Case file · Cosmic event
The eclipse over Prince Igor's army
On 1 May 1185, as Prince Igor of Novgorod-Seversky rode against the Cumans, a solar eclipse darkened the sky; the chronicles and the Tale of Igor's Campaign treat it as an omen, and the campaign ended in disaster and captivity.
1185 CE · 49.21, 37.28 · status: official
The account
The Hypatian Chronicle says the sun became like a crescent moon and stars appeared, and Igor told his men that no one knows God's purpose. The Tale of Igor's Campaign opens with the darkness 'barring his way'. The eclipse is astronomically confirmed and its path crossed the steppe near the Donets, where the army was (the location here is approximate).