On October 23rd, 2014, the Moon will pass in front of the sun, off-center, producing a partial solar eclipse visible in most of the United States
Sunsets are always pretty. One sunset this month could be out of this world. On Thursday, Oct. 23rd, the setting sun across eastern parts of the USA will be red, beautiful and - crescent-shaped.
It's a partial solar eclipse. In other words, the New Moon is going to 'take a bite' out of the sun.
A total eclipse is when the Moon passes directly in front of the sun, completely hiding the solar disk and allowing the sun's ghostly corona to spring into view. A partial eclipse is when the Moon passes in front of the sun, off-center, with a fraction of the bright disk remaining uncovered.
The partial eclipse of Oct. 23rd will be visible from all of the United States except Hawaii and New England. Coverage ranges from 12% in Florida to nearly 70% in Alaska. Weather permitting, almost everyone in North America will be able to see the crescent.
The eclipse will be especially beautiful in eastern parts of the USA, where the Moon and sun line up at the end of the day, transforming the usual sunset into something weird and wonderful.
Observers in the Central Time zone have the best view because the eclipse is in its maximum phase at sunset. They will see a fiery crescent sinking below the horizon, dimmed to human visibility by low-hanging clouds and mist.
Warning: Don't stare. Even at maximum eclipse, a sliver of sun peeking out from behind the Moon can still cause pain and eye damage. Direct viewing should only be attempted with the aid of a safe solar filter.
During the eclipse, don't forget to look at the ground. Beneath a leafy tree, you might be surprised to find hundreds of crescent-shaped sunbeams dappling the grass. Overlapping leaves create a myriad of natural little pinhole cameras, each one casting an image of the crescent-sun onto the ground beneath the canopy. When the eclipsed sun approaches the horizon, look for the same images cast on walls or fences behind the trees.
Here's another trick: Criss-cross your fingers waffle-style and let the sun shine through the matrix of holes. You can cast crescent suns on sidewalks, driveways, friends, cats and dogs-you name it. Unlike a total eclipse, which lasts no more than a few minutes while the sun and Moon are perfectly aligned, the partial eclipse will goes on for more than an hour, plenty of time for this kind of shadow play.
A partial eclipse may not be total, but it is totally fun.
The Super Fluid Core Of A Dead Neutron Star
Strange quantum fluids that love to sneak out of cups have been found trapped inside the core of a dead neutron star.
Effects Of The Solar Wind
The wind speed of a devastating Category 5 hurricane can top over 150 miles per hour (241km/hour.) Now imagine another kind of wind with an average speed of 0.87 million miles per hour (1.4 million km/hour.)
Welcome to the wind that begins in our Sun and doesn't stop until after it reaches the edge of the heliosphere: the solar wind.
The corona is the Sun's inner atmosphere - the brightness that can be seen surrounding an eclipsed Sun - and home to the continually expanding solar wind. Right now, the Parker Solar Probe - launched in 2018, is orbiting the Sun and will get as close as 3.83 million miles (6.16 million km) of the Sun's surface. Parker is gathering new data about the solar particles and magnetic fields that comprise the solar wind. More specifically, two of its main goals are to examine the energy that heats the corona and speeds up the solar wind, and determine the structure of the wind's magnetic fields.
While many theories describe the solar wind's history, this is what we do know: The solar wind impacting Earth's magnetosphere is responsible for triggering those majestic auroras typically seen at locations close to our north and south poles. In some cases it can also set off space weather storms that disrupt everything from our satellites in space, to ship communications on our oceans, to power grids on land.
To say in more detail , how the solar wind disrupts our magnetosphere: As the wind flows toward Earth, it carries with it the Sun's magnetic field. It moves very fast, then smacks right into Earth's magnetic field. The blow causes a shock to our magnetic protection, which can result in turbulence.
There is another reason to study the solar wind and its properties - the solar wind is part of a larger space weather system that can affect astronauts and technology. We not only have to ensure our astronauts are protected from the harmful effects of radiation.
We have to protect our equipment too. So, we've already found aluminum to be a good shield to protect our crafts from many energetic particles. But there are also faster particles that travel at 80% of the speed of light, which can cause havoc with parts of a spacecraft. They can smash into and damage solar panels, disrupt electronics, or affect electric currents that flow along power grids.
So, we're currently conducting tests with small pieces of technology to study how well they can survive in intense radiation areas.
Knowing more about the effects of the solar wind is not only important to those of us who live on Earth. It will be critical to know how to mitigate its effects once our astronauts travel back to the Moon and beyond for extended periods of time.
If the Sun sneezes, Earth catches a cold, because we always feel the impact of what happens on the Sun thanks to the solar wind.
Get blown away by the science behind the solar wind at MXPlank.com
Quantum Foam
If we could look at the fabric of space and time on incredibly small scales, some have suggested that we would see a churning, tumultuous environment called the "quantum foam." But what is it?
