For decades the sun has yielded many scientific clues, but there may be no better time to study the hot, blazing ball of fire than when the moon fully blocks its face.
Some of the most notable discoveries were made during total eclipses, and astronomers hope Monday’s phenomenon delivers more new scientific developments.
More on the solar eclipse:
- What to know about Monday’s total solar eclipse in the U.S., Mexico and Canada
- Not in the path of totality? You can still watch Monday鈥檚 total solar eclipse online
- Blind people can hear and feel April鈥檚 total solar eclipse with new technology
- 鈥楧on鈥檛 damage those eyes鈥� observing Monday鈥檚 solar eclipse, medical expert says
- Where to find eclipse glasses and watch parties around the DC area
鈥淚t鈥檚 so amazingly beautiful during totality, when you can see the beautiful atmosphere of the sun,鈥� said John Mulchaey, an astrophysicist at the Carnegie Institution for Science. 鈥淎nd you鈥檙e just like, 鈥楬ow? How is this happening?鈥欌��
Total solar eclipses are important for scientific discoveries because it鈥檚 the ideal time to study the sun鈥檚 surface, which is only visible on Earth during such events.
In 1919, Albert Einstein proved his general theory of relativity with the help of fellow physicist Sir Arthur Eddington, who charted that year鈥檚 total eclipse as it moved over parts of Northern Brazil and Western Africa.
The theory supports the concept that light can bend around massive objects in space. Nowadays, astronomers use it to study galaxies and stars behind massive objects.
鈥淚t showed that there鈥檚 this new version of gravity we call general relativity,鈥� Mulchaey said. 鈥淸Einstein] became an overnight celebrity.鈥�
This year, scientists will only have about four minutes to study the outermost part of the sun鈥檚 surface, also called the corona.
Scientists had a little more time when a total eclipse occurred in India in 1868, leading to a major breakthrough. During the nearly seven-minute span, they discovered a key component of the sun: helium.
The element fuses with hydrogen to keep the sun burning hot and bright.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of helium on the sun,鈥� said Mulchaey, who earned his doctorate in astrophysics from the University of Maryland. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 not very valuable to us in terms of our balloons here on Earth.鈥�
Scientists and researchers are hopeful they will discover new breakthroughs this time around, which will move along a narrow path from Mexico through the Midwestern U.S. and end up in Canada.
Several eclipse experiments are in the works, Mulchaey said. One of them includes collecting data and photos of the sun鈥檚 corona from a large group of amateur astronomers planted along the eclipse鈥檚 route.
鈥淚t鈥檚 called citizen science,鈥� he told 草莓传媒. 鈥淭here will be a time sequence and we鈥檒l get a whole series of exposures and that really hasn鈥檛 been done properly yet. It鈥檚 a great experiment.鈥�
Mulchaey said he has prepared for this total eclipse for at least six months, as NASA says the next North American phenomenon will not occur for 20.5 years on Aug. 23, 2044, and it won’t be as large as Monday’s big event.
鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult to describe the emotion of a total solar eclipse. But it is a truly emotional experience,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 do tell people they must once-in-their-life go see a total eclipse somewhere. It is worth it.鈥�
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