umbraphile n. an avid observer of, or a person with a great interest in, eclipses. Etymological Note: From Latin umbra ‘shade’ + Greek philos ‘loving.’ (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
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Further reading
Dylan from Charlottesville, Virginia, was rock climbing at his brother’s bachelor party when he heard other climbers called gumbies. Dylan figured that a gumby must be the kind of beginner or overconfident participant whose skills don’t...
Katherine from Allentown, Pennsylvania, remembers her grandmother teaching her to say Lucky lucky white horse, ding ding ding! whenever a white horse pulling a delivery wagon passed her house. After each ding, they were supposed to lick their left...
Earliest known use (by me, but certainly may
be predated), soon after the 1976 total solar eclipse. Also see:
http://nicmosis.as.arizona.edu:8000/UMBRAPHILLIA.html
Not only solar eclipses but occultations in general!
When the moon or an asteroid passes in front of a distant star, the moon or asteroid casts a shadow into space and if the earth intercepts the shadow an umbra is created upon the ground. As the shadow sweeps by the observer the star briefly disappears. A Solar Eclipse is realy a Lunar Occultation, it’s just that the star is up close and personal!