Related topics: sun · magnetic field · solar flares

How birds and insects reacted to the solar eclipse

A team of researchers with Cornell University and the University of Oxford has found that birds and insects reacted in some surprising ways to the 2017 U.S. total solar eclipse. In their paper published in the journal Biology ...

Secrets of bright, rapidly spinning star revealed

Almost 50 years after it was first predicted that rapidly rotating stars would emit polarised light, a UNSW Sydney-led team of scientists has succeeded in observing the phenomenon for the first time.

Gold and platinum offer clues about the moon's mysterious tilt

A total solar eclipse occurs somewhere on Earth about once every year and a half, on average. But imagine if it happened every single month. For this to be the case, the moon would have to orbit Earth in the same plane in ...

Total solar eclipse plunges Antarctica into darkness

A total solar eclipse plunged Antarctica from summer into darkness early Saturday in a rare astronomical spectacle witnessed by a handful of scientists and thrill-seekers—and countless penguins.

page 1 from 25

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.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA