Whole photo voltaic eclipses have captivated people for hundreds of years for his or her rarity, fleeting durations and world-altering results. However, as this animation from MinutePhysics explains, these astronomical occasions was extra frequent and spectacular many tens of millions of years in the past, and are, very slowly however fairly certainly, turning into a factor of the previous. Unravelling why we occur to exist within the tail finish of the total-eclipse period, this quick gives a short but wealthy dive into planetary physics.