nature 338: 238–240. doi:10.1038/338238a0. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
15. ^ Griffin, Paul (2002). "Confirmation of World's Oldest Solar Eclipse Recorded in Stone". The Digital Universe. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
16. ^ "Solar Eclipses in History and Mythology". Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
17. ^
18. ^
19. ^ "Brief Eclipse of the Sun by Miranda from the center of Uranus". JPL Solar System Simulator. 2007-Jan-22 19:58 UT (JPL Horizons S-O-T=0.0565). Retrieved 2008-06-05.
20. ^ "Transit of the Sun by Nereid from the center of Neptune". JPL Solar System Simulator. 2006-Mar-28 20:19 UT (JPL Horizons S-O-T=0.0079). Retrieved 2008-06-05.
21. ^ "Roemer's Hypothesis". MathPages. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
22. ^ Cassini, Giovanni D. (1694). "Monsieur Cassini His New and Exact Tables for the Eclipses of the First Satellite of Jupiter, Reduced to the Julian Stile, and Meridian of London". Philosophical Transactions 18: 237–256. doi:10.1098/rstl.1694.0048. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
23. ^ Davidson, Norman (1985). Astronomy and the Imagination: A New Approach to Man's Experience of the Stars. Routledge. ISBN 0710203713.
24. ^ Buie, M. W.; Polk, K. S. (1988). "Polarization of the Pluto-Charon System During a Satellite Eclipse". Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society 20: 806. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
25. ^ Tholen, D. J.; Buie, M. W.; Binzel, R. P.; Frueh, M. L. (1987). "Improved Orbital and Physical Parameters for the Pluto-Charon System". Science 237 (4814): 512–514. doi:10.1126/science.237.4814.512. PMID 17730324. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
26. ^ Espenak, Fred (May 29, 2007). "Planetary Transits Across the Sun". NASA. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
27. ^ Bruton, Dan. "Eclipsing binary stars". Midnightkite Solutions. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
28. ^ Price, Aaron (January 1999). "Variable Star Of The Month: Beta Persei (Algol)". AAVSO. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
29. ^ Goodricke, John; Englefield, H. C. (1785). "Observations of a New Variable Star". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 75: 153–164. doi:10.1098/rstl.1785.0009. Retrieved 2007-05-01.

# Quotes

Up to date as of January 14, 2010
(Redirected to Eclipse (novel) article)

### From Wikiquote

Eclipse is the third novel in the young adult vampire Twilight series, written by Stephenie Meyer. It was originally published in hardcover in 2007.

## 1. Ultimatum

• "Honestly though, why do you read [Wuthering Heights] over and over?" [...]
"I think it's something about the inevitability. How nothing can keep them apart — not her selfishness, or his evil, or even death, in the end..."
• Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 29
• "If we could bottle your luck, we'd have a weapon of mass destruction on our hands."
• Edward Cullen to Bella Swan, p. 31
• "Do you really have any idea how important you are to me? Any concept at all of how much I love you?" [...]
"I know how much I love you," I answered.
"You compare one small tree to the entire forest."
• Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 34

## 3. Motives

• "Yeah, I'll stop by your crypt after school."
• Jacob Black to Edward Cullen, p. 77
• "I don't have any leeches on my speed dial."
• Jacob Black to Edward Cullen, p. 77

## 4. Nature

• "I'm really glad Edward didn't kill you. Everything's so much more fun with you around."
• Emmett Cullen to Bella Swan, p. 93
• "Look after my heart — I've left it with you."
• Edward Cullen to Bella Swan, in a letter, p. 95

## 5. Imprint

• "Did you seriously just stamp your foot? I thought girls only did that on TV."
• Jacob Black to Bella Swan, p. 119

## 6. Switzerland

• "I am a neutral country. I am Switzerland. I refuse to be affected by territorial disputes between mythical creatures."
• Bella Swan to Edward Cullen, p. 143
• "You don't seem to grasp how dangerous a young werewolf can be. [...] You shouldn't be so reckless."
My voice turned acidic. "Yes, because a vampire slumber party is the pinnacle of safety conscious behavior."
• Alice Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 146
• "You are in trouble," I said slowly, emphasizing each word. "Enormous trouble. Angry grizzly bears are going to look tame next to what is waiting for you at home."
• Bella Swan to Edward Cullen, phone call, p. 149

## 7. Unhappy Ending

• "Would you like to hear my story, Bella? It doesn't have a happy ending — but which of ours does? If we had happy endings, we'd all be under gravestones now."
• Rosalie Hale, p. 154

## 8. Temper

• "This is nice," I commented when he pulled the warm sodas from the grocery bag. "I've missed this place."
He smiled, looking around at the plastic sheds bolted together over our heads. "Yeah, I can understand that. All the splendor of the Taj Mahal, without the inconvenience and expense of traveling to India."
• Bella Swan and Jacob Black, p. 179
• "You'd be better off dead. I'd rather you were."
• Jacob Black to Bella Swan, p. 183
• "You can hold me hostage any time you want."
• Bella Swan to Edward Cullen, p. 189
• "You're quite adorable when you're jealous. It's surprisingly enjoyable."
• Edward Cullen to Bella Swan, p. 194

## 10. Scent

• "Does my being half-naked bother you?"
• Jacob Black to Bella Swan, p. 216
• "You look...sexy."
I laughed out loud. "Right."
"Very sexy, really."
• Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 235

## 11. Legends

• Hanging out with no one but extremely dexterous people all the time was going to give me a complex.
• Bella Swan, p. 240

## 12. Time

• "I have foreseen...," Alice began in an ominous tone.
• Alice Cullen to Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, p. 267
• "If there were any way for me to become human for you — no matter what the price was, I would pay it."
• Edward Cullen to Bella Swan, p. 273
• "I'm not that girl, Edward. The one who gets married right out of high school like some small-town hick who got knocked up by her boyfriend! Do you know what people would think? Do you realize what century this is? People don't just get married at eighteen! Not smart people, not responsible, mature people! I wasn't going to be that girl! That's not who I am...."
• Bella Swan, pp. 275-276
• "Bella should understand this, too. She's one of us now."
• Jasper Hale to Bella Swan and the Cullens, p. 285

## 13. Newborn

• "And you ducked your head, like a good Southern gentleman, and said, 'I’m sorry, ma'am.'" [...]
"For the first time in almost a century, I felt hope."
• Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale, p. 301
• "Emmett and I were away hunting. Jasper shows up, covered in battle scars, towing this little freak" — he nudged Alice playfully — "who greets [the whole family] by name, knows everything about them, and wants to know which room she can move into."
• Edward Cullen
• If I didn't watch myself, I might end up writing my History essay on the vampire wars of the South.
• Bella Swan, p. 318

## 14. Declaration

• I tried to imagine telling my parents that I was getting married this summer. Telling Angela and Ben. I couldn't. I couldn't think of the words to say. It would be easier to tell them I was becoming a vampire.
• Bella Swan, p. 324

## 15. Wager

• "I can't wait to see what Edward does to you! I hope he snaps your neck, you pushy, obnoxious, moronic DOG!"
• Bella Swan to Jacob Black, p. 332
• "I hate you, Jacob Black."
"That's good. Hate is a passionate emotion."
"I'll give you passionate," I muttered under my breath. "Murder, the ultimate crime of passion."
• Bella Swan and Jacob Black, p. 332
• "Why did she hit you?"
"Because I kissed her," Jacob said, unashamed.
"Good for you, kid," Charlie congratulated him.
• Charlie Swan and Jacob Black, p. 336
• "But if you ever bring her back damaged again — and I don't care whose fault it is; I don't care if she merely trips, or if a meteor falls out of the sky and hits her in the head — if you return her to me in less than the perfect condition that I left her in, you will be running with three legs. Do you understand that, mongrel?"
• Edward Cullen to Jacob Black about Bella Swan, p. 340
• "I'll be fighting for her, too. You should know that. I'm not taking anything for granted, and I'll be fighting twice as hard as you will."
• Edward Cullen to Jacob Black about Bella Swan, p. 341
• "She is mine." Edward's low voice was suddenly dark, not as composed as before. "I didn't say I would fight fair."
• Edward Cullen to Jacob Black about Bella Swan, p. 341
• Emmett grinned. "Fall down again, Bella?"
I glared at him fiercely. "No, Emmett. I punched a werewolf in the face."
Emmett blinked, and then burst into a roar of laughter.
• Emmett Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 342

## 16. Epoch

• "I feel so useless. So...normal." She cringed in horror of the word.
"I can't imagine how awful that must feel. Being normal? Ugh."
• Alice Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 347
• Edward rode in the backseat of my father's police car, behind the fiberglass divider, with an amused expression — probably due to my father's amused expression, and the grin that widened every time Charlie stole a glance at Edward in his rearview mirror.
• Bella Swan, p. 351
• They stood out from the rest of the crowd, their beauty and grace otherworldly. I wondered how I'd ever fallen for their human farce. A couple of angels, standing there with wings intact, would be less conspicuous.
• Bella Swan about Alice and Edward Cullen, p. 354

## 17. Alliance

• I saw Emmett grin at Mike over the food table, the red lights gleaming off his teeth, and watched Mike take an automatic step back.
• Bella Swan, p. 368

## 19. Selfish

• "The imprinting compulsion is one of the strangest things I've ever witnessed in my life, and I've seen some strange things. [...] It reminds me of A Midsummer Night's Dream with all the chaos caused by the fairies' love spells...like magic." He smiled. "It's very nearly as strong as the way I feel about you."
• Edward Cullen to Bella Swan, p. 418
• I wondered if I was a monster. Not the kind that [Edward] thought he was, but the real kind. The kind that hurt people. The kind that had no limits when it came to what they wanted.
• Bella Swan, p. 423

## 20. Compromise

• I couldn't believe how awkward and idiotic I felt. I was too innocent — which was, of course, central to the discussion. I didn't have the faintest idea how to be seductive. I would just have to settle for flushed and self-conscious.
• Bella Swan, p. 442
• "Bella," he murmured, his voice warm and velvet. "Would you please stop trying to take your clothes off?"
"Do you want to do that part?" I asked, confused.
• Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 450
• "You make me feel like a villain in a melodrama — twirling my mustache while I try to steal some poor girl's virtue."
• Bella Swan to Edward Cullen, pp. 452-453
• "You can't make me go somewhere you won't be," I vowed. "That's my definition of hell. Anyways, I have an easy solution to all this: let's never die, all right?"
• Bella Swan to Edward Cullen, p. 455
• "Oh no," I gasped as he slid down onto one knee.
"Be nice," he muttered. [...]
"Isabella Swan?" He looked up at me through his impossibly long lashes, his golden eyes soft but, somehow, still scorching. "I promise to love you forever — every single day of forever. Will you marry me?"
• Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, p. 460

## 21. Trails

• The urge to fight must be a defining characteristic of the Y chromosome. They were all the same.
• Bella Swan, p. 463
• "Edward is the only person I've ever kissed."
"Besides me."
"But I don't count that as a kiss, Jacob. I think of it more as an assault."
• Bella Swan and Jacob Black, p. 476
• "Sometimes I think you like me better as a wolf."
"Sometimes I do. It probably has something to do with the way you can't talk."
He pursed his broad lips thoughtfully. "No, I don't think that's it. I think it's easier for you to be near me when I'm not human, because you don't have to pretend that you're not attracted to me."[...]
"No. I'm pretty sure it's because you can't talk."
• Jacob Black and Bella Swan, p. 478

## 22. Fire and Ice

• "Odd as this might sound, I suppose I'm glad you're here, Jacob."
"You mean 'as much as I'd love to kill you, I'm glad [Bella's] warm', right?"
"It's an uncomfortable truce, isn't it?"
• Edward Cullen and Jacob Black, p. 497
• "You know, Jacob, if it weren't for the fact that we're natural enemies and that you're also trying to steal away the reason for my existence, I might actually like you."
"Maybe...if you weren't a disgusting vampire who was planning to suck out the life of the girl I love...well, no, not even then."
• Edward Cullen and Jacob Black, p. 503
• "And when does this little truce end?" Jacob asked. "First light? Or do we wait until after the fight?"
There was a pause as they both considered.
"First light," they both whispered, and then laughed quietly.
• Jacob Black and Edward Cullen, p. 504

## 23. Monster

• I was like Cathy, like Wuthering Heights, only my options were so much better than hers, neither one evil, neither one weak. And here I sat, crying about it, not doing anything productive to make it right. Just like Cathy.
• Bella Swan about Edward Cullen and Jacob Black, p. 517
• Seth jumped to his feet again suddenly, the hackles on the back of his neck standing up stiffly. I looked around, but saw nothing. If Seth didn't cut it out, I was going to throw a pinecone at him.
• Bella Swan, p. 520

## 24. Snap Decision

• "When I left you, Bella, I left you bleeding. Jacob was the one to stitch you back up again. That was bound to leave its mark — on both of you. I'm not sure those kinds of stitches dissolve on their own."
• Edward Cullen, p. 534
• "I can be noble, Bella. I'm not going to make you choose between us. Just be happy, and you can have whatever part of me you want, or none at all, if that's better. Don't let any debt you feel you owe me influence your decision."
• Edward Cullen, pp. 534-535
• "What happened to fighting back? Don't start with the noble self-sacrifice now! Fight!"
• Bella Swan to Edward Cullen, p. 535
• "You are bizarrely moral for a vampire."
• Bella Swan to Edward Cullen, p. 536
• [Victoria] wheeled and flew toward the refuge of the forest like an arrow from a bow.
But Edward was faster — a bullet from a gun.
• Bella Swan, p. 553

## 26. Ethics

• "Sure, Bella, don't worry. He was himself enough to tease me."
"Tease you?" I echoed in shock.
"Yeah — in between insulting somebody's mother and taking the Lord's name in vain, he said, 'Bet you're glad she loves Cullen instead of me today, huh, Charlie?'"
• Charlie Swan to Bella Swan about Jacob Black, p. 586
• "I'm exactly right for you, Bella. It would have been effortless for us — comfortable, easy as breathing. I was the natural path your life would have taken. [...] If the world was the way it was supposed to be, if there were no monsters and no magic..."
• Jacob Black, p. 599
• "He's like a drug for you, Bella." His voice was still gentle, not at all critical. "I see that you can't live without him now. It's too late. But I would have been healthier for you. Not a drug; I would have been the air, the sun."
• Jacob Black, p. 599
• "The clouds I can handle. But I can't fight with an eclipse."
• Jacob Black, p. 599

## 27. Needs

• It had not been Edward and Jacob that I'd been trying to force together, it was the two parts of myself, Edward's Bella and Jacob's Bella. But they could not exist together, and I never should have tried.
• Bella Swan, p. 608
• "Bella...are you sure? Did you make the right choice? I've never seen you in so much pain —" His voice broke on the last word.
But I had known worse pain.
• Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 610
• I read the lines quietly, mostly to myself. "'If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.'" I nodded, again to myself. "I know exactly what she means. And I know who I can't live without."
• Bella Swan to Edward Cullen, about Cathy from Wuthering Heights, pp. 610-611
• "Tell me why not, Bella," he demanded. "This had better not be about me."
Everything in my world was about him. What a silly thing to expect.
• Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, p. 619
• [Edward] once again slid my ring into place on the third finger of my left hand.
Where it would stay — conceivably for the rest of eternity.
• Bella Swan, p. 620

## Epilogue — Choice

• "I don't even like Bella Swan. And you've got me grieving over this leech-lover like I'm in love with her, too. Can you see where that might be a little confusing? I dreamed about kissing her last night! What the hell am I supposed to do with that?"
• Leah Clearwater to Jacob Black, p. 623

## References

Meyer, Stephenie. (2007). Eclipse. Park Avenue, New York: Little, Brown and Company, 629. ISBN 978-0-316-16020-9.

• Eclipse quotes analyzed; study guide with themes, character analyses, summary, multimedia, teacher resources
Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
Twilight book film
New Moon book film
Eclipse book
Breaking Dawn book

# Source material

Up to date as of January 22, 2010

### From Wikisource

 Eclipse by James Fenimore Cooper
 A classic short story written by James Fenimore Cooper and first published in 1836.

THE eclipse of the sun, which you have requested me to describe, occurred in the summer of 1806, on Monday, the 16th of June. Its greatest depth of shadow fell upon the American continent, somewhere about the latitude of 42 deg. I was then on a visit to my parents, at the home of my family, among the Highlands of Otsego, in that part of the country where the eclipse was most impressive. My recollections of the great event, and the incidents of the day, are as vivid as if they had occurred but yesterday.

Lake Otsego, the headwaters of the Susquehanna, lies as nearly as possible in latitude 42 deg. The village, which is the home of my family, is beautifully situated at the foot of the lake, in a valley lying between two nearly parallel ranges of heights, quite mountainous in character. The Susquehanna, a clear and rapid stream, flowing from the southeastern shore of the lake, is crossed by a high wooden bridge, which divides the main street of the little town from the lawns and meadows on the eastern bank of the river. Here were all the materials that could be desired, lake, river, mountain, wood, and the dwellings of man, to give full effect to the varied movement of light and shadow through that impressive day.

Throughout the belt of country to be darkened by the eclipse, the whole population were in a state of almost anxious expectation for weeks before the event. On the eve of the 16th of June, our family circle could think or talk of little else. I had then a father and four brothers living, and as we paced the broad hall of the house, or sat about the family board, our conversation turned almost entirely upon the movements of planets and comets, occultations and eclipses. We were all exulting in the feeling that a grand and extraordinary spectacle awaited us -- a spectacle which millions then living could never behold. There may have been a tinge of selfishness in the feeling that we were thus favored beyond others, and yet, I think, the emotion was too intellectual in its character to have been altogether unworthy.

Many were the prophecies regarding the weather, the hopes and fears expressed by different individuals, on this important point, as evening drew near. A passing cloud might veil the grand vision from our sight; rain or mist would sadly impair the sublimity of the hour. I was not myself among the desponding. The great barometer in the hall -- one of the very few then found in the State, west of Albany -- was carefully consulted. It was propitious. It gave promise of dry weather. Our last looks that night, before sleep fell on us, were turned toward the starlit heavens.

And the first movement in the morning was to the open window -- again to examine the sky. When I rose from my bed, in the early morning, I found the heavens serene, and cloudless. Day had dawned, but the shadows of night were still lingering over the valley. For a moment, my eye rested on the familiar view -- the limpid lake, with its setting of luxuriant woods and farms, its graceful bay and varied points, the hills where every cliff and cave and glen had been trodden a thousand times by my boyish feet -- all this was dear to me as the face of a friend. And it appeared as if the landscape, then lovely in summer beauty, were about to assume something of dignity hitherto unknown -- were not the shadows of a grand eclipse to fall upon every wave and branch within a few hours! There was one object in the landscape which a stranger would probably have overlooked, or might perhaps have called unsightly, but it was familiar to every eye in the village, and endowed by our people with the honors of an ancient landmark -- the tall gray trunk of a dead and branchless pine, which had been standing on the crest of the eastern hill, at the time of the foundation of the village, and which was still erect, though rocked since then by a thousand storms. To my childish fancy, it had seemed an imaginary flag-staff, or, in rustic parlance, the "liberty pole" of some former generation; but now, as I traced the familiar line of the tall trunk, in its peculiar shade of silvery gray, it became to the eye of the young sailor the mast of some phantom ship. I remember greeting it with a smile, as this was the first glance of recognition given to the old ruin of the forest since my return.

But an object of far higher interest suddenly attracted my eye. I discovered a star -- a solitary star -- twinkling dimly in a sky which had now changed its hue to a pale grayish twilight, while vivid touches of coloring were beginning to flush the eastern sky. There was absolutely no other object visible in the heavens -- cloud there was none, not even the lightest vapor. That lonely star excited a vivid interest in my mind. I continued at the window gazing, and losing myself in a sort of day-dream. That star was a heavenly body, it was known to be a planet, and my mind was filling itself with images of planets and suns. My brain was confusing itself with vague ideas of magnitude and distance, and of the time required by light to pierce the apparently illimitable void that lay between us -- of the beings who might inhabit an orb like that, with life, feeling, spirit, and aspirations like my own.

Soon the sun himself rose into view. I caught a glimpse of fiery light glowing among the branches of the forest, on the eastern mountain. I watched, as I had done a hundred times before, the flushing of the skies, the gradual illuminations of the different hills, crowned with an undulating and ragged outline of pines, nearly two hundred feet in height, the golden light gliding silently down the breast of the western mountains, and opening clearer views of grove and field, until lake, valley, and village lay smiling in one cheerful glow of warm sunshine.

Our family party assembled early. We were soon joined by friends and connections, all eager and excited, and each provided with a colored glass for the occasion. By nine o'clock the cool air, which is peculiar to the summer nights in the Highlands, had left us, and the heat of midsummer filled the valley. The heavens were still absolutely cloudless, and a more brilliant day never shone in our own bright climate. There was not a breath of air, and we could see the rays of heat quivering here and there on the smooth surface of the lake. There was every appearance of a hot and sultry noontide.

I had scarcely returned to the family party, left on the watch, when one of my brothers, more vigilant, or with clearer sight than his companions, exclaimed that he clearly saw a dark line, drawn on the western margin of the sun's disc! All faces were instantly turned upwards, and through the glasses we could indeed now see a dusky, but distinct object, darkening the sun's light. An exclamation of delight, almost triumphant, burst involuntarily from the lips of all. We were not to be disappointed, no cloud was there to veil the grand spectacle; the vision, almost unearthly in its sublime dignity, was about to be revealed to us. In an incredibly short time, the oval formation of the moon was discerned. Another joyous burst of delight followed, as one after another declared that he beheld with distinctness the dark oval outline, drawn against the flood of golden light. Gradually, and at first quite imperceptibly to our sight, that dark and mysterious sphere gained upon the light, while a feeling of watchful stillness, verging upon reverence, fell upon our excited spirits.

As yet there was no change perceptible in the sunlight falling upon lake and mountain; the familiar scene wore its usual smiling aspect, bright and glowing as on other days of June. The people, however, were now crowding into the streets -- their usual labors were abandoned -- forgotten for the moment -- and all faces were turned upward. So little, however, was the change in the power of the light, that to a careless observer it seemed more the gaze of faith, than positive perception, which turned the faces of all upward. Gradually a fifth, and even a fourth, of the sun's disc became obscured, and still the unguarded eye could not endure the flood of light -- it was only with the colored glass that we could note the progress of the phenomenon. The noon-day heat, however, began to lessen, and something of the coolness of early morning returned to the valley.

I was looking upward, intently watching for the first moment where the dark outline of the moon should be visible to the naked eye, when an acquaintance passed. "Come with me!" he said quietly, at the same moment drawing his arm within my own, and leading me away. He was a man of few words, and there was an expression in his face which induced me to accompany him without hesitation. He led me to the Court House, and from thence into an adjoining building, and into a room then occupied by two persons. At a window, looking upward at the heavens, stood a figure which instantly riveted my attention. It was a man with haggard face, and fettered arms, a prisoner under sentence of death. By his side was the jailor.

Such was the wretched man who had been brought from his dungeon that morning, to behold the grand phenomenon of the eclipse. During the twelve-month previous, he had seen the sun but once. The prisons of those days were literally dungeons, cut off from the light of day. That striking figure, the very picture of utter misery, his emotion, his wretchedness, I can never forget. I can see him now, standing at the window, pallid and emaciated by a year's confinement, stricken with grief, his cheeks furrowed with constant weeping, his whole frame attesting the deep and ravaging influences of conscious guilt and remorse. Here was a man drawn from the depths of human misery, to be immediately confronted with the grandest natural exhibition in which the Creator deigns to reveal his Omnipotence to our race. The wretched criminal, a murderer in fact, though not in intention, seemed to gaze upward at the awful spectacle, with an intentness and a distinctness of mental vision far beyond our own, and purchased by an agony scarcely less bitter than death. It seemed as if, for him, the curtain which veils the world beyond the grave, had been lifted. He stood immovable as a statue, with uplifted and manacled arms and clasped hands, the very image of impotent misery and wretchedness. Perhaps human invention could not have conceived of a more powerful moral accessory, to heighten the effect of the sublime movement of the heavenly bodies, than this spectacle of penitent human guilt afforded. It was an incident to stamp on the memory for life. It was a lesson not lost on me.

When I left the Court House, a sombre, yellowish, unnatural coloring was shed over the country. A great change had taken place. The trees on the distant heights had lost their verdure and their airy character; they were taking the outline of dark pictures graven upon an unfamiliar sky. The lake wore a lurid aspect, very unusual. All living creatures seemed thrown into a state of agitation. The birds were fluttering to and fro, in great excitement; they seemed to mistrust that this was not the gradual approach of evening, and were undecided in their movements. Even the dogs -- honest creatures -- became uneasy, and drew closer to their masters. The eager, joyous look of interest and curiosity, which earlier in the morning had appeared in almost every countenance, was now changed to an expression of wonder or anxiety or thoughtfulness, according to the individual character.

Every house now gave up its tenants. As the light failed more and more with every passing second, the children came flocking about their mothers in terror. The women themselves were looking about uneasily for their husbands. The American wife is more apt than any other to turn with affectionate confidence to the stronger arm for support. The men were very generally silent and grave. Many a laborer left his employment to be near his wife and children, as the dimness and darkness increased.

I once more took my position beside my father and my brothers, before the gates of our own grounds. The sun lay a little obliquely to the south and east, in the most favorable position possible for observation. I remember to have examined, in vain, the whole dusky canopy in search of a single cloud. It was one of those entirely unclouded days, less rare in America than in Europe. The steadily waning light, the gradual approach of darkness, became the more impressive as we observed this absolutely transparent state of the heavens. The birds, which a quarter of an hour earlier had been fluttering about in great agitation, seemed now convinced that night was at hand. Swallows were dimly seen dropping into the chimneys, the martins returned to their little boxes, the pigeons flew home to their dove-cots, and through the open door of a small barn we saw the fowls going to roost.

The usual flood of sunlight had now become so much weakened, that we could look upward long, and steadily, without the least pain. The sun appeared like a young moon of three or four days old, though of course with a larger and more brilliant crescent. Looking westward a moment, a spark appeared to glitter before my eye. For a second I believed it to be an optical illusion, but in another instant I saw it plainly to be a star. One after another they came into view, more rapidly than in the evening twilight, until perhaps fifty stars appeared to us, in a broad, dark zone of the heavens, crowning the pines on the western mountain. This wonderful vision of the stars, during the noontide hours of day, filled the spirit with singular sensations.

Suddenly one of my brothers shouted aloud, "The moon!" Quicker than thought, my eye turned eastward again, and there floated the moon, distinctly apparent, to a degree that was almost fearful. The spherical form, the character, the dignity, the substance of the planet, were clearly revealed as I have never beheld them before, or since. It looked grand, dark, majestic, and mighty, as it thus proved its power to rob us entirely of the sun's rays. We are all but larger children. In daily life we judge of objects by their outward aspect. We are accustomed to think of the sun, and also of the moon, as sources of light, as etherial, almost spiritual, in their essence. But the positive material nature of the moon was now revealed to our senses, with a force of conviction, a clearness of perception, that changed all our usual ideas in connection with the planet. This was no interposition of vapor, no deceptive play of shadow; but a vast mass of obvious matter had interposed between the sun above us and the earth on which we stood. The passage of two ships at sea, sailing on opposite courses, is scarcely more obvious than this movement of one world before another. Darkness like that of early night now fell upon the village.

My thoughts turned to the sea. A sailor at heart, already familiar with the face of the ocean, I seemed, in mental vision, to behold the grandeur of that vast pall of supernatural shadow falling suddenly upon the sea, during the brightest hour of the day. The play of light and shade upon the billows, always full of interest, must at that hour have been indeed sublime. And my fancy was busy with pictures of white-sailed schooners, and brigs, and ships, gliding like winged spirits over the darkened waves.

I was recalled by a familiar and insignificant incident, the dull tramp of hoofs on the village bridge. A few cows, believing that night had overtaken them, were coming homeward from the wild open pastures about the village. And no wonder the kindly creatures were deceived, the darkness was now much deeper than the twilight which usually turns their faces homeward; the dew was falling perceptibly, as much so as at any hour of the previous night, and the coolness was so great that the thermometer must have fallen many degrees from the great heat of the morning. The lake, the hills, and the buildings of the little town were swallowed up in the darkness. The absence of the usual lights in the dwellings rendered the obscurity still more impressive. All labor had ceased, and the hushed voices of the people only broke the absolute stillness by subdued whispering tones.

"Hist! The whippoorwill!" whispered a friend near me; and at the same moment, as we listened in profound silence, we distinctly heard from the eastern bank of the river the wild, plaintive note of that solitary bird of night, slowly repeated at intervals. The song of the summer birds, so full in June, had entirely ceased for the last half hour. A bat came flitting about our heads. Many stars were now visible, though not in sufficient number to lessen the darkness. At one point only in the far distant northern horizon, something of the brightness of dawn appeared to linger.

At twelve minutes past eleven, the moon stood revealed in its greatest distinctness -- a vast black orb, so nearly obscuring the sun that the face of the great luminary was entirely and absolutely darkened, though a corona of rays of light appeared beyond. The gloom of night was upon us. A breathless intensity of interest was felt by all. There would appear to be something instinctive in the feeling with which man gazes at all phenomena in the heavens. The peaceful rainbow, the heavy clouds of a great storm, the vivid flash of electricity, the falling meteor, the beautiful lights of the aurora borealis, fickle as the play of fancy, -- these never fail to fix the attention with something of a peculiar feeling, different in character from that with which we observe any spectacle on the earth. Connected with all grand movements in the skies there seems an instinctive sense of inquiry, of anxious expectation; akin to awe, which may possibly be traced to the echoes of grand Christian prophecies, whispering to our spirits, and endowing the physical sight with some mysterious mental prescience. In looking back to that impressive hour, such now seem to me the feelings of the youth making one of that family group, all apparently impressed with a sensation of the deepest awe -- I speak with certainty -- a clearer view than I had ever yet had of the majesty of the Almighty, accompanied with a humiliating, and, I trust, a profitable sense of my own utter insignificance. That movement of the moon, that sublime voyage of the worlds, often recurs to my imagination, and even at this distant day, as distinctly, as majestically, and nearly as fearfully, as it was then beheld.

A group of silent, dusky forms stood near me; one emotion appeared to govern all. My father stood immovable, some fifteen feet from me, but I could not discern his features. Three minutes of darkness, all but absolute, elapsed. They appeared strangely lengthened by the intensity of feeling and the flood of overpowering thought which filled the mind.

Thus far the sensation created by this majestic spectacle had been one of humiliation and awe. It seemed as if the great Father of the Universe had visibly, and almost palpably, veiled his face in wrath. But, appalling as the withdrawal of light had been, most glorious, most sublime, was its restoration! The corona of light above the moon became suddenly brighter, the heavens beyond were illuminated, the stars retired, and light began to play along the ridges of the distant mountains. And then a flood of grateful, cheering, consoling brightness fell into the valley, with a sweetness and a power inconceivable to the mind, unless the eye has actually beheld it. I can liken this sudden, joyous return of light, after the eclipse, to nothing of the kind that is familiarly known. It was certainly nearest to the change produced by the swift passage of the shadow of a very dark cloud, but it was the effect of this instantaneous transition, multiplied more than a thousand fold. It seemed to speak directly to our spirits, with full assurance of protection, of gracious mercy, and of that Divine love which has produced all the glorious combinations of matter for our enjoyment. It was not in the least like the gradual dawning of day, or the actual rising of the sun. There was no gradation in the change. It was sudden, amazing, like what the imagination would teach us to expect of the advent of a heavenly vision. I know that philosophically I am wrong; but, to me, it seemed that the rays might actually be seen flowing through the darkness in torrents, till they had again illuminated the forest, the mountains, the valley, and the lake with their glowing, genial touch.

There was another grand movement, as the crescent of the sun reappeared, and the moon was actually seen steering her course through the void. Venus was still shining brilliantly.

This second passage of the moon lasted but a moment, to the naked eye. As it ceased, my eye fell again on the scene around me. The street, now as distinctly seen as ever, was filled with the population of the village. Along the line of road stretching for a mile from the valley, against the side of the mountain, were twenty waggons bearing travellers, or teams from among the hills. All had stopped on their course, impelled, apparently, by unconscious reverence, as much as by curiosity, while every face was turned toward heaven, and every eye drank in the majesty of the sight. Women stood in the open street, near me, with streaming eyes and clasped hands, and sobs were audible in different directions. Even the educated and reflecting men at my side continued silent in thought. Several minutes passed, before the profound impressions of the spectacle allowed of speech. At such a moment the spirit of man bows in humility before his Maker.

The changes of the unwonted light, through whose gradations the full brilliancy of the day was restored, must have been very similar to those by which it had been lost, but they were little noted. I remember, however, marking the instant when I could first distinguish the blades of grass at my feet -- and later again watching the shadows of the leaves on the gravel walk. The white lilies in my mother's flower-garden were observed by others among the first objects of the vegetation which could be distinguished from the windows of the house. Every living creature was soon rejoicing again in the blessed restoration of light after that frightful moment of a night at noon-day.

Men who witness any extraordinary spectacle together, are apt, in after-times, to find a pleasure in conversing on its impressions. But I do not remember to have ever heard a single being freely communicative on the subject of his individual feelings at the most solemn moment of the eclipse. It would seem as if sensations were aroused too closely connected with the constitution of the spirit to be irreverently and familiarly discussed. I shall only say that I have passed a varied and eventful life, that it has been my fortune to see earth, heavens, ocean, and man in most of their aspects; but never have I beheld any spectacle which so plainly manifested the majesty of the Creator, or so forcibly taught the lesson of humility to man as a total eclipse of the sun.

 This work published before January 1, 1923 is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

# 1911 encyclopedia

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# Wikibooks

Up to date as of January 23, 2010

# Bible wiki

Up to date as of January 23, 2010

### From BibleWiki

of the sun alluded to in Amos 8:9; Micah 3:6; Zech. 14:6; Joel 2:10. Eclipses were regarded as tokens of God's anger (Joel 3:15; Job 9:7). The darkness at the crucifixion has been ascribed to an eclipse (Matt. 27:45); but on the other hand it is argued that the great intensity of darkness caused by an eclipse never lasts for more than six minutes, and this darkness lasted for three hours. Moreover, at the time of the Passover the moon was full, and therefore there could not be an eclipse of the sun, which is caused by an interposition of the moon between the sun and the earth.

This entry includes text from Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897.

# Simple English

An eclipse is an astronomical event. It is when one object in the sky moves into the shadow of another such object. When an eclipse happpens within a system of stars, like the Solar System, it makes a type of syzygy. This means that three or more objects in the sky are lined up in a straight line in the same gravitational system.[1]

The term eclipse is most often used to describe a solar eclipse, when the Moon's shadow crosses the Earth's surface, or a lunar eclipse, when the Moon moves into the shadow of Earth.

## Etymology

The word comes from the ancient Greek noun ἔκλειψις (ékleipsis), which is from the verb ἐκλείπω (ekleípō). This means "to cease (stop) to exist (be there)".[2][3][4]