Many believed they were watching the sun being eaten by an animal, like a dog or a mythical dragon.

Now we know there's a more scientific explanation for one of nature's most spectacular displays.

The solar eclipse watching as the moon blocks out the light from the sun, it can be hard to imagine the amazing cosmic coincidence taking place.

The sun's diameter is some 400 times larger than the moon's, but it's just the right distance away to appear the same size for a couple of minutes.

When the sun and moon are perfectly aligned, the moon completely covers the sun's disk.

The sun's atmosphere, or corona, can be seen in the dim light, along with stars and planets.

It's glowing.

Atmosphere is much hotter than the surface of the sun, but no one is exactly sure why.

It's a question puzzling astronomers.

The so called totality only exists in a narrow band where the moon's shadow falls on the earth.