Astronomers Trace Homer's Wandering Hero

Moon-lovers revel in 'orangy-red' color

(AP) - Moon watchers in the western US, Hawaii, and elsewhere across the globe were treated yesterday to a rare celestial phenomenon: a total lunar eclipse. For 51 minutes starting at 6:06 a.m. PST, the Earth's shadow completely blocked the moon. The moon took on a reddish glow, as some indirect sunlight continued to reach it after passing through the Earth's atmosphere. Since the atmosphere scatters blue light, only red light strikes the moon, giving it a crimson hue. More»

Greeks claim to have found legendary king's home

(NEWSER) - The legendary Greek king Odysseus—known as Ulysses to the Romans—really existed, according to archeologists who say they've found his palace on the island of Ithaca in the Ionian Sea. The three-story, 8th-century BC structure the team has unearthed comes from the right era and "fits like a glove" with Homer's description of the palace in the Odyssey, the archeologists say. More»

Only those in the Southern Hemisphere get a glimpse

(AP) - A total eclipse of the sun occurs tomorrow, but don't be so quick to take out your special viewing glasses. Unlike recent solar eclipses, this year's complete blotting out of the sun will be visible only in a narrow slice of the Southern Hemisphere. The spectacle begins at sunrise some 1,200 miles northeast of New Zealand. The moon's shadow will sweep across the South Pacific, darkening skies over the Cook Islands, Easter Island, and parts of southern Chile and Argentina. More»

Lost city dates back to the days of Homer

(NEWSER) - Marine archaeologists have uncovered a sunken city that may have inspired the myth of Atlantis. Located off the coast of southern Greece, Pavlopetri dates back more than 5,000 years and is thought to have been engulfed by the sea around 1,000 BC, making it the only sunken Greek city known to predate the writing of Plato's tale of Atlantis. Though the location was discovered 40 years ago, digital technology has finally allowed scientists to survey its temples, streets, tombs, religious structures, and courtyards. More»

(NEWSER) - A woman was killed early today in a stampede at the Ganges River where thousands of devout Hindus gathered to witness a total eclipse of the sun, AP reports. Millions poured outside to see the longest eclipse of the 21st Century. But many in the superstitious nation fearfully huddled indoors until sunlight returned. More»