Solar: A History of Humanity and the Sun

The Sun is the most important entity in the history of humanity. Since the beginning of human consciousness our Sun has been a constant force in the physical and cultural ascent of humankind. Accounting for 99.9% of the mass of the entire solar system, the Sun is responsible for creating Earth and all the myriad life forms that call it home. Ever-present in humanity’s past but frequently overlooked by modern histories, every rung of human evolution – biological and social – has been climbed under the rays of our life-giving star, and the Sun’s influence radiates from the pages of the human story. In Solar, Dr Rory Cox, award-winning historian charts our incredible and intricate relationship with the Sun. It is a voyage of discovery through mythology and religion, the rise and fall of empires, the impact of ice ages and eclipse, the creation of time and calendars, the development of astronomy and technology, and the existential threats of global warming and solar storms. Understanding humanity’s relationship with the Sun has never been more critical. As the effects of global warming and climate change take hold, solar energy has the power to destroy or save civilization as we know it. Rising temperatures might render much of the world uninhabitable, while solar storms threaten to annihilate the technological systems upon which we rely, returning societies to the Steam Age. And yet the Sun also offers salvation and hope. Whether providing humanity with limitless clean energy, the unifying wonder of a total eclipse, or, for some, a vision of the divine, the Sun remains the guiding star of the human story.