* Astronomy

 In ancient times astronomy was astrology.  Religious ceremonies were set  in accordance with  astronomical observation or prediction.  Priests were astronomers.
Eclipses because of their rarity have been considered to be very special phenomena throughout history.
Eclipses were thought to significance or precede famine, prosperity, disease or  war.
Why this connection was made   may be tied to  events  at the very start of civilisation.  The astronomer priest may have used the information of predicted events to  manipulate the very first societies.
Today, most people realise that  the moon is just an orbiting  rock,  and that  eclipses are  just  planetary, albeit strange, dynamics.

Eclipses occur when the Sun, Moon, and Earth just align in space. In a  Solar Eclipse, the Moon passes directly between the Earth and Sun, and the  Moon casts its  shadow onto the Earth.  Therefore, a Solar Eclipse only occurs when there is a  New Moon.
In a Total Solar Eclipse, the moon completely covers the solar disk; in an annular solar eclipse there is sometimes only a narrow rim of sunlight around the Moon.
The reason why we don't have an eclipse every month is because the  moon does not orbit in the same  plane, or apparent angle, as the  Sun;  the two orbital  planes also have to coincide.
Usually there are only  two Solar Eclipses every year.
A Lunar Eclipse is similar to a solar eclipse, except it is the Earth that  passes directly between the Moon and Sun,  and the  Earth casts its  shadow onto the Moon.
The Moon sometimes appears to turn dark red while in the Earths shadow.  This is because the Earth has an atmosphere, which bends sunlight  onto the Moon. The reflected light although dim can still be seen as a red glow.
A Lunar Eclipse usually occurs two weeks (half a lunar orbit)  before or two weeks after a Solar Eclipse. However, it is possible to have a Lunar Eclipse both before and after a Solar Eclipse -  Three eclipses in a row.
A Lunar Eclipse usually lasts  four to five hours from beginning to end.