Eclipses Have Advanced Our Knowledge of the Sciences in More Ways Than One
FEATURE ARTICLE Masquerade of the Spheres Aditi Ghose CLIPSES are treasure troves of scientific explorations. They have almost always led to new insights into the Ephysics, chemistry, biology and mathematics of the world around us. But how do meticulous calculations work so that scientists and their equipment wind up in the right place at the right time? What happens if they don't? Predicting whether our place will experience this year’s last solar eclipse in December is akin to a challenge – and like all challenges, the rewards of getting it right are huge too! Advice to an Umbraphile "Before you die, you owe it to yourself to experience a total solar eclipse." That was an advice from an astronomer to David Baron, a science writer and much later, self-confessed eclipse evangelist. Baron was skeptical of such a profound and intimate counsel. Eclipses have advanced our knowledge of the sciences in more ways than one. Because a total solar eclipse, like the one next due in India on 20 March 2034, is the only time a masked Sun allows us a glimpse into its outer atmosphere. Moon's shadow seen falling on Cyprus and coastal Eclipse experiments have included, but never been Turkey, as seen on 29 March 2006, 230 miles above limited to tests of general relativity, studies in coronal physics the planet from the International Space Station. and chemistry, investigations of solar prominences, diameter (NASA) 26 | Science Reporter | July 2021 What does Totality Entail? (Edwin L. Turner, A Partial Eclipse is Interesting, 2017) Geometry of the Moon’s shadow during solar eclipse.
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