Solar eclipses are not only fascinating events, but they also contribute to new scientific discoveries. With its observation it has been possible to expand the knowledge we have about the movement of bodies in the solar system, the discovery of helium, confirm the theory of relativity and verify that the Earth rotates more and more slowly.
Luis Felipe Rodríguez Jorge, astronomer and pioneer of radio astronomy in Mexico, said: When we talk about eclipses we think of darkness and we relate this to ignorance, but now it is going to illuminate us and bring a lot of knowledge of what is happening in the universe. Eclipses are tools that nature provides us to know it better
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The solar eclipse will give scientists the opportunity to observe parts of the Sun that are not usually visible to the naked eye, such as the solar corona, chromosphere, and prominences.
NASA asked astronomy fans who are inside and outside the path of the eclipse to join the star observation work through eight different projects.
Los citizen scientists
are invited to participate in studying structures and changes in the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, taking images with polarized light, or capture telescopic images of the total eclipse to help document the appearance of the Sun and its corona moment by moment.
Those who can are also asked to document how wildlife responds to a solar eclipse, recording sounds before, during and after it. NASA called for using the GLOBE Program application and a thermometer to measure air temperature changes and monitor clouds during the astronomical event.
In addition to this work with volunteers, on that day, NASA’s high-altitude jets will fly, chasing the Moon’s shadow with upgraded telescopes to study the solar corona and surrounding dust. Rockets equipped with scientific instruments will also be launched into the ionosphere, the electrically charged region of the atmosphere at the edge of space. These launches, along with the deployment of weather balloons and a scientific kite, will provide a wide range of data for analysis.
Scientists will also take the opportunity to study the solar corona, a mysterious region that reveals itself during total eclipses. Through improved telescopes and specialized spacecraft, we will seek to better understand the processes that heat this outer layer of the Sun to extremely high temperatures.
During this natural phenomenon, NASA decided to install its transmission headquarters in Torreón, Coahuila, whose maximum will be reached at 12:15 p.m. and will conclude at 1:36 p.m.
For more information about this astronomical event and related activities, you can consult the relevant astronomical authorities and follow the updates provided by NASA and other space agencies.
On April 8, a total solar eclipse will dazzle millions of people in North America along a path that will begin in Mexico, cross the United States and end in Canada. Via Graphic News
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– 2024-04-20 18:36:55
