Tag: Skywatching

Scientists Pursue the Total Solar Eclipse with NASA Jet Planes

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5 min read Scientists Pursue the Total Solar Eclipse with NASA Jet Planes The April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse will produce stunning views across North America. While anyone along the eclipse path with a clear sky will see the spectacular event, the best view might be 50,000 feet in the air, aboard NASA’s WB-57 jet planes. That’s where a trio of NASA-funded teams are sending their scientific instruments to take measurements of the eclipse. Two teams will image the Sun’s outer atmosphere – the corona – and a third…

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New ‘Eclipse Watch’ Tool Shows Eclipses from Space Any Time

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4 min read New ‘Eclipse Watch’ Tool Shows Eclipses from Space Any Time Do you wish you could see a total solar eclipse every day? With a new online tool called Eclipse Watch, you can observe the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, in real time with eclipse-like images from space as we count down to the next total solar eclipse on Earth. An eclipse-like image captured by the LASCO instrument on the SOHO spacecraft includes a picture of the Moon added for scale. To see the latest image, visit https://eclipse.helioviewer.org/.…

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What’s Up: March 2024 Skywatching Tips from NASA

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6 min read What’s Up: March 2024 Skywatching Tips from NASA Download the Video WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Jupiter plows through the Pleiades on March 14, a chance to spot Mercury at month’s end along with a subtle lunar eclipse, and a comet worth keeping an eye on! March skywatching highlights: March 10 – New moon March 13 – The Moon joins Jupiter tonight in the west, following sunset. They make a great pairing through binoculars. March 14 – Tonight the crescent Moon moves through the Pleiades star cluster, creating…

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March-April 2024: The Next Full Moon is the Crow, Crust, Sap, Sugar, or Worm Moon

NeRD

29 Min Read March-April 2024: The Next Full Moon is the Crow, Crust, Sap, Sugar, or Worm Moon A full moon rises over Utah. Credits: NASA/Bill Dunford The next full moon is the Crow, Crust, Sap, Sugar, or Worm Moon; the Paschal Moon; Purim; the Holi Festival Moon; Madin Poya; the Pothole Moon; a Micromoon, and a Partial Lunar Eclipse. The next full moon will be on Monday morning, March 25, 2024, appearing opposite the Sun in Earth-based longitude at 3 AM EDT. This will be on Sunday evening from…

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NASA to Launch Sounding Rockets into Moon’s Shadow During Solar Eclipse

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5 min read NASA to Launch Sounding Rockets into Moon’s Shadow During Solar Eclipse NASA will launch three sounding rockets during the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, to study how Earth’s upper atmosphere is affected when sunlight momentarily dims over a portion of the planet. The Atmospheric Perturbations around Eclipse Path (APEP) sounding rockets will launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to study the disturbances in the ionosphere created when the Moon eclipses the Sun. The sounding rockets had been previously launched and successfully recovered from…

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Sketch the Shape of the Sun for Science During the Solar Eclipse

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5 min read Sketch the Shape of the Sun for Science During the Solar Eclipse Calling all eclipse admirers! The SunSketcher team is looking for one million volunteers to capture photos on their cell phones during the April 8 total solar eclipse. These images will help scientists learn about the size, shape, and inner structure of the Sun. This NASA-funded citizen science project invites anyone who will be within the path of totality in the U.S. to take photos of the Baily’s Beads effect, which occurs when little points of…

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NASA Launches Snap It! Computer Game to Learn About Eclipses

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2 Min Read NASA Launches Snap It! Computer Game to Learn About Eclipses In NASA’s Snap It! An Eclipse Photo Adventure game, players will help the traveler take photos of the Sun and create postcards. Credits: NASA On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be visible to over 30 million people across North America. To help kids learn about solar eclipses, NASA is launching Snap It! An Eclipse Photo Adventure. On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be visible to over 30 million people across North America.…

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Meet the Creators, Part 4: Two New 2024 Total Eclipse Posters

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4 min read Meet the Creators, Part 4: Two New 2024 Total Eclipse Posters Total solar eclipses reveal the Sun’s outer atmosphere – the corona – a white, wispy halo of solar material that flows out from around the Sun. This atmosphere is breathtaking as it glows in the sky for viewers on Earth, surrounding the dark disk of the Moon. In addition to revealing this normally hidden part of our Sun, the eclipse also darkens the sky, changes shadows, and cools the air. It can feel like living inside a…

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Meet the Creators, Part 3: NASA’s 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Posters

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3 min read Meet the Creators, Part 3: NASA’s 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Posters A total solar eclipse is a captivating experience – evoking feelings of awe and wonder that are sometimes best expressed through art. Inspired by the upcoming total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, artists Tyler Nordgren and Kristen Perrin have designed two posters for NASA that present the magic of the eclipse in unique ways. Tyler Nordgren Download the poster here. NASA/Tyler Nordgren In “The Sun and Moon Align with You” poster for NASA, Nordgren –…

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The Next Full Moon is the Cold, Frost or Winter Moon

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23 Min Read The Next Full Moon is the Cold, Frost or Winter Moon A full moon rises about California’s Vasquez Rocks Credits: NASA/Preston Dyches January 2024 The Next Full Moon is the Cold, Frost, or Winter Moon; the Long Night Moon; the Moon after Yule; the Datta Jayanti and Thiruvathira Festival Moon; Unduvap Poya; and the Chang’e Moon. The next full Moon will be Tuesday evening, December 26, 2023, appearing opposite the Sun (in Earth-based longitude) at 7:33 PM EST. This will be on Wednesday in Coordinated Universal Time…

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