A flowery passage in a 6,000-year-old Hindu text may be the
earliest known reference to a solar eclipse, describing the sun as being "pierced" with darkness and gloom and proposing that evil beings had caused the sun's "magic arts to vanish."

© Kirby Lee / Contributor via Getty ImagesThe moon passes in front of the sun during a solar eclipse as seen from the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport on April 8, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio.
When astronomers combed through an ancient Hindu text known as the Rig Veda, they discovered that it referenced a
total solar eclipse that occurred roughly 6,000 years ago — making it the
oldest known mention of an eclipse.The Rig Veda, a collection of sayings and hymns from various religious and philosophical schools, was compiled around 1500 B.C. Like nearly all religious texts, it mentions historical events. Most are contemporary to when it was written, but some stretch back much further. For example, various passages in the Rig Veda mention the location of the rising
sun during the vernal equinox. One reference describes the vernal equinox as occurring in
Orion, and another has it occurring in
the Pleiades.
These descriptions allow astronomers to date those references, because as
Earth spins on its axis, it wobbles like a spinning top, changing the relative position of important astronomical events. Currently, the vernal
equinox is in the
constellation Pisces. It was in Orion around 4500 B.C. and in the Pleiades around 2230 B.C., meaning the Rig Veda recorded some memories of events far earlier than its compilation.
Comment: A SOTT reader comments: Update:
1) The Center for Near Earth Object Studies have listed this event with these data:
4) Some comments on X.com where the video has been shared, have suggested that the fireball is not natural, but the re-entering of human made object. However the speed of the observed object on entry, 20.1 km excludes this option. The Wiki for Atmospheric entry: 5) For other fireballs this year that were filmed and which entered the CNEOS list, see: