MONTREAL — A total solar eclipse is more than just the moon covering the sun; it’s a multi-phase spectacle that can cause a number of unusual phenomena, if the weather is right.

In the past, eclipses were often associated with bad omens and misfortune. In 1133, for example, a solar eclipse over England was later seen as a portent of the king’s death — which occurred two years later — and the ensuing civil war. While the mechanism of an eclipse is now understood, many of the associated effects remain bizarre.