Throughout history, solar eclipses have had profound impact on adherents of various religions around the world. They were viewed as messages from God or spiritual forces, inducing emotions ranging from dread to wonder. Ahead of the total solar eclipse that will cross over North America on Monday, it's an appropriate time to take stock of these traditions and beliefs. Some Christians have believed that an eclipse portends the coming of the "end times" that will precede Christ's return to Earth. The Talmud – the collection of writings that constitute Jewish religious law – offers specific blessings for many natural phenomena, but not for eclipses. Instead, it depicts an eclipse as "a bad omen for the whole world."

Astronauts will have to wait until next year before flying to the moon and at least two years before landing on it. NASA on Tuesday announced the latest round of delays in its Artemis moon-landing program. The news came barely an hour after a U.S. company abandoned its own attempt to land on the moon because of a fuel leak. NASA is relying heavily on private companies for its astronaut moonshots, part of the reason for the new delays. The space agency had planned to send four astronauts around the moon late this year. It cited safety and technical issues for the delays.

A moon landing attempt by a private US company appears doomed because of a fuel leak on the newly launched spacecraft. Astrobotic Technology managed to orient the lander toward the sun Monday so its solar panel could capture sunlight and charge its onboard battery. The propulsion system problem was reported hours after a successful liftoff from Florida. Astrobotic was aiming to be the first private company to successfully land on the moon, something only four countries have accomplished. A second lander from a Houston company is due to launch next month. NASA gave the companies millions to build landers and make deliveries to the moon.

Two private companies are aiming to get the U.S. back in the moon-landing business, more than five decades after the Apollo program ended. Since then China and India have successfully landed on the moon, while recent attempts by Russia, Japan and Israel have ended up in the lunar trash heap. Landers from Pittsburgh's Astrobotic Technology and Houston's Intuitive Machines are due to launch from Florida this month and next. It's part of a NASA-supported effort to kick-start commercial moon deliveries, as the space agency focuses on getting astronauts there.