April's total solar eclipse promises to be the best yet for experiments
Time:2024-05-21 17:23:20 Source:styleViews(143)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — April’s total solar eclipse promises to be a scientific bonanza, thanks to new spacecraft and telescopes — and cosmic chance.
The moon will be extra close to Earth, providing a long and intense period of darkness, and the sun should be more active with the potential for dramatic bursts of plasma. Then there’s totality’s densely populated corridor stretching from Mexico to the U.S. to Canada.
Hundreds if not thousands of the tens of millions of spectators will double as “citizen scientists,” helping NASA and other research groups better understand our planet and star.
They’ll photograph the sun’s outer crownlike atmosphere, or corona, as the moon passes between the sun and Earth, blotting out sunlight for up to 4 minutes and 28 seconds on April 8. They’ll observe the quieting of birds and other animals as midday darkness falls. They’ll also measure dropping temperatures, monitor clouds and use ham radios to gauge communication disruptions.
You may also like
- Revealed: Brit tourist, 19, subjected to sex attack in Majorca 'was gang
- Commentary: Working together for enduring China
- Xi Says China to Cooperate with Micronesia on Infrastructure, Climate Change
- One dead and two critical after a wannabe trucker who failed his test deliberately plowed his 18
- Britain's new bonkers EV: Callum Skye is an £80k electric buggy built in Warwickshire
- Painting new picture for Asian Games, creating better future for Asia
- Yangtze River Delta ecological integration set an ecologically development sample
- Developed countries must face up to their responsibilities to address climate change
- Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. to lead Indianapolis 500 field in Corvette pace car