Photo by Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images.
In light of the total solar eclipse on April 8, it is important to acknowledge the significance of these rare cosmic phenomena. The infrequent “solar sky show,” as put by senior science writer at TIME Jeffery Kruger, was the first total solar eclipse in seven years and the last one for another 20. Solar eclipses not only present a moment to stop and admire (safely) but they help us to further our understanding of the cosmos as well.
Solar eclipses have provided scientists with a great resource for obtaining knowledge on how Earth is affected by celestial events. In the past, solar eclipses have led to the discovery of the element Helium and supported the theory of relativity, but are generally an opportunity to collect research on the Sun’s corona, a part of its atmosphere otherwise too faint to see. The corona is important for understanding how heat and energy is transferred from the Sun.
During Monday’s eclipse, scientists closely observed the corona, with specific attention to prominences (worm-like strands of plasma) and streamers (dense plasma spikes) projecting from the Sun. These features were expected, as this year, the Sun is near solar maximum (the Sun’s highest rate of activity). In the last eclipse in 2017, the Sun was closer to solar minimum.
Compared to the eclipse seven years ago, greater research efforts underwent last Monday, as the recent total eclipse produced heightened solar activity, longer and wider totality and more enhanced projects for collecting data.
Another crucial region for study during an eclipse is the ionosphere, a layer of charged particles created by the Sun’s energy. This layer, home to communication signals and some satellites, directly impacts GPS systems and can be disrupted by changes caused by the eclipses.
Specifically, ionospheric holes may occur, as explained by Jeffrey Kruger. Without radiation from the sun, the concentration of ions falls, and this depletion can lead to issues with GPS and radio systems, though most are quite mild.
With the Sun almost entirely obscured, temperatures can drop up to 15 degrees during a solar eclipse, triggering eclipse winds and the appearance of thunderstorms. The eerie illusion of sudden “nighttime” also causes nocturnally feeding animals to emerge and exhibit other nightly behaviors.
These cosmic rarities spark awe in the space scientist and average citizen alike. This past Monday, “people were screaming,” said solar physicist Marcel Corchado-Albelo, and “some may even shed tears” during eclipses, said Kruger.
NASA reports that the next total solar eclipse able to be seen from the United States will occur on August 23, 2044, and certainly in the meantime, our scientific developments and curiosity will only grow.