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How a 2,000-year-old Greek machine predicted eclipses

Divers found pieces of a roughly 2,000-year-old bronze machine, the Antikythera mechanism, in a Greek shipwreck.

Turning its handle moved the date forward. Gears moved pointers to show where the Sun and Moon would be.

An eclipse happens when the Sun, Moon and Earth line up, and those lineups repeat on a regular cycle. A back dial marked with that cycle showed coming eclipses.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

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