News tagged with solar eclipse

Future NASA mission to sun 'a life's dream' for some

The chest-high rack of electronics Justin Kasper is assembling in a Massachusetts office park will fit in a shoe box before he's done.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Mar 16, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (24) | comments 10

First sighting of Halley’s comet pushed back two centuries

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have modeled the likely path taken by Halley's comet in the 5th century BC and compared their findings to ancient Greek texts from the period. They now suggest the ancient Greeks ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Sep 13, 2010 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (18) | comments 1 | with audio podcast report

The search for ET just got easier

Astronomers using the Science and Technology Facilities Council's (STFC) William Herschel Telescope (WHT) on La Palma have confirmed an effective way to search the atmospheres of planets for signs of life, vastly improving ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Jun 10, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (13) | comments 2

Precise Radio-Telescope Measurements Advance Frontier Gravitational Physics

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists using a continent-wide array of radio telescopes have made an extremely precise measurement of the curvature of space caused by the Sun's gravity, and their technique promises a ...

Physics / General Physics

created Sep 01, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (12) | comments 7

'Monster' solar eclipse takes on Asian giants

The world's most populous nations will gaze skywards Wednesday as the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century lays a carpet of darkness across India and China, from Mumbai to Shanghai.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jul 20, 2009 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (10) | comments 5

Solar eclipse to be seen on January 4, 2011

Some of the world will be able to greet the first part of the new year with a solar eclipse. On the morning of Tuesday, January 4, 2011, an eclipse of the Sun will be widely visible across Europe and as far ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Dec 24, 2010 | popularity 4 / 5 (10) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Annular solar eclipse observed by Hinode (w/ Video)

On January 4, the Hinode satellite captured these breathtaking images of an annular solar eclipse.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jan 10, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (9) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New evidence to solve the mystery of the 'eclipse wind'

(PhysOrg.com) -- Solar eclipses are not only amazing celestial spectacles - they also cause subtle changes to the weather here on Planet Earth, according to meteorologists.

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Mar 15, 2012 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (8) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

A rare eclipse of the midnight sun

It sounds like an oxymoron: a solar eclipse at midnight. According to NASA, it's about to happen.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jun 01, 2011 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Celebrating gravity’s light-bending landmark

(PhysOrg.com) -- Today Oxford University scientists are joining in a special celebration of the first test of Albert Einstein’s theory of gravity on the remote African island where the ground-breaking experiment ...

Physics / General Physics

created May 29, 2009 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (7) | comments 1

A serendipitous gravitational lens

(PhysOrg.com) -- The path traveled by a light beam will bend in the presence of matter. This remarkable prediction, reached by Einstein in his theory of general relativity, was confirmed by observations of ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Nov 21, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (6) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

'Blazing ring' eclipse races across Africa, Asia

A solar eclipse that reduced the sun to a blazing ring surrounding a sombre disk plunged millions of people in Africa and Asia into an eerie semi-darkness on Friday.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jan 15, 2010 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (6) | comments 0

Eclipses' effect on wind revealed

Solar eclipses don't just turn the lights out; they also make the wind slow down and change direction.

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Mar 29, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 10 | with audio podcast

Longest Solar Eclipse of the 21st Century

One one-thousand, 2 one-thousand, 3 one-thousand, 4 one-thousand... Continue counting and don't stop until you reach 399 one-thousand.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jul 21, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 0

The Sun's crowning glory

(Phys.org) -- Those who experience a total solar eclipse are overwhelmed as they look at the circle of light that surrounds our Sun. Laypeople may find it enchanting, but researchers have been racking their ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created May 11, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 0

Solar eclipse

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is fully or partially covered. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from the Earth. At least two and up to five solar eclipses can occur each year on Earth, with between zero and two of them being total eclipses. Total solar eclipses are nevertheless rare at any location because during each eclipse totality exists only along a narrow corridor in the relatively tiny area of the Moon's umbra.

A total solar eclipse is a spectacular natural phenomenon and many people travel to remote locations to observe one. The 1999 total eclipse in Europe helped to increase public awareness of the phenomenon, as illustrated by the number of journeys made specifically to witness the 2005 annular eclipse and the 2006 total eclipse. The recent solar eclipse of January 26, 2009 was an annular eclipse (see below), while the solar eclipse of July 22, 2009 was a total solar eclipse.

In ancient times, and in some cultures today, solar eclipses have been attributed to supernatural causes. Total solar eclipses can be frightening for people who are unaware of their astronomical explanation, as the Sun seems to disappear in the middle of the day and the sky darkens in a matter of minutes.

For more information about Solar eclipse, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.