How Eclipses Revealed Our Solar System

Check Out PBS' Earth Month playlist

Check out the Space Time Merch Store

Of all the astronomical phenomena you can witness, the total solar eclipse has to be the most visceral--the most in-your-face reminder that our reality consists of giant balls of rock spinning around stars. It's also the eclipse and phenomena like it that set us on the path to understanding that reality in the first place.

PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to

Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord!

Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements!

Search the Entire Space Time Library Here

Hosted by Matt O'Dowd

Written by Matt Caplan & Matt O'Dowd

Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini & Stephanie Faria

Directed by Andrew Kornhaber

Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour

Executive Producers: Eric Brown & Andrew Kornhaber

Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez

Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing

Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell

Spacetime is a production of Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios.

This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content.

© 2024 PBS. All rights reserved.

End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg

Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By:

Big Bang Sponsors

John Sronce

Bryce Fort

Peter Barrett

David Neumann

Alexander Tamas

Morgan Hough

Juan Benet

Vinnie Falco

Mark Rosenthal

Quasar Sponsors

Grace Biaelcki

Glenn Sugden

Alex Kern

Ethan Cohen

Stephen Wilcox

Mark Heising

Hypernova Sponsors

Michael Tidwell

Frank Plessers

Chris Webb

David Giltinan

Ivari Tölp

Kenneth See

Gregory Forfa

Bradley Voorhees

Scott Gorlick

Paul Stehr-Green

Ben Delo

Scott Gray

Антон Кочков

Robert Ilardi

John R. Slavik

Donal Botkin

Edmund Fokschaner

chuck zegar

Jordan Young

Daniel Muzquiz

Gamma Ray Burst Sponsors

Jessica M. Kandal

Anthony Crossland

Grace Seraph

Parliament

Stephen Saslow

Robert DeChellis

Tomaz Lovsin

Anthony Leon

Leonardo Schulthais Senna

Lori Ferris

Dennis Van Hoof

Koen Wilde

Nicolas Katsantonis

Joe Pavlovic

Justin Lloyd

Chuck Lukaszewski

Cole B Combs

Andrea Galvagni

Jerry Thomas

Nikhil Sharma

John Anderson

Bradley Ulis

Craig Falls

Kane Holbrook

Ross Story

teng guo

Harsh Khandhadia

Michael Lev

Terje Vold

James Trimmier

Jeremy Soller

Paul Wood

Joe Moreira

Kent Durham

jim bartosh

Ramon Nogueira

The Mad Mechanic

John H. Austin, Jr.

Diana S Poljar

Faraz Khan

Almog Cohen

Daniel Jennings

Russ Creech

Jeremy Reed

David Johnston

Michael Barton

Isaac Suttell

Oliver Flanagan

Bleys Goodson

Mark Delagasse

Mark Daniel Cohen

Shane Calimlim

Tybie Fitzhugh

Eric Kiebler

Craig Stonaha

Frederic Simon

John Robinson

Jim Hudson

Alex Gan

David Barnholdt

John Funai

Adrien Molyneux

Bradley Jenkins

Amy Hickman

Vlad Shipulin

Thomas Dougherty

King Zeckendorff

Dan Warren

Joseph Salomone

Patrick Sutton

Julien Dubois