A solar eclipse will pass over Earth on Wednesday, starting in Southeast Asia March 9, and ending in the western Pacific on Tuesday evening, March 8. No, the Earth is not changing direction. An eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the sun and the Earth. When it is lined up between the sun and the Earth, it creates a shadow and darkness on Earth. Before science explained the phenomenon of a solar eclipse, days when the sun went dark were thought to be bad omens. The website TimeandDate.com says ancient cultures believed the sun disappearing during the day was a sign that gods were fighting or animals were taking bites out of the sun. During the March 8 and 9 eclipse, the shadow will cross the International Date Line. The date line runs from the North Pole to the South Pole, along the Pacific Ocean.