Last April, a total solar eclipse swept across northern Spain, drawing crowds of spectators and scientists from around the world. As the moon moved in front of the sun, researchers prepared their instruments to study what happens to the sun’s atmosphere when its bright surface is briefly blocked. They came equipped with high-speed imaging systems, magnetic sensors, and even weather balloons. Their goal was to learn more about the sun’s corona, which is the outer layer that becomes visible only during a total solar eclipse.
NASA says this information from eclipses can improve space weather predictions, helping protect astronauts and satellites. Scientists have been using eclipses to research for more than a century. One of the most famous examples happened iFor example, in 1919, astronomer Arthur Eddington famously used a solar eclipse to test Albert Einstein’s well-known theory of general relativity. According to NASA, eclipses allow researchers to observe parts of the sun that are normally hidden by intense light. This gives them a chance to collect data that’s impossible to gather on a regular day. Dr. Marta Ruiz, a solar physicist interviewed by The New York Times, explained that eclipses act like “nature’s dimmer switch,” giving scientists a brief time to observe delicate solar structures that are normally washed out by sunlight.
