A glance at solar eclipses from the past

June 19, 1936: The spires of Saint Margaret’s Church in Eastcheap, London, during an eclipse of the sun. (Photo by Harry Todd/Fox Photos/Getty Images)

Photo by Harry Todd/Fox Photos/Getty Images

A partial eclipse of the sun was visible above the minaret of Dresden’s Tabacco Mosque Saturday, Oct. 12, 1996. It was the best solar eclipse visible since 1961, that lasted about 2 and a half hours and covered the sun more than 50 percent. (AP Photo/Matthias Rietschel)

AP Photo/Matthias Rietschel

Berlin’s Goddess of Victory stands in front of the solar eclipse on Wednesday, August 11, 1999 in Berlin, Germany. The solar eclipse only reached 87 percent in Berlin. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

A French soldier, part of NATO’s peacekeeping forces in Kosovo, stands guard beneath the solar eclipse on the ethnic Albanian side of the bridge dividing Kosovska Mitrovica, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Pristina, Yugoslavia, Wednesday August 11, 1999. (AP Photo/Amel Emric)

AP Photo/Amel Emric

The solar eclipse is seen between the minarets of the historical Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey on Wednesday August 11, 1999. This is the last solar eclipse of this millenium, which swept accross Europe towards the Bay of Bengal. (AP Photo/Erhan Sevenler/Anatolia)

AP Photo/Erhan Sevenler/Anatolia

The sun is seen behind a tower of a Prague’s church during a partial solar eclipse at dawn on Saturday, May 31, 2003. (AP Photo/CTK, Ivan Vetvicka)

AP Photo/CTK, Ivan Vetvicka

A partial solar eclipse is seen in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, April 8, 2005. **EFE OUT** (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

AP Photo/Fernando Vergara

Hindu devotees row back to the shore after taking a bath in the River Ganges during the solar eclipse, in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, March 29, 2006. Hindus pray during the solar eclipse to ward off evil. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

A woman looks at the moon partly covering the sun, during a partial solar eclipse, in St.Petersburg, Russia, Friday, Aug. 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky

The moon cast a shadow at the sun blocking it partially in a partial solar eclipse as it sets on Monday Jan. 26, 2009 at Manila’s bay, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

AP Photo/Aaron Favila

A partial solar eclipse is seen near the minaret of a mosque in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on Wednesday, July 22, 2009. The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century pitched a swath of Asia from India to China into near darkness Wednesday as millions gathered to watch the phenomenon. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

AP Photo/Anjum Naveed

A partial solar eclipse is seen behind the Golden Temple, a Sikhs holiest shrine, in Amritsar, India, Wednesday, July 22, 2009. Millions of Asians turned their eyes skyward Wednesday as dawn suddenly turned to darkness across the continent in the longest total solar eclipse this century will see. Millions of others, seeing the rare event as a bad omen, shuttered themselves indoors. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

A partial solar eclipse is seen behind the Golden Temple, Sikhs holiest shrine, in Amritsar, India, Wednesday, July 22, 2009. Millions of Asians turned their eyes skyward Wednesday as dawn suddenly turned to darkness across the continent in the longest total solar eclipse this century will see. Millions of others, seeing the rare event as a bad omen, shuttered themselves indoors. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

BEIJING - JANUARY 15: The moon begins to obstruct the view of the sun from earth during a soloar eclipse at the Tian'anmen Square on January 15, 2010 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province of China. The eclipse, which first became visible in Tamil Nadu city of Kanyakumari, is predicted to be the longest of its kind for the next 1000 years. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

The moon begins to obstruct the view of the sun from earth during a soloar eclipse at the Tian’anmen Square on Jan. 15, 2010 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province of China. The eclipse, which first became visible in Tamil Nadu city of Kanyakumari, is predicted to be the longest of its kind for the next 1000 years. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images

FILE - In this May 20, 2012, file photo, the new moon crosses in front of the sun creating an annular eclipse over West Mitten, left, and East Mitten buttes in Monument Valley, Ariz. Destinations are hosting festivals, hotels are selling out and travelers are planning trips for the total solar eclipse that will be visible coast to coast on Aug. 21, 2017. A narrow path of the United States 60 to 70 miles wide from Oregon to South Carolina will experience total darkness, also known as totality. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)

In this May 20, 2012, file photo, the new moon crosses in front of the sun creating an annular eclipse over West Mitten, left, and East Mitten buttes in Monument Valley, Ariz. Destinations are hosting festivals, hotels are selling out and travelers are planning trips for the total solar eclipse that will be visible coast to coast on Aug. 21, 2017. A narrow path of the United States 60 to 70 miles wide from Oregon to South Carolina will experience total darkness, also known as totality. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)

AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File

FILE - In this May 20, 2012, file photo, the annular solar eclipse is seen as the sun sets behind the Rocky Mountains from downtown Denver. Destinations are hosting festivals, hotels are selling out and travelers are planning trips for the total solar eclipse that will be visible coast to coast on Aug. 21, 2017. A narrow path of the United States 60 to 70 miles wide from Oregon to South Carolina will experience total darkness, also known as totality. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

In this May 20, 2012, file photo, the annular solar eclipse is seen as the sun sets behind the Rocky Mountains from downtown Denver. Destinations are hosting festivals, hotels are selling out and travelers are planning trips for the total solar eclipse that will be visible coast to coast on Aug. 21, 2017. A narrow path of the United States 60 to 70 miles wide from Oregon to South Carolina will experience total darkness, also known as totality. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File

A fisherman prays during a partial solar eclipse in the sky over Bay of Bengal in Konark, 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the eastern Indian city Bhubaneswar, on Wednesday, March 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout)

AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout

MUNICH, GERMANY - MARCH 20: People use special glasses to look into the sky at a partial solar eclipse on March 20, 2015 in Munich, Germany. Over Central Europe the moon was scheduled to cover approximately 75% of the sun for a short period starting at approximately 9:30am. The next solar eclipse will not occur until 2021. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

People use special glasses to look into the sky at a partial solar eclipse on March 20, 2015 in Munich, Germany. Over Central Europe the moon was scheduled to cover approximately 75% of the sun for a short period starting at approximately 9:30am. The next solar eclipse will not occur until 2021. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images