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{{trope}}
[[File:HeroesEclipse.jpg|link=Heroes (TV series)|right]]
 
{{quote|''A Solar Eclipse is when the moon passes in-between the Earth and the Sun. Sometimes it can have a [[Ax Crazy|strange effect on people.]] [[Artistic License Astronomy|It makes them do things they normally wouldn't do.]] [[Dying Like Animals|Gee I hope our pals in Magicland]] [[It Got Worse|are doing okay...]]|'''[[Mastodon|Brann Dailor]]''', unaware of an incoming [[Sugar Apocalypse]], ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr9_e4ySRYA Deathbound Music Video]''}}
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* The solar eclipse in ''[[Umi Monogatari]]'' takes quite a bit longer than expected, which is even [[Lampshade|lampshaded]] by the people watching it. It also signifies a [[Mood Whiplash|turn to a much darker mood]] in the series.
* In ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'', there's a solar eclipse during the [[Grand Finale]]. This may have something to do with the alchemical symbolism related to the Sun and Moon (and the Sun being devoured). The fandom has taken to [[Fan Nickname|calling this]] "The Eclipse" in reference to ''[[Berserk]]'', since {{spoiler|it turns out to be critical to Father's plan. And Hoemheim's. Specifically, using the Umbra [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|AS A TRANSMUTATION CIRCLE.]]}}
* ''[[Pokémon (Animeanime)|Pokémon]]:
** In the 12th ''[[Pokémon (Animeanime)|Pokémon]]'' movie, ''[[Pokémon: Arceus and Thethe Jewel of Life (Anime)|Pokémon Arceus and The Jewel of Life]]'', Damos was supposed to return the Jewel of Life to [[God|Arceus]] on the date of the next eclipse. {{spoiler|He didn't. It does get returned, though.}}
** The eponymous temple in ''[[Pokémon Ranger and The Temple of The Sea (Anime)|Pokémon Ranger and The Temple of The Sea]]'' only appears during a total eclipse.
* ''[[Nurse Angel Ririka SOS]]'' aired during a year when a partial solar eclipse occurred in Japan, and eclipses get mentioned in a couple of episodes. The main example is episode 16, where it's used to symbolize the heroine's mental state.
 
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== [[Comic Books]] ==
* [[The DCU]] has the villain Eclipso. At first, a villain who only came out of his host's body during an eclipse, he has far surpassed that. And back in those days, the host quite sensibly tried to avoid being around when there was any kind of eclipse. You'd think that with an almanac and a modest travel budget, that wouldn't be hard, but he seemed to be really bad at it.
* When ''[[Tintin (Comic Book)]]'' and friends are due to be executed by Incas, he requests they do it on a certain day: the day of an eclipse, when he appeals to the sun to spare them. It convinces the Incas, though [[Did Not Do the Research|they actually tracked these things and would have known of it in advance. They're not as "savage" as Hergé thought.]]
* Leetah in ''[[Elf Quest]]'' has a phobia of eclipses - and it later turns out that her long-time suitor Rayek was ''born'' during an eclipse, which might explain why they've always had such a troubled relationship. Interestingly enough, the eclipse that surrounded Rayek's birth was considered a ''good'' omen by the elves, who had been experiencing a years-long drought and were glad of the brief respite from the sun's heat. The interpretation was that Rayek would grow up to become a tribal protector, interposing himself between them and danger the way the moon interposed itself between the village and the harsh sun.
 
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* The "Rite of Spring" segment of ''[[Fantasia]]'' ends with a devastating earthquake occurring during a solar eclipse.
* ''[[Tomb Raider]]''. The [[Big Bad]]'s plan involves an astronomical conjunction of every planet in the solar system, which also includes a solar eclipse.
* ''[[Dragon Ball Evolution]]'': "We have to get the Dragon Balls before the eclipse." The very [[Tainted Byby the Preview|words]] that made the internet go [[Big No|"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"]]
* A solar eclipse that was briefly mentioned in the beginning of the film makes a bad situation even worse in ''[[From Dusk Tilltill Dawn]]'': ''Texas Blood Money''.
 
 
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* The title character in ''A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'' uses foreknowledge of an eclipse to convince the medieval denizens that he has supernatural abilities.
* The ''[[Heralds of Valdemar]]'' novel ''The White Gryphon'' introduces the Heighlei, an incredibly rule-bound society that only allows large-scale societal changes once every 20 years, during a solar eclipse. It provides the [[Race Against Time]] when the protagonists are framed for murder: they must clear their names before the eclipse to ally with the Heighlei.
* A total eclipse of the moon happens at the climax of [[HPH.P. Lovecraft|H.P. Lovecraft's]] short story, ''The Other Gods'' along with a rumble of thunder from a clear sky, when Barzai the Wise attempts to see the gods of the Earth with his own eyes. He failed to take the [[Cosmic Horror|Other Gods]] into the consideradtion, and was never seen again. The implication was that it wasn't Earth's shadow hiding the moon as usual, but something humongous and otherworldly coming to punish Barzai for his transgression...
* [[Stephen King]]'s novels ''Gerald's Game'' and ''Dolores Claiborne'' are linked via an eclipse (the solar eclipse of July 20, 1963, which happened in real life). They were originally conceived as a single volume.
* The medieval legends of Saint Olaf, as found in, among other versions, [[Snorri Sturluson (Creator)|Snorri Sturluson]]'s ''[[Heimskringla (Literature)|Heimskringla]]'', state that a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|solar eclipse occurred immediately after Olaf's death in the Battle of Stiklestad]], Norway 1030 AD (certainly a divine lampshading of Olaf's holiness). Since astronomy tells that a near-total solar eclipse happened only a month ''after'' the traditional date of the battle, this is in all likelihood only a pious swindle.
* In ''[[Star Trek Articles of the Federation]]'', it's revealed that to the dominant native religion of Lembatta Prime, a solar eclipse is a sacred event. The planet shuts down entirely during an eclipse, forcing Federation President Bacco to postpone her state visit.
* In ''Sunwing'', the second book in the ''[[Silverwing (Literaturenovel)|Silverwing]]'' series, the entire plot revolves around [[Big Bad]] Goth attempting to bring his god/BiggerBad Cama Zotz into the world by sacrificing 100 creatures during a solar eclipse. The final battle becomes more about the heroes trying to free as many of captives as possible to avoid this.
 
 
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* In ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'', the characters' powers were retconned came about after an [[Retcon|eclipse]], and were taken away {{spoiler|temporarily}} during another eclipse, one that lasted hours. The eclipse also covered the entire planet the first time, and did the second time as well. It's strange when Peter in New York saw the eclipse at the same time as Claire in Texas, but it's downright stupid that Hiro, who's in ''Japan'' sees it at the same time as well.
* In ''[[Eastenders]]'', a couple have their wedding at the moment of the eclipse. Particularly jarring as it was set around the event of a real eclipse (but filmed beforehand) and the one on TV was much better than the real one due to bad weather.
* In ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', the mayor ascends at the moment of eclipse. This allows his vampires to come attack the students as well. Although the eclipse was a magical effect brought on by the mayor's transformation rather than a natural event, which could [[A Wizard Did It|explain some of the oddities.]]
* On ''[[Angel]]'' [[Spell My Name Withwith a "The"|The Beast]] also used a ritual to cover the sun with magical darkness. The effect only extended to Los Angeles, though it would have spread if they hadn't managed to undo it. And of course, made LA a prime vacation spot for vampires as long as it lasted.
* In the Japanese Tokusatsu [[Kamen Rider]] series, ''Kamen Rider Black'', the hero and his fated antagonist were both born during a solar eclipse, leading the evil organization Gorgom to groom them into the prophesied Century King. The baddies even refer to Kamen Rider Black as "Black Sun" and his evil counterpart as "Shadow Moon," highlighting this origin.
* During the Green Ranger arc of ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'', Rita uses her magic to cause a total solar eclipse. This cuts the solar-powered Megazord off from its power source, weakening it to the point where her agents can defeat it (Until it gets repaired in time for the finale). Given that this was fairly early in the first season, [[Idiot Ball|one has to wonder why she never tried to do this again, or send monsters down on new moon nights, when there would be no sun or even moonlight to power the ranger's mecha]]. Still, even weakened like that, it took the combined power of Goldar, Scorpina, and the Green Ranger grown to giant size to defeat the Megazord, and even then they didn't wreck it, they just split it and enabled Rita to trap the Zords. Also of note is that when Master Vile pulled a similar trick later, Alpha and Zordon were able to use the Command Center to break the spell. Rita was only able to get away with it on this occasion because the Green Ranger had cut the Rangers off from Zordon. The real-world reason is that good night-fight scenes were tricky and expensive to shoot at the time.
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* In ''[[Diablo II]]'', a sudden unexplained eclipse turns out to have been caused by evil magic, and the heroes undertake a quest to destroy the spell at its source. Once this is done, daylight returns instantly.
* The last act of ''[[Okami]]'' takes place during the Day of Darkness --a solar eclipse that will [[The Night That Never Ends|last forever]] if the Sun Goddess Amaterasu falls to the Lord of Eternal Darkness.
* The backstory and {{spoiler|[[Final Boss]]}} of [[Romancing Sa gaSaGa 3]] relies on the Death Eclipse, an event that occurs once every 300 years. {{spoiler|it turns out those that survive, travel to the Abyss and be in the same area at the same time. [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|will summon the entity of the Eclipse.]]}}
* In 1999 [[Castlevania|Dracula]] apparently [[Killed Off for Real|dies for the final time]] due to / during an eclipse. Another eclipse, set in Japan in 2035, sets the plot of Aria of Sorrow in motion.
* At the climax of ''[[The Darkness]]'', a solar eclipse covers the city in darkness, not only allowing you to access your darkness-based powers in the middle of the day, but also apparently supercharging them. The eclipse is unrealistically long, of course, but at least had the good grace to start slow - it actually takes several minutes from the point where it starts to show, and until the eclipse becomes complete.
* The classic platformer ''[[Heart of Darkness (Videovideo Gamegame)|Heart of Darkness]]'' kicks off the plot with a solar eclipse, which opens a portal into a dark dimension, allowing evil entities to reach through and kidnap... the boy hero's dog. Good thing he had an interdimensional spaceship and a home-made plasma-cannon stashed in his treehouse...
* ''[[Golden Sun Dark Dawn]]'' has the Grave Eclipse as a major event in the gameplay. It's [[It Got Worse|worse than it sounds]], [[Mood Whiplash|really]].
* ''[[Total Eclipse]]'', the last-but-one Freescape game, has (as its title suggests) a total solar eclipse as the driver of its plot. It features a pyramid dedicated to sun-god Re, with a curse upon it; if the chamber at the apex is obscured from sunlight during the day, the Moon will explode -- unless of course the curse can be broken before this happens...
* In ''[[Sonic Riders]]'', a solar eclipse opens a chasm in the sands and creates the Dark Desert racetrack. The eclipse will last however long it takes for the race to finish.
* In ''[[Street Fighter IV (Video Game)|Super Street Fighter IV]]'' There is a selectable stage that places the fighters in Africa during a solar eclipse, however, the Eclipse comes, lasts for a few moments, and then passes as the fighters toss Hadoukens and Shoryukens at each other. And is only there to [[Scenery Porn|look pretty.]]
* The climax of ''[[Touhou|Embodiment of Scarlet Devil]]'' has Reimu facing off against [[Our Vampires Are Different|Remilia Scarlet]] on the night of the Scarlet Moon, a lunar eclipse that has turned the full moon blood-red, when Remilia's power is at its peak.
 
 
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* [http://www.drunkduck.com/The_KAMics/4825172/ It was a part of the summoning of Ygrassnoj] in ''[[The KA MicsKAMics]]''
 
 
== [[Web Original]] ==
* [[Grand Finale|"The Ascension"]] in ''[[Lonely Girl 15Lonelygirl15]]'' took place on the day of an eclipse, for implied religious reasons.
* Justified in [[Mall Fight]], as the eclipse that occured at Xandus' reappearance wasn't natural.
 
 
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* In ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender (Animation)|Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', the main characters use the [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin|Day of Black Sun]] to attack the Fire Nation. Also, a lunar eclipse had been utilized by the Fire Nation to attack the Northern Water Tribe. In explanation, Firebenders are powered by the sun, and Waterbenders by the moon; an eclipse of their respective heavenly body leaves them powerless. The lunar eclipse was artificially induced by the {{spoiler|temporary death of the Moon Spirit.}} The solar eclipse was noted as only lasting about eight minutes, providing an unusually realistic interpretation. And of course their world is much smaller than ours, so it's not inconceivable that it could cover the whole world quite well.
* ''[[Darkwing Duck (Animationanimation)|Darkwing Duck]]'' parodied the scene in ''A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'' described below in a [[Time Travel]] episode. Darkwing attempts to use foreknowledge of an eclipse to terrify the locals by pretending to block out the sun, but the eclipse he's predicting doesn't occur until the day ''after'' he makes the threat, and so ends up stalling for 24 hours until his "magic" pays off.
* ''[[Duck Tales (Animation)|Duck TalesDuckTales]]'': In the episode "Allowance Day".Having perpetrated a [[Zany Scheme]] that has inadvertently convinced the ''whole world'' that the date is one day ahead, Huey, Dewey and Louie use an eclipse predicted by their almanac to set the record straight.
** ''[[Tale Spin (Animation)|Tale Spin]]'' did a very similar plot a few years later in "The Time Bandit".
* There was a ''[[Looney Tunes (Animation)|Looney Tunes]]'' TV Special titled ''Bugs Bunny in King Arthur's Court'' where [[Bugs Bunny]] traveled back to medieval times and got out of a pickle by declaring he would put the sun out and clicking his fingers just before an eclipse occurred. He was suddenly worshiped as a powerful God, of course, being from the future he knew an eclipse was about to occur at that moment (it was still AWFULLY convenient for him).
* In ''[[The Simpsons (Animationanimation)|The Simpsons]]'' episode ''Marge vs. the Monorail'', the runaway Monorail (which is solar-powered) halts briefly due to a total solar eclipse which nobody realised/remembered was due in Springfield that day -- only to start up again as the eclipse passes totality. This is realistically portrayed as taking under a minute (real-life solar eclipses can last any time from an eyeblink to (under the most favourable circumstances) about 7-8 minutes).
* ''[[Jonny Quest: theThe Real Adventures (Animation)|Jonny Quest the Real Adventures]]'' has an episode that's aptly-titled "Eclipse." The plot revolves around a lunar eclipse that happens every 50 years: a succubus-type monster disguised as a beautiful woman has only the duration of the eclipse to absorb the [[Life Energy]] of another young woman and keep itself alive until the next eclipse. When the monster chooses Jessie as its next victim and enthralls Hadji to get her, it's up to Jonny to come in and save the day.
* ''[[Men in Black (Animationanimation)|Men in Black]]: [[The Series]]'' had shadow aliens attempt to lock the moon in position for an eternal eclipse. [[Artistic License Astronomy|Astronomy failing aside]], they at least made a normal eclipse only last a few minutes.
* ''[[The Amazing World of Gumball (Animation)|The Amazing World of Gumball]]'' episode "The End": Through a complicated series of events, Gumball and Darwin are convinced that an upcoming solar ecilpse means the end of the world. The actual event proves to be a little underwhelming.
{{quote| '''Moon:''' Ooh, you've just been [[Incredibly Lame Pun|mooned!]]<br />
'''Sun:''' What is wrong with that guy? }}
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