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Forbes
02-08-2025
- Science
- Forbes
Nature's Greatest Event Of The 21st Century Is Exactly Two Years Today
Libyan youths watch the solar eclipse in the desert tourist camp in Galo, 1300 km south of the Libyan capital of Tripoli, 29 March 2006. (Credit: KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images Where were you on April 8, 2024? If you were in North America and, more specifically, within the narrow path of totality — you would have experienced something sublime. Darkness in the day. The sun's corona appeared around the moon's silhouette. Entire communities gathered for an event that made politics and division seem silly. A total solar eclipse is an amazing event — occurring just once every 366 years, on average, on any one place on Earth. On Aug. 22, 2027, one of those places is Luxor in Egypt, ancient Thebes — the capital of Ancient Egypt and home to the Valley of the Kings, Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple and the Temple of Hatshepsut. Here's everything you need to know about the 2027 total solar eclipse as anticipation builds for the century's longest remaining totality. Forbes The Greatest Eclipse Of Your Life Is Coming Soon — Here's What To Know By Jamie Carter The track of this eclipse is 9,462 miles (15,227 kilometers) long, beginning in the North Atlantic Ocean and ending in the Indian Ocean via the Iberian Peninsular, North Africa and the Arabian Peninsular. On the way, it will cross southern Spain, northern Morocco, northern Algeria, northern Tunisia, the northern coast of Libya, Egypt, the northeast corner of Sudan, southwestern Saudi Arabia, Yemen, northeastern Somalia and the northern islands of the British Indian Ocean Territory. The path of totality is about 160 miles (275 kilometers) wide. Forbes See The Longest Total Solar Eclipse Left This Century — And It's Guaranteed A Clear Sky By Jamie Carter It all depends on where you watch from. Within any path of totality, it lasts longest on the centerline, but in addition, there's always a place of maximum eclipse at local midday. That's simply where the moon is closest to Earth (our planet is curved, remember!). On Aug. 2, 2027, that place is just to the southeast of Luxor, where an exceptionally long totality of six minutes and 23 seconds will take place — the longest remaining of the 21st century. Forbes The 'Eclipse Of The Century' Is 1,000 Days Away — What To Know And Where To Go By Jamie Carter In advance of most total solar eclipses, everyone wants to know where the best places are to watch. Usually, that means where the totality will last longest and where the weather will likely be clear. In 2027, that means Luxor for both. Clear weather is almost guaranteed, according to eclipse weather expert Jay Anderson, who writes: 'Some parts of the eclipse track — over Libya and western Egypt — have seen no August cloud on eclipse day whatsoever in the past 23 years.' However, given that huge crowds are certain in Luxor, there are other places to consider where the totality duration is a little shorter. Weather-wise, standouts include southern Spain, northern Morocco and anywhere in Egypt except for the coast. Cadiz, Spain: 2 minutes and 47 seconds of totality. Tangier, Morocco: 4 minutes and 48 seconds of totality. Oran, Algeria: 5 minutes and 6 seconds of totality. Kerkennah Islands, Tunisia: 5 minutes and 42 seconds of totality. Siwa Oasis, Egypt: 5 minutes 29 seconds of totality. Luxor, Egypt: 6 minutes 22 seconds of totality. Forbes Meet The Country About To Have Three Solar Eclipses In Three Years By Jamie Carter The Next Total Solar Eclipse The next total solar eclipse is on Aug. 12, 2026, when Greenland, Iceland, and Spain will witness a maximum 2-minute, 18-second totality. The next total solar eclipse in the contiguous U.S. will occur on Aug. 22, 2044, when Greenland, Canada's Northwest Territories, South Dakota and North Dakota will witness a maximum of 2 minutes and 4 seconds totality. Disclaimer: I am the editor of and the author of When Is The Next Eclipse? A traveler's guide to total solar eclipses 2026-2034 . Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Forbes
15-07-2025
- Science
- Forbes
How To See The Epic 6-Minute Total Solar Eclipse In 2027
Libyan youths watch the solar eclipse in the desert tourist camp in Galo, 1300 km south of the ... More Libyan capital of Tripoli, 29 March 2006. Thousands of astronomers and thrill-seekers gazed heavenward, prayers were said by the faithful and schools shut for the day as the three-hour celestial ballet raced across half the world. AFP PHOTO/KHALED DESOUKI (Photo credit should read KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images) There's a 6-minute total solar eclipse in 2027 — one of the longest and most significant eclipses of the 21st century. It will take place on Monday, Aug. 2, 2027, in 10 countries, but aside from a small partial solar eclipse in Newfoundland, Canada, it won't be visible from North America. Whether the length of totality is critical is arguable, but there's no doubt that the 2027 total solar eclipse will be an epic experience. Here's everything you need to know about the 2027 total solar eclipse — the 'Great North African Eclipse,' dubbed the 'eclipse of the century.' 6-Minute Total Solar Eclipse in 2027: Where Will It Be Visible? A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun, fully covering the sun's disk for observers within a narrow path of totality. On Aug. 2, 2027, that path will be around 160 miles (258 kilometers) wide and pass through three continents: After a totally eclipsed sunrise in the ocean, the moon's central shadow will first touch land in the aptly-named Costa de la Luz (Coast of the Light) in Spain's Andalusia region and also envelop the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. As the path touches southern Spain, it also hits Morocco, followed by Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. It's in the latter that it reaches its longest duration at 6 minutes 22 seconds. The edge of the path also clips the northeastern corner of Sudan. After it leaves Egypt, the path crosses the Red Sea and enters Saudi Arabia, then Yemen. The path clips the Horn of Africa, including Somalia, then ends as a totally eclipsed sunset close to the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. According to Timeanddate, the path crosses 89 million people — about twice as many as crossed by the total solar eclipse on Apr. 8, 2024, in North America. 6-Minute Total Solar Eclipse in 2027: How To Choose Where To Watch It Choosing where to experience the 2027 total solar eclipse will be down to what you want to experience and where you want to visit. However, it's a relatively rare eclipse in that the chances of clouds are small over most of the path. Luxor, Egypt, is where many eclipse chasers will head for its longest totality and the chance to visit the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's Temple, Karnak, the Colossi of Menmom and Luxor Temple. However, Tunisia (specifically, the city of Sfax) is likely significantly cooler and still had 5 5-minute 42-second totality. Even Egypt has a few other options, such as Siwa Oasis (southwest of Cairo) and the Red Sea (though the path misses Hurghada). Southern Spain is another good option, albeit with a shorter totality. View of the Karnak temple in the evening - Luxor, Egypt 6-Minute Total Solar Eclipse in 2027: 10 Places To Watch It The best places to experience the 2027 total solar eclipse are subjective, but here are some sample locations: 6-Minute Total Solar Eclipse in 2027: Why Is It So Long? The longest total solar eclipses take place when the moon is closest to Earth on its elliptical orbit, and when the its shadow strikes close to the equator (which is closer to the moon). Technically, a total solar eclipse could last 7 minutes 31 seconds, according to Jean Meeus, but the longest total solar eclipse known to have occurred was 7 minutes, 28 seconds on June 15, 743 BC, in the Indian Ocean. The longest until the year 3,000 will occur in the Atlantic Ocean on July 16, 2186, and last 7 minutes, 29 seconds. Northwest Fjord in the far reaches of Scoresbysund in eastern Greenland. When Is The Next Eclipse? It may be the longest of the century on land, but the 2027 eclipse is the middle child in three spectacular total solar eclipses coming up in succession. Since eclipse-mania is in full swing since 2024, eclipse chasers should start planning now. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The history of cat domestication
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The domestic cat is one of the smallest members of the family Felidae — the group that includes lions, tigers, jaguars and cougars. It is also the only member of that family that has been domesticated. Cats have lived among humans for thousands of years. They probably started hanging around human grain stores, attracted by mice and other vermin, and eventually spread around the world as sailors brought them aboard ships. Today, cats still help humans control pests, as well as provide companionship. In the past few centuries, humans have bred some cats to display certain traits, like hairlessness, thereby establishing dozens of cat breeds. With their charming mix of aloofness and goofiness, cats continue to amuse and fascinate us. Cats were domesticated around 10,000 years ago. Today's domestic cats descend from Felis silvestris lybica, a wildcat subspecies found in Africa and the Middle East. Genes from cats found in archaeological sites in the Middle East, Europe and Africa reveal that about 10,000 years ago, in modern-day Turkey, cats started to associate with humans and split from their wild relatives. Despite having relatively small natural ranges, F. s. lybica showed up in eastern Europe by 4400 B.C., according to ancient cat DNA found at archaeological sites. This suggests that cats hitched rides aboard ships with traders, who probably appreciated that cats kept rats in check. Cats certainly traveled long distances: DNA from Egyptian cats has been found as far as a Viking site in northern Germany dating to between A.D. 700 and 1000. The oldest known burial of a domesticated cat comes from Cyprus, where a human and a cat were buried together 9,500 years ago. Cat bones also have been found buried in 5,300-year-old refuse pits in China. The ancient Egyptians revered cats. Here, we see statuettes and figurines depicting cats and Egyptian deities found in a cache dating to the Egyptian Late Period (around the fifth century B.C.). (Image credit: Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images) Cats took on a starring role in ancient Egypt. Scientists aren't yet sure whether the Egyptians domesticated cats separately from the Middle East lineage, or whether the cats spread from Turkey to Egypt. Either way, Egyptians treasured cats' protectiveness and independence and saw the traits of their gods in cats. Cats were sometimes even mummified lovingly next to their deceased owners, but they were also sacrificed in large numbers during religious rituals. Bastet, a feline-headed goddess, was worshipped as a protector and as a deity of pregnancy and childbirth. Related: Why were the ancient Egyptians obsessed with cats? You might hear that cats "domesticated themselves." This is because ancient wildcats likely chose to hang around human agricultural settlements, resulting in a mutually beneficial relationship between cats and humans. These settlements provided ample food and shelter for cats. Because the cats helped keep vermin at bay, the people who inhabited these settlements tolerated — and eventually welcomed — cats' presence. Whereas humans domesticated dogs through artificial selection by breeding for desirable traits, domestic cats evolved simply through natural selection, as friendlier and more docile cats thrived in close contact with humans. Cats are not as domesticated as dogs are. Whereas cats were domesticated about 10,000 years ago, genetic evidence suggests that dogs were domesticated between 14,000 and 30,000 years ago. It's still up for debate exactly how and why some wild wolves evolved into friendly house pets, but it is clear that humans have spent much more time and effort shaping the genetic makeup of domestic dogs. In fact, scientists say that even today, cats are "only just" domesticated. Many domestic cats are actually feral, meaning they live outside of human captivity and can fend for themselves. Feral cats and house cats also regularly interbreed, so house cats retain many of their "wild" instincts. People also bred domestic dogs for thousands of years based on their skills and personalities, whereas humans started breeding domestic cats only within the past few centuries. This means dogs' temperaments tend to be more predictable and aligned with human needs than cats'. Even now, modern-day cats are categorized primarily by appearance. Although appearance is also a factor in canine breeding, historically, abilities such as tracking game, herding sheep and guarding property were more important. —Did cats really disappear from North America for 7 million years? —Are cats and dogs smarter than babies? —Cat brains are shrinking, and it's all humans' fault
