Hello and welcome to
another episode of NASA's
Science Live.
This is an opportunity
for you to interact
with NASA experts
and have your
questions answered
in real time.
I'm your host, Denise Hill
and we are taking you
all the way to Australia
where there's a total
solar eclipse happening
right now.
This event is unique and rare
because it's both
a total
an annular eclipse,
which is known
as a hybrid eclipse.
We're going to see
real time views
thanks to our friends at time
and date.
We're going to talk
about the sun and answer
some of your burning questions.
You can send us questions
using hashtag
#AskNASA on social media
or drop them in
the comment box.
Wherever you're
watching this from.
The sun touches everything.
It is Earth's life force.
The Sun Earth
connection is a vital
part of our lives and society.
It influences a variety
of systems on earth
like agriculture, economics,
climate change,
politics, food
and food scarcity.
As well as the physical, mental
and emotional health of humans.
We see its influence
throughout our culture,
in art, music, religion,
fashion and sports,
and a host of other trends.
During tonight's event,
we're also going to share
a special upcoming opportunity
for you
to participate in some science.
So let's jump right in.
I'm joined today by NASA's Sun
science scientist,
Dr. Kelly Korreck
Kelly,
thank you so much
for being here today.
Thank you so much, Denise.
It's my pleasure.
So I think we should start off
by first explaining the reason
why we're here,
the eclipse in Australia.
So can you tell us
how solar eclipses work
and why this one is called
the hybrid eclipse
and what that even means?
Definitely.
Yeah. Let's get started.
So what a solar eclipse is,
is it's an alignment
and a dance between the moon,
the earth and the sun.
So the earth
and the moon is in between
the earth
and the sun
and casts
a shadow on the earth.
And that's a total
solar eclipse
when it
completely blocks out
the blocks of the sun.
And that's
because it's close to Earth.
And we go through
that as the moon goes round.
We don't have one
every every month,
but we do get them
occasionally.
We also have an annular eclipse
and an annular eclipse happens
because the moon doesn't
stay in
a perfectly circular orbit.
It sometimes is a little bit
further away,
so it doesn't
completely block out the sun.
So it leaves this ring of fire
around the sun,
like in the image
that you're seeing here
in that annular eclipse.
And this eclipse in Australia
is a hybrid.
So part of the path of totality
is going to see totality.
So you're going to completely
block out the sun.
Another part is going to see
the actual ring of fire.
And so that's why it's a hybrid
based on the
curvature of the earth
and where you are on the path,
you're either going
to see the total
or you're going to see
the annular eclipse.
Okay.
So eclipses
are super cool events
to see in the sky.
But why do scientists
care about this?
And what can we learn
about them during these events?
Great question.
So what happens
during these events
is that we can actually see
with our own eyes
the sun's corona
or hot outer atmosphere.
And that's something
that we before
before the space age,
we really couldn't
do any other way.
So we were able to study things
that flow off of the sun,
seeing this
constant solar wind
during these
during these eclipses.
We also did things
like experiments in related
general relativity
and discovery,
a discovery of helium
and other elements of the sun.
So there's a lot
of different things that you
can do with eclipses.
So thinking of some science.
Is there anything happening
in Australia right now?
Actually, there is.
There is a kite experiment
that is going on
during this eclipse.
So it's a new platform for us
to actually take data from.
We've done things
before and rockets
are balloons or spacecraft,
but this is now a kite
and you're shown
here is a picture of this
kite is 21 feet across
and a fly around 3500 feet.
And it will
actually take a spectrometer.
So it'll split the light up
is the instrument board
as it looks at the sun
and try to find that flow
that I was talking about,
that constant solar wind
and how that escapes
the sun during this eclipse.
And if it's successful,
they'll hopefully fly it again
in 2024.
When the eclipse comes
to North America.
All right.
So cool.
Who knew
flying a kite
could be both fun
and educational. I love it.
So I mentioned
at the top of the show
that there
will be opportunities
for people
to participate in fun science.
Can you tell us a little bit
about the heliophysics,
the gear,
what it is,
and how folks
watching can get involved?
Definite
The sun and all of us are
in for a big year
starting in October of 2023
with the annular eclipse
that goes across the U.S.
and then down into
Central and South America,
then going to the April
8th, 2024 total solar eclipse,
and then finally ending
the long big year,
December 2024,
when Parker Solar Probe
goes to the closest approach
to the Sun
94% of the way
to the sun to study
that outer atmosphere
that we're going to see here
in a few minutes
with with this total eclipse.
And so this year is a way
that we can all belong
in science and all belong
to learning about the sun
and all the different ways
that the sun touches our lives.
And the term big year
actually is a birding term,
a citizen science birding term
that is
that is studying
as many species
as possible of birds
in one year.
And what we're
challenging folks to do
is to study
as many different things
or relate to
as many different things
as they can about the sun.
So can you see
an annular eclipse?
Can you see a total eclipse?
What about Aurora?
What about seeing a solar flare
go off?
What about
a participating in a sport
or another event
that relates you to the sun?
And you mentioned
citizen science.
And citizen science
is a big part
of how folks can participate
in the heliophysics this year.
A few specifics come to mind.
Like it could sound scary.
Soundscape is a citizen science
project
that allows you to participate
in Eclipse research
by observing and collecting
audio recordings
during upcoming
upcoming solar eclipses.
You then take the data
and analyze it
and determine
how eclipses may affect
the ecosystem.
And to learn more
about that, when
you go to Eclipse.
Soundscape scored
another one is
it called the Nationwide
Eclipse Ballooning Project.
And this one will engage
teens
from a range of colleges
and universities
in an adventure
in scientific ballooning.
These teams will participate
in scientific ballooning
during the upcoming
annular and total solar
eclipses in 2023 and 2024.
Across the eclipse path.
Student teams
will use innovative
balloon systems
to conduct experiments.
To learn
more about this project.
Go to go dot nasa.gov slash
in e! BP.
All right.
Thank you, Kelly.
We'll come back to you
in just a moment
to answer some of the questions
we have coming in.
Don't forget
to submit your questions
using hashtag at NASA
or pop them in the comment
box on the platform
that you're watching.
So as Kelly just mentioned,
there's a big year of fun
science ahead of us.
Mark your calendars,
because on October
14th, 20, 23,
there will be an
annular eclipse
where the moon only blocks
the center
part of the sun and create
what looks like a ring of fire.
And then on April 8th, 20, 24,
millions of people
across the U.S.
will have the chance
to see a total solar eclipse.
Where will you be?
NASA's has some new maps
that could help you decide.
Let's take a look.
Yeah.
I am so excited
for these upcoming eclipses.
And truth be told,
I've never seen a total
or an annular eclipse
or the annular eclipse
coming up later this year.
I know exactly where
I'm going to be.
I am going to be
in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
and I am so excited.
So to take a closer
look at the now
secrets maps in more detail,
you can visit
go dot NASA's dot
gov slash U.S.
eclipse map.
Let's chat with NASA expert
who is in Australia right now
for tonight's solar eclipse.
We are joined
by planetary scientist
Dr. Henry Throop
Thank you so much
for being with us.
Henry
Hey, thanks for having me here.
So you're in Australia
right now.
Can you tell me
exactly where you are?
I am in Exmouth,
Australia, which is in the
Ningaloo Peninsula
in the in Western Australia.
This is a really remote
region of Australia.
It's a long way
from that closest city.
Perth coast
is large city, Perth,
which is itself a very remote
capital city.
So there are thousands
of people down here
who have made the trek
trek all the way out to Exmouth
waiting for this for totality,
which is going to be
coming up here in
in a little more than an hour,
a little less than that.
So that is so cool.
It looks
I see a
ton of equipment back there.
Do you have anything with you
and what are you
going to be doing?
So I have a solar
telescope here myself.
I'm going to be
watching the sun
as it as it
disappears in in alpha,
which is that the wavelength
where you see it,
a lot of the activity
of the sun,
you see a lot of these features
on the sun,
both on the disk itself
and off of it, off to the side.
There are thousands
of people here
with their own telescopes
recording the sun,
taking pictures of it
in various ways.
But most of
people here are not scientists.
They are fans of the Sun
and and are here
for the excitement
of being here at the Eclipse.
There
are there are
thousands of people
who've been coming
in all morning.
Let me just give you a little
tour of the of the site here.
You can see
going ahead.
We are royal
right next to you,
the right next
to the ocean here.
A great place for the sharks.
Here's looking at it,
looking at the eclipse and
and you can see
all the thousands
of people behind us there.
That is awesome.
I am so jealous right now.
That looks so awesome.
Okay, we're going to let you go
so you can go
enjoy the eclipse and
see it firsthand.
Thank you so much
for joining us.
So here's a question.
Since the moon
orbits around Earth
roughly once per month,
how come we don't have total
solar eclipses every year?
So glad you asked.
Here's why
the.
All right.
So many of you watching
have questions
about the sun, anybody.
So let's get to
some of those now, remember,
if you have questions,
you can send them to us
on social media
using the hashtag at NASA
or just drop them
in the comment box
from wherever
you're watching this from.
So now I'm back with Sun
expert Dr.
Kelly Couric.
And we're about 30 minutes away
from totality.
As a reminder,
you are seeing real time
views of the eclipse
in Australia
thanks to our friends
at time and date.
KELLY
Let's tackle
some of these questions
that are coming in online.
But first
I want to jump the line
and ask a question myself.
I am curious about
how do you watch
an annular eclipse and
a solar eclipse safely?
That's a great
question because really safety
is our number one
priority here.
So for the annular eclipse,
you will always have to use
a pair of
solar viewing glasses.
These are not sunglasses.
There are specific glasses
that are made
to a certain standard
so that you can look at the sun
through the annular eclipse
or you can make an
a indirect viewing device,
which means that you're back
as to the sun
and that device
is in front of you,
whether that's a strainer,
like a kitchen strainer
or even your hands,
you can make a strainer
this way
and project
the image of the crescent moon
on or the ring of fire on to
on onto a wall or floor
things, the things like that.
For the total solar eclipse,
whenever the sun
is only partially eclipse,
you must again
have those glasses.
The safe eclipse glasses,
not sunglasses to watch
or the indirect viewing method.
And during totality,
we want you to be able
to look directly
at that corona,
directly at that sun's corona,
the beautiful atmosphere
that we study
and that really flows out
towards us
and connects us to the sun.
So that's how you safely view
an annular and a
total solar eclipse.
Okay.
So I think I got it
so far, an annular eclipse.
Eclipse glasses the entire time
or indirect viewing
method the entire time in
for a total solar eclipse
glasses indirect viewing
until totality
and then back to glasses
and direct viewing.
Exact. Got it.
You got.
All right.
Our first question from viewers
online from is from Missouri
you die in.
If I said that,
if I mispronounced that,
please forgive me
on Twitter, she's asking
why are some eclipses
longer than others?
That's a really good question.
And it does have to do
with how they line
up in the video that we saw
just a little while ago
to get the eclipse,
you have to have
the moon in the sun
and the earth
in that direct straight line.
And just sometimes it's
just a little bit
off in one direction.
So you get some of the shadow,
but not a lot. And based again,
where that
position actually is
is how long
you get the eclipse.
So about the longest
we could ever get
theoretically is around
7 minutes,
7 minutes of eclipse.
We're only going
to get around a minute today
in Australia,
but we're very lucky
to get about four
and a half minutes
next year
in 2024 for the total eclipse.
Excellent.
So I'm
looking at
what we're seeing now.
Can you tell us what it is
we're seeing,
what we're looking at?
Yeah.
So right now what we have
what we're looking at
is the yellow
or the white ball is the sun.
And we have the
black crescent on the bottom
is actually the moon's shadow
going across
or the moon's disk
that you see
blocking out the sun.
So we've already made
what is called first contact.
So when the first looks like
there's a little light
taken out of the sun
by the moon
and we're moving
through towards
what will become
the second contact,
which meaning that
that disk of the moon
will will touch the other
side of the disk of the sun.
Wow.
That's amazing.
Absolutely beautiful.
All right.
So let's head
back to the questions online.
Prince Z
on YouTube asked,
how many times does this happen
and how long does it last
and what impact
does it have on our planet?
So let's take that one in time.
How many times
do you total eclipses happen?
So there are
there is a solar eclipse
about every 18 months
somewhere on the earth.
But there is the earth is large
and there's a lot
of bodies of water.
So sometimes it's over water
and not land.
So it's it's relatively,
relatively common,
you know, every year
and a half.
But in one place,
it averages around 375
to 400 years
to get one in a specific place.
So it's it's special
to have it in your place.
And you could probably find one
if you flew somewhere in the
in the world every two months.
Okay.
And how long
you kind of answer this,
how long they last.
And if you want to elaborate
on that, talking
about like the different time
frame
that you mentioned before.
Yeah, definitely.
So they can last
anywhere from a few few seconds
or a minute
to actually,
you know, up to seven
is the 7 minutes
would be the longest one,
but that one's
not going to happen for,
for quite a long time.
So really
about 4 minutes is what, four
and a half minutes
we're going to see
along the path in in 2024.
And is there any impact
of eclipses on the planet
on Earth? Definitely.
So we're
and we actually use them
as a as a scientific study
both here and and elsewhere.
So when you're experiencing
a total solar eclipse
and this is one of the things
that as beautiful
as this image is,
it can't quite capture it.
It's a full body experience.
So it becomes cooler.
So there's a
temperature change.
It also gets darker.
So animals
that normally
go to sleep at night
go to sleep
because they think it's
they think it's nighttime
and then they wake up
after the sun comes back up.
So a rooster would crow
or crickets would interpret,
stop chirping
and and all of these things.
So it does have
an effect on the earth.
And we're actually using it
also in 2023 and 2024
to study the ionosphere
or layer of the atmosphere
where we actually use
for a lot of communications
and how that data
instantly night shift.
We're actually using it
as a way to study
that effect on Earth.
That's awesome.
That's amazing
that it does have this impact
and that animals and
nature responds.
I think that is so cool.
Okay, so next question to visit
Tucker on YouTube asks,
These really seem rare.
So when is the next
hybrid eclipse?
Well, that's a good question.
I actually don't know
when the next hybrid eclipses.
I'm going to have to
look that up
and we'll have to
we'll have to find that
and put that
on the national website.
Do you know how rare they are?
They do tend to be
tend to be a little bit
more rare
than than the total
or annular eclipse,
because I think
they have to happen
at just a certain
kind of geographic location.
So they're a little more rare
than than the total of this.
The annular.
Caroline Craig
has a great question
that I also have.
So like,
what equipment do we use
to determine
when an eclipse like
this is going to happen
and how far in advance
are these predictions
made?
How far in advance can we make?
Can we predict
when an eclipse
is going to happen?
That's a great question.
And because we understand
the orbital dynamics
of the moon
and the sun and the earth,
we can actually
predict them out very far.
There are maps of,
you know, hundreds of years,
if not thousands
of years of data,
because you can predict
where the where the sun,
the earth and the moon will be.
And so we rely on
that predictability.
And actually,
in millions of years from now,
the moon will be moving,
moving away
so that it will not be able
to actually do the do
eclipses anymore. But that's
really a long time away,
but eventually will not.
Yeah, that is happening
long time.
Oh wow, that's really cool.
Miki Montoya on YouTube asked
a question
you kind of already answered,
but I'd love for you
to elaborate on it.
It's about like nature
and like, will
the birds go silent?
And do we know why?
Like,
what do they think is happening
since it's
only for a
short amount of time,
right?
So it's
for a short amount of time,
but you kind of have
a somewhat normal lead in
to nighttime.
So when you're
when you're experiencing
a normal nighttime,
the sky gradually gets dimmer.
You know,
you start to see with a sunset,
maybe a pink or orange
or beautiful colors.
And so,
you know,
you know, how to kind of
get ready for bed
or get ready
for it to be nighttime.
And so it's not you know, it's
light is eerie, actually, as
as you
go into the solar eclipse,
it's not quite the sunset,
but it has some characteristics
of the sunset.
So I'm not an animal expert,
but I would guess
I would guess
that they would just sense
that it is the same
the same kind
of characteristics
of nighttime.
So, okay,
let's get ready for bed.
And then suddenly
the sun comes back up
and they're like, Well,
yes, that was
the shortest nap ever.
So I love that analogy.
That is amazing that it
it makes sense.
Kevin McKnight
on Twitter asked,
Does it go completely
dark during totality?
It gets very, very dark.
And like I said, that the
the light is very eerie.
When I saw my first eclipse,
the total eclipse in
South Carolina,
it was definitely that
great dark,
dark around the eclipse.
And then there was this eerie
all around the horizon,
like orange light,
much like a sunset type colors.
So it was very eerie light and
it is significantly dark.
Oh, that's excellent.
I'm so looking forward to it.
It just sounds so
artistic
and creative and amazing.
Oh, this is a good one.
So might
make on
Facebook is asking for viewers
to go in a little bit
more detail on actual safety
and eye
safety on the glasses
during the eclipses.
So like when you were talking
about thinking
about like in Australia,
they're having both a hybrid
and a total eclipse,
so annular and total.
So can you talk about
the differences
and go through that again?
Right.
So we're our friend Henry was
they will have a total
solar eclipse.
So right now it's partial.
The view that you're
seeing from time
and date
is a partial eclipse and
so at that point in time,
you must have your safety
glasses on,
your eclipse glasses
must be on or again,
indirect viewing method.
One of those two things.
So Henry right now
should only be looking at this
through through safety glasses.
And then once it becomes total,
he'll take them.
He can take them off
and be able to look at
look at the sun
and look at the corona
and see what it's doing.
I'm very interested to see
see what we're going to see.
And then
once he knows
that it's going to the sun,
the moon is moving back
in, you're going to
see more sunlight.
And that's
when you have to
put your glasses
back on to the total.
Now, if you were to go
kind of a little bit further
along the path of this eclipse,
that is where you're going
to see the annular eclipse.
So they're actually not going
to get an annular and a total
in the same place.
They'll get a wall
in this place
within further along the path,
it will become annular
because the
curvature of the earth
is then making the moon
just that slight further away.
So it's just again,
doesn't block out
the whole entire sun.
So that and that they must
those people who are further
along the path
path of this eclipse
who are going to be annular,
must keep their glasses
on the entire time.
So they will not be able to see
the corona themselves.
Oh, okay.
Excellent.
Thank you for clarifying.
Adam F on Twitter asks
How wide is the path of a color
of a total solar
eclipse in general,
would you say?
Right.
In general
it could be normally around
a couple hundred miles
or a hundred miles.
So I think it's 150 in 2024.
And so, yes,
it's about that wide.
It's not super wide,
but it's it's a good distance.
Okay.
Next one, Sun, Right.
Gosh, on YouTube.
So this is a hybrid eclipse
from Australia.
So in Australia,
it's a total eclipse.
Where's the annular eclipse
taking place, do you know?
I know it is.
I think a Papua New Guinea
like as you go
up the path of totality.
So
I don't have the
I don't have a visual of the
of the path right now.
But, but yes, as you
as you would go for the path,
you move
to something again, much
more like
you see on
the right of the annular
eclipse that ring of fire.
Okay.
And this is a really
good question.
So Brad
Kimberly on YouTube is asking,
are there special cameras
or lenses made for cameras
to record solar eclipses?
There are.
And this is another thing
that we have to worry
about with safety
or at least
think about plan
about for safety.
And so
we don't want to just
use our glasses with this.
So there are special filters
for telescopes,
binoculars and cameras
that you can get.
You can research and find
appropriate, appropriate
filters
to put in front of those
at the entrance of the sun.
So we don't want
to use our glasses
in this case.
We want to use
one specific things
designed for telescopes,
photons or or or binoculars.
Excellent. Okay.
Mohammed, Elma, I need to ask
a question about the geometry
of eclipses.
So why is the sun and the moon,
from our perspective,
exactly the same size?
That's great.
And it's a matter of
distance and size.
So the moon is
the right distance away
and the right size
because the sun is bigger,
but it's so far away.
So it's
93 million miles away
versus
the moon being much closer.
So it's the same
that I've been explaining it
as the fact
that when you put your hand
right up in front of your face
like this,
you can block out
almost ever and see everything.
So the moon's just that close
where if you put it
further away,
you can see around it
and everything.
So it's just the fact
that the moon happens
to be the right,
right size and shape
and it's very close.
And so that's why it's able to
able to block out
the whole huge sun.
But it's all a matter
of perspective.
I hear you saying, Yeah.
All right,
Adriano, That's why
here
on YouTube asked
why is the annular eclipse
called a ring of fire?
And then she also sends us
love from Arizona and says,
We rock.
Yeah, I love Arizona, too.
And so why they call it
a ring of fire
is that it
looks like there is that orgy
ring of fire
around the around
the moon
as as this image shows,
it looks like kind of
something's on fire in a ring.
So that's
why it's called
the ring of fire.
Eclipse
when it's an annular eclipse.
Right.
So there is
the sun is not actually
on fire.
There's no actual fire.
It's just describing
what it looks like
is what you're saying.
Exactly.
The sun.
Yes, the sun is safe.
Excellent.
SimCity on YouTube
as if the moon moves
on a horizontal plane.
Why are we watching
the moon rise
from the bottom up?
So does the moon
move on a horizontal plane?
Right.
Okay.
So the
this the moon is inclined.
So if the Earth's rotation,
if the earth
goes on this plane,
it's inclined,
the moon is inclined.
There we go.
There's
the graphics like it, there
is ink is in kind
as shown in this graphic.
So it doesn't always hit
the shadows, doesn't
always hit the earth.
And that's again
why we don't have 12 eclipses
every year
because it's slightly off.
And due to that geometry,
that's why
that's why it doesn't doesn't
do so.
It's not
necessarily a horizontal plane.
And that's again, why we don't
get Eclipse every month.
All right.
Chrissy Astro
Molly on Twitter asks
What observations
are being done
from space of the eclipse?
And then anything
from the other side of the moon
or the moon shadow.
But, you know, cool.
All right, great.
So for the assets
that we have in space
that are watching the sun,
they aren't necessarily
in the path of the
of this eclipse. Right.
They don't necessarily
live right over
Australia per se,
but we do make instruments
that simulate an eclipse.
So things called coronagraph.
So we basically make
a false moon
that kind of
looks like a thumb
that goes up
in front of the camera
and blocks
out the center of the sun
so that then we can go and see
the corona
that's coming off of it.
So we do make space
based eclipse observations,
but they're not
the natural eclipse
observations.
They end up being
they end up being manufactured.
We do sometimes
in certain telescopes
like Canada
and I think SDO as well,
Solar Dynamics Observatory,
are able to
get eclipses
in their orbit as well,
but they don't
normally coincide
with the ones that
that we're talking about here.
They because they're
on a different orbit,
they have
a different trajectory
that that line up
the spacecraft and
the moon and the sun.
So
our team behind
the scenes
got us
an answer to the question
about why
today's annular
eclipse is visible.
So
or where today.
I'm sorry,
we're today's total
solar eclipse.
So the total
eclipse is visible, visible
in Australia
and Southeast Asia.
The annular eclipse is visible
over the Pacific
and Indian oceans,
and a partial eclipse
is visible
from Australia Southeast
Asia and Antarctica.
So
there's that
thinking behind the scenes.
Team Lovett
Rebecca Jurgens
says she's watching the live
solar eclipse with her class.
And Mark, how
and if it is daytime
in Australia,
why does the telescope
look like it's nighttime?
So why is it all dark?
Why is it black?
Well, yeah, that's interesting.
So they are looking.
I think it has to do
with the filter
of the telescope.
They're filtering out the light
so that they can.
I think this is the alpha feed
which really focuses on
a specific part of the light.
And so you get that
heat from the sun
because I'm starting
to see a prominence appear
in the lower left hand corner.
So just pass there
their little thing
that's kind of shooting out
the prominence they're that
that kind of indicates
that that's the
wavelength
or the type of warmth of light
that we're looking at.
And so that's why
it probably looks dark,
because nothing else out there
is that warm.
But yes, it is.
It is daytime in Australia.
So but as there
is, the sun's covering up
more and more.
It will, at least
in Exmouth will,
will become darker
and darker and again
experience a full
snake for about a minute.
Excellent.
How you do it?
Are we killing you
with the questions?
They are coming.
They are great questions.
All right.
I have a really good one
from Angel Chinnery.
She asks.
Next year,
totality will be in Mexico.
So I'm assuming it's
a total solar eclipse.
And she's wondering
if you know,
how long will totality less
than any ideas on that one.
So it's around four
and a half minutes
and there are great
resources online
that you can find
your city and state
and find the exact
timing for that location.
And that's actually another
important part of planning.
Your eclipse viewing
is to go to those trusted sites
and find the list of the times
that both the
length of totality
so that you can enjoy
that corona
and soak up all of that
beautiful solar wind
and that
and all the magnetic fields
that are moving things around
and that you'll be
safe, that
you'll be able to know
when you need to
put your glasses on
and to plan
to make sure to be there
well ahead of time
so that you don't miss it.
And will national have
resources that kind of help
people find places and
and that kind of information?
Definitely there are
there are some resources
that will help with things
like the map
will show you where
where there is the path
along the path of totality
and what's cities and
and states
will experience totality.
And actually the entire
contiguous U.S.
will have a partial eclipse
that day.
So even if you're not
part of the line
that goes from Mexico to Texas
up through
Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri,
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio,
Pennsylvania,
New York, Vermont,
New Hampshire,
now through Maine,
and then Nova Scotia
in Canada,
all those all of those places,
you'll get a total
solar eclipse.
But the entire
continental United States
will get
some type
of partial eclipse as well.
And then the other
the other side of that,
on the left hand side
is the annular eclipse
that will happen in 23.
And that is so cool.
And it
kind of brings us back
to like the heliophysics,
the year, like the sun
touches everything.
And in the U.S.,
like that is such a unifying
and just a beautiful moment
when everybody will get
at least
some portion of the eclipse.
That's really cool.
Before we pop
to the next question,
we want to think
time and date for this
amazing feed
that we're watching.
And we're watching it live.
We're watching
the magic happen live.
I'm so excited.
Let's go to a next more
730 on Twitter asks
what changes
the duration of totality.
So what makes it different?
Right? I get it.
It's all about geometry.
So it's all about where
your place in space.
We all belong here.
And the place and space
does matter.
So depending on exactly
in the orbit of the earth
and the sun and the moon
and how they line up
is how long you will
get totality for.
So in this case,
how it lines up.
And because it's
it's at a place
where the moon shadow
is moving quickly,
it only lasts
for around a minute.
When you're closer
to the equator,
it takes a little longer
to move across that land.
So so it goes a little bit
a little bit slower.
You can get a little
bit longer, longer durations.
And then again,
it's all about that,
that line up
between the earth,
the moon in the center
and the sun.
And so as it goes around,
it will
it will create different,
different lengths of time.
It makes sense.
Yeah, that's
a great explanation.
Matt A on YouTube asked
about AI safety.
So what happens
or what could
potentially happen
if we look directly
at an eclipse
and look directly at us
at the sun.
Right.
So looking at
directly at the sun,
which you should never do,
would cause
the back of your eye
to burn in
the image of the sun.
And so you would have
a blind spot in the area
where you had viewed the sun.
So it is not advised
to do this.
So make sure that you have
your safety glasses or
an indirect viewing method
If you don't have
safety glasses
in order to make sure
that you can safely do this
and safely see afterwards.
Yes, the take away is be safe.
Got it. Got it.
Love that.
The plastic effect on YouTube
and a really good question.
So are lunar
eclipses or solar eclipses
more common?
Is one more
common than the other?
Oh, that's a good question.
Well,
I've never thought of that.
I know.
It's like, oh,
you just put that on me
because I
you know, I've,
you know, a lunar
eclipse happens
when the earth is blocking
the sun from the from the moon.
And so that is why
you're getting that
you're getting that darkness
or that eclipse.
Is it more common?
I think it is.
But I
my brain is not
is not quite sure.
Maybe we need some
behind the scenes,
some sense phone of ed phone.
A friend.
I love it.
The plastic affect
you may have
some genetic scientist.
Yeah
and that just goes to show you
like we don't know everything
I think it's
these are great questions
we have Kelly on the spot
she doesn't have any of
these answers is answering to
but you're doing
an amazing job,
my friend, right?
I mean, really,
that's what a scientist is.
It's is it's about,
you know, figuring
figuring out how to do it
and finding the right source
of information. Right.
So it's not necessary
that I know every fact
in every everything about
the sun.
It's about
I know how to
examine the information
and say,
oh, hey, like this person
might know it better or
and then is that reasonable?
Right?
If they suddenly told me
like, well,
the moon is made out of,
you know,
like, no, that's not right.
And you have to know.
I need to know,
you know,
approximately what it is.
But again,
I don't necessarily
know everything.
Yeah.
And we specialized, right?
Like as a scientist,
you you're specializing
in heliophysics.
And then we have people
that specialize
in planetary science
or lunar science.
And so it makes sense.
I'm just messing with you.
I'm just Josh in with.
Yeah, All right.
God is asking,
why does the moon change
locations on screen
when we see different time
and date telescope feeds?
I think that that is
just a
orientation of the telescope
because yeah,
it might drift toward
one side of the feed,
one side of the picture
or the other,
and that's just alignment
of the telescope.
It is. It is.
It takes a lot of setup
to learn how to do this
type of imagery
as they're doing amazing
time and date
and they have done everything
for forever.
So but it takes a lot to get it
to look this good.
So that's actually why
I tell people
your first eclipse,
let let the experts do it
and just experience it
because you can.
It's a great hobby
to figure out how to,
you know, how to do this
or you know, how to let it
the telescopes and do that.
But it's a lot of work.
And so maybe the first one
just experience it.
Yeah, Yeah.
I am looking
forward to my first one.
No cameras, no anything.
It's just going to be me
and watching
nature do its thing.
I love it.
Okay,
we have another kind
of moon question for you.
Iran request on Twitch asks.
So there's a lot of talk
about the sun
during the solar eclipse.
Of course.
Are there any unique properties
of the moon
that are only visible
during an eclipse
that you know of?
That's a
that's a good question.
The moon is
is rocky and not quite
as smooth, smooth and kind of
you know,
it looks like a beautiful ball
when it's full from the earth,
but it actually is craters
and valleys.
So peaks and valleys
and you can see some of those.
And that's actually
what we'll see coming up here
with the Bayley's
beads
is actually the last bits
of the fact
that it's not perfectly smooth.
We're seeing
little bits of sunlight
still kind of escape
until it completely covers
the face of the sun.
So as you're seeing in the
in the feed Right.
Or in the image right now
is you'll see
those little beads
and those are actually
telling us about the peaks
and valleys on the moon,
actually.
Okay.
So we have a
really good question
from Heather Jarvis.
And the question is,
is it
happening or almost over
and what time is totality?
So what?
So it is it is happening.
So we have most of the most
of the disk covered right now.
And so the upper left
is the moon.
That dark circle or semicircle
is cutting out
the little crescent
sun that we're seeing
and the prominence
is still there on the
on the left hand side.
And so what is happening
and we're
I think we're around
10 minutes,
I think from now,
15 minutes from totality.
And so then we'll see
those Bayley beads
that we just talked about.
Diamond Ring
is the last one
that that comes out
because it looks like
there's a great big diamond
on the on the sun
and then that'll go off
and then we will see totality
And that's that's
where we would take off
our eclipse glasses
if we were there
and kind of bask in the
seeing the corona
and experiencing
the whole thing.
And then
after that minutes over,
we would put on our glasses
and we will then go backwards
and see the diamond ring.
The veil is beads and then
back to this partial eclipse.
So you kind of talked
about this before
because on YouTube is asking,
is it possible
to never have an eclipse
during the year
since we happened about
every 18 months,
it would be possible to
not have one during the year?
Yeah,
and I'm assuming
that just met solar eclipses
that Cas was asking about.
All right.
Very heavy on YouTube.
Asks,
Is it possible
to see the eclipse
using a telescope from home?
That's a good question.
So really there is
you need to be
in the path of totality
or a path, a partial
path of the eclipse in general.
So either a partial eclipse
or a total eclipse.
So it somewhat depends
on where you live.
Again, if you're in the US,
you will see
one in 2024 or 2023.
So hopefully yes.
And then if somewhere else
we can find resources online
to see where
in the next eclipse
eclipse is going
to be in your area.
Actually,
our folks working
in the background,
you guys are genius is
so for the question,
asking if lunar or solar
eclipses are more common,
we have a little bit
more information for you.
Lunar eclipses
and solar eclipses
are about equally common.
They usually happen in pairs.
So a lunar eclipse
will usually happen two weeks
before or two weeks
after a solar eclipse.
However, more of the earth
will be able to see
a total lunar eclipse
than a total solar eclipse.
So they may see more,
may seem more
in one given location.
So no dates for that.
Yeah, that's great,
because I think that
what I was thinking
is it's more common to be like,
Oh yeah, you can see
a lunar eclipse.
Then a solar eclipse
is a much more narrow path
because limits are smaller.
Yes. Okay, great.
That's funny.
Yeah,
that was a really good answer.
Thanks for the clarity on that.
Willie D
on YouTube asks
What kind of gravitational pull
does this kind of event
due to the life on earth
with slash,
with celestial body alignment
are there
animals and plants that react
to this event?
Thanks.
Okay.
Well, that's great.
So animals and plants
do respond
to this event in general.
Again,
from what I understand
is much more from actual visual
or sensory of the darkness
that they sense
rather than maybe
direct gravitational pull,
but maybe that's a study
that you should propose that
what's what's the effect
on on animals for gravity?
I think it's
my you know, my sense is
that it's
more from a visual sense
than a
than a gravitational sense
that there's
an effect on animals.
Gotcha. Okay.
That makes sense.
Susan Starker asked, Do solar
flares interfere
with technology here on Earth?
And is there cause for concern?
That's a really good one.
That's a really good question.
And yes, solar flares
do potentially cause issues
with our technology
here on Earth
and all of our space assets
and so we are we
at NASA's wells in partnership
with with many different folks
in commercial as well as
within the government know it.
ESA, NSF,
all the other folks
are working on this.
It's a term
called space weather
as the effect
that the sun has on
the earth
and the entire environment,
the entire
interplanetary environment.
So we are looking
to mitigate those things,
things like
potential power outages
or inducing
huge currents in the earth,
things like that.
We are looking into that and
and making sure
that those solar flares
don't don't
get the best of our technology.
Yeah,
and that's a big part
of the heliophysics this year.
Right.
So like at NASA,
the HELIOPHYSICS
has a fleet of missions
that are working to study
the phenomena of space, weather
and the sun's impacts,
you know,
throughout our universe
particularly.
Do you want to talk
a little bit about Parker
Solar Probe,
which has touched the sun?
Yes, the Parker Solar probe,
a little near
and dear to my heart
is the spacecraft
that has gone in
and actually touched
this corona that we had seen.
And it is a spacecraft that
goes in
and looks at the particles
coming off
of the earth of the sun,
both through
imaging as well
as scooping some up
in some of the detectors
and studying
the magnetic fields of the sun.
So that mission
has successfully
touched to that
corona and is continue ing
to study it
and to again,
help us understand
that space weather.
Excellent.
Yeah.
Looking at this,
we're getting closer.
We're getting closer.
It's happening.
I know it
looks like a great big smile,
this great big smile right now.
And so it's kind of smiling.
Okay, back to the question.
So we have two related
questions.
David Grant, you asked,
what is the expected
temperature drop
during a total solar eclipse?
And Raymond
Dumais on YouTube is asking
is there
a measurable temperature drops?
So are people going to be able
to feel a difference?
You you can definitely feel
a difference.
It can be a couple of degrees
to tens of degrees.
So like
I for instance,
my last solar eclipse,
I had to put on a down
jacket, was in a short sleeved
polo and had to put on a down
jacket.
I'm also cold, so
but it was
definitely noticeable
that folks were
putting on jackets.
And so
it is a measurable temperature
and that is part of
a citizen science project,
is to actually measure
the temperature as you're going
as this is going along,
especially with
animal reactions,
is to figure out what
what they're
actually reacting to.
Here's a really good one,
kind of based on
something you said earlier.
Forest What voice?
Walker
111 on YouTube.
Asked if a flare were to happen
right now, would it be visible?
Could we would
we be able to see it
during this
some during the eclipse
we're watching.
So if we were to be able to see
a visible light flare
when the eclipse was happening,
that would be a big event
of it.
So
that would
that would be related to.
So, for instance,
one of the most powerful,
the most powerful events
that we kind of have
recorded is the 1859
Carrington event
where telephone telegraph lines
at the Times
caught on fire
and were able to work
without batteries for days
based on the energy
that was imparted
that flare to the earth.
If we were to see some,
see an actual flare
in the visible light,
that is what they were seeing
associated with that as well.
So that's a big storm.
So it would be super cool.
Yet at the same time
it would be very interesting
to see what would go on.
Most of the flares we
look at right now
are done
in the extreme ultraviolet,
and that is how we
we normally see them,
which is
unfortunately something
we can't see our own eyes.
So one thing you've mentioned
a couple of times
and people are asking questions
about it is a prominent
so what is a promise
is that a flare
that we are seeing
on the left side of the sun
or what is
what is a prominence?
What are we seeing?
Good question. Yeah.
So a prominence
is a protrusion
of some of the gas of the sun
along a magnetic field line.
So the sun is a magnetic star.
And the background image
you're actually seeing
has kind of those twisty
magnetic fields
and the, the gas
or the plasma following those
and that sort of prominences.
It's a sticking out
of one of those
magnetic fields.
And then the gas and plasma
sticking with it,
sticking with that magnetic
field line and protruding.
And so it can be a precursor
to a flare.
It could be a
it could be part
of a coronal mass ejection.
It could be ejected
from the sun as a as a mass
that comes through
through the solar system.
It's equivalent
to 80 million school busses
in mass hurtling at us
at a million miles an hour
when a coronal mass ejection
goes off in a prominent
can be part of that.
So that's why it's
just interesting
it is an active part
and there were
some active regions
rotating off the disk
and I think it was
just about that area.
So I was
I was interested to see
what we would see
once we got to totality.
And we're getting close.
We're getting really close now.
I know. So.
All right. Sure.
I'm on Twitter asked,
are we able to see sunspots
during a solar eclipse?
We are actually able
to see sunspots
most days.
So which is which is great.
So when the sun leaves,
leaves again
or sorry,
when the moon leaves again
and we can see the sun,
we there were some darker
features on the sun,
little, little spots.
And so you are able
to see sunspots
in the visible light.
And even with your eclipse
glasses,
you should be able to see
go out
and see when there are large
sunspots on the on the sun.
Okay, we've
got another question on safety
330 on Twitter.
Ask, is there any part
during an eclipse
that is safe to directly
look at the sun
without license?
Yes.
And we are almost there.
So when that moon
is totally covering
the disk of the sun,
it is safe
to take off your glasses
and to see the
the solar corona.
Now, again,
we have to really make sure
that we're on the path
and we know that
there is totality
and that we can't see anything.
And one good test is
if you have your glasses on
and you're looking at the sun
and there is
nothing coming
through those glasses,
that is when you can take it,
then you can take it off
if you see the little
light in that glasses,
because they're really dark,
you're not going to see
your eye can see normal lights,
but you will see
the sun through them.
But when you don't, that's
that's a sign that you
can't take off your glasses.
We're close.
Let's listen to another.
And Gabrielle
Cadena on YouTube asks,
Is it possible to encounter
any clips
and northern lights
at the same time?
Oh, that would be
a really great thing to do.
So yeah,
so we would just need to have
an eclipse over.
You normally see Aurora
in the northern
or most southern latitude
latitudes, northern
or southern lights.
So if we were to have
an eclipse that passed
through, say,
Alaska or Greenland or Iceland,
you might be able to catch
both the eclipse and the Aurora
close.
All right.
Let's
see if we can squeeze
another one.
And this is a really good one.
James McCoy on Twitter
is asking about
how we discovered 80 planets.
That
experience total eclipses
or eclipses like Earth does.
He? It feels pretty rare.
It does.
And actually, I
my my colleague
Michael said this the other day
that realized that
this is the only place
in the solar system
that this happens.
Like,
how special is that
that we get to,
that we get to be here
and have a moon
that blocks out the sun?
That's not so.
That's something
that's done every day
or place else that we know of.
So so this is very,
very amazing.
And we do use Eclipse
like things to measure,
to actually find exoplanets
or other planets
around other stars,
because as they pass by,
they weaken the
the light from the star.
And we use that
to actually sense
that they're there.
So we use an eclipse
like scenario,
but we don't know of of
really any other eclipses.
Interesting.
All right.
So it looks like we're getting
like really close to totality.
So let's take a quick
look at the feeds
coming in from Australia.
Kelly, do you want to tell us
what we're looking at
and kind of talk us
through that through the lens?
Definitely.
So we're
we're getting really close.
So the a dark upper left
hand side,
you see the moon
and then that
little sliver is still the sun
and then the prominence again
that, that
little stick out
magnetic field
and plasma is at the left.
It looks like a little jet
maybe coming off of the sun.
And as we're
getting closer again,
we're trying to
see those Bailey's beads,
which tells us a little bit of
of the surface of the moon
and how it's peaks and valleys.
It's not a perfect,
polished sphere.
It's it has a history.
And and we're going to see that
shown through the
as shown
through the Bailey's beads.
And then eventually
just go to one diamond ring
and then we will
go into totality.
So again, we're getting
real close about 2 minutes.
Wow.
And you can still
see the prominence.
You can see the prominence
more and more.
And I'm
actually seeing
a little bit of something
also almost directly
across from it.
There's a kind of a band
of activity that that happens
as these things form.
And so it's
kind of in that same band.
So I think of it as almost
directly horizontal,
but we'll see as
as we get closer
if that comes out at all
and can see
a little bit better.
Now we're really getting dark.
And so if we're in Australia,
it's probably again
dropped in temperature
a little
on that beach that we saw.
Henry Henry was that and again,
any animals might to start
to think that it's nighttime,
the air or the light
will actually get really
kind of it just feels eerie
and it's it's like your
your brain knows
that something's
just not quite right Like,
I'm not sure about this,
you know,
where did the sun go
and why is it
in kind of a different color?
And it's getting
really, really close and
and it's it's exciting to
to experience
this live with you all.
Yeah.
And we're still
glasses on right?
We are still glasses on.
At this point in time.
You will still be able
and you get that.
And so we're almost there.
Oh, and now it has gone dark.
Oh,
that's still too bright.
We probably should
still have our glasses on.
But those are
the Bailey's beads.
And we are going toward
those beads. Diamond ring.
And there we go.
There is your total
solar eclipse.
So glasses off
at this point in time
experiencing this
beautiful corona.
So that
prominence is out there.
You see that.
You also see on the other side,
almost like helmets
or triangular shaped flows.
So the solar wind is
flowing out.
And so we're really witnessing
that corona there
as they adjust adjust things.
Wow.
There's just
all sorts of structure.
So it's not
a simple thing, right?
It's a very complicated
dynamic, always churning,
always moving, always evolving.
And you see so much
structure out.
And this is what hopefully
that Kyte is
is recording right now
is all of these different
prominences.
And you see loops sometimes
and and then again
things that look like
they flew out
of the out of the picture.
That's the solar wind
and that's
what connects with our planet.
And now we're actually
getting the Bailey's
beads back.
So this would be
glasses on again.
It was a very short
but amazing experience.
And again,
we're we're going
to have around
four and a half minutes
in places in the US in 2024.
But that was beautiful.
So yeah, So
the Bailey's
beads are coming back.
We're coming back
now into what is more of
the more beads coming back
and you can still see
a little bit of the corona.
But again,
we would have our glasses on
at this point in time
because this is the safest,
the safe,
this or or your glasses
are the safest way to view
the solar eclipse.
Wow.
This is just phenomenal.
Absolutely
it is. It is.
I mean, wow.
How many places have you seen?
So I haven't seen two
totally eclipses in person.
Wow. This.
Yeah.
And each one is this is magical
and there is
just something
about experiencing it
that is surreal.
Oh, wow. Yeah.
So there is the prominence
and all of the other
type of
mass that's
just kind of
hanging out there and
and playing on the loops,
the magnetic
loops of the sun and.
Yeah, beautiful.
That is absolutely phenomenal.
Yes.
And this activity kind of picks
up as we go towards solar max.
And so
with predictions right
now, solar
Max is somewhere
between 2024 and 2025.
So we could have a very active
and really structured
and a lot of different things
on the Sun
as we have our
total eclipse in 24
and our annular eclipse in 23.
So can you talk
us through that a little bit?
So you're talking
about solar, Max.
So the sun has
cycles and solar cycles.
What's the difference?
And what is the little max
need? And yes, yeah.
So the sun
sun has cycles in its
magnetic energy.
What happens is basically
the magnetic fields
get twisted, twisted,
twisted, twisted.
And then suddenly they
they have to
just break and relax.
And so the minimum is
when they're relaxed
and the
maximum is
as they are getting more
and more twisted
and more energy
to, to blow off the steam
through curl mass ejections.
Those, again,
80 million
school busses racing towards us
and millions of miles an hour
where the solar flares
or the energetic particles
of the sun gives off.
And so this cycle
that going from
that really relaxed
magnetic field to really tense
takes 11 years to complete.
So you end up going
around 5 to 6 years to a
to a maximum
and then back to a minimum
and back to a maximum again.
And we're headed towards
a maximum
in 2025, 20, 24, 2025.
And so that's again,
we're going to have a
lot more activity
or flares,
more coronal mass ejections.
And those energetic particles.
Well, okay,
so let's keep watching
as we take
a few more questions.
Here's a really good one.
Erin Pulido on YouTube.
Asked What useful data does
NASA's get
and what did they do with it
from from observing eclipses?
That's a great question.
And we take all sorts
of different
data during eclipses.
There will be an announcement
soon of things
that we're specifically
doing for the 24.
But for instance, for the kite
that is flying in Australia
today,
there will be a spectrometer.
So there'll be
there'll be data from that
and that will all have
to go into an archive for NASA
and to make sure that's open
and available to to folks.
So any of the things,
any of the data
that is collected from,
from minus
the source will then be
available to use for anyone
shortly
after it is collected.
Oh, wow.
Okay.
And I've heard that
eclipses provide kind of like
a perfect
scientific environment
for taking measurements.
If we're trying to do
certain types of measurements.
Why is that? It
it is a really
great environment in terms of
we don't normally get
to turn off the sun on things
regularly.
A
We don't get to
snap our fingers
and just turn night today
or day to night.
So for instance,
in 23 and 24, we will launch
rockets into the eclipse
and be able to study.
Are I ionosphere,
which is a layer
of our atmosphere
where a lot of
our communication
signals go through.
And if that gets disturbed
from a day to night transition,
we get to be able to study it
very easily
during an eclipse
because that's again
like a very specific time
where we know
what's going to happen
and we know it's
and we can study those effects.
And and that's a,
you know, a very known
time to do these things.
So it's great
to have as a as an experimental
laboratory for us.
Yeah, that's so cool.
And I love that.
Like,
we don't get to
turn off the sun.
That is so true.
Okay, so An Arctic flu.
I need to ask,
once totality has happened,
how long will it take
for the sun in the moon
to be back to their normal
and everything?
Air position?
Right.
So this will take
about another hour or two
to move
the moon of the sun or the
what will
what will then
be to look like
two separate things again.
Okay.
Road called
Life on Twitter is asking,
does totality
last longer
in the middle of the
path of totality,
then along the edge
of the path of totality?
Or is it the same of it
same everywhere.
So like, how does that work?
How does this.
That's a great way to get it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And so
in the very middle
of the middle of the track
is where it will be longest
and then it will be shortest
on the outside of the track.
So we,
we're looking at the map
earlier,
the very center is
where you're going
to get the longest totality,
the very center line
and then as it goes out of
you will get kind
of less and less
time in totality.
And then
once you're out
of the track completely,
that's
when you get a partial eclipse,
like a 90% or 90% eclipse.
Excellent.
Well, Kelly,
that's all the time we have.
Thank you so much for joining
us today.
My pleasure.
Any time.
I'll watch the total eclipse
anytime with you, Denise.
It's a date.
All right.
You can keep watching
the remainder
of the solar eclipse
right here on national TV
or wherever you're
watching the stream from today.
If you want to learn
more about eclipses,
visit solar system,
nasa.gov, slash eclipses.
And you can also follow
NASA's sun on Facebook
and Twitter
to stay updated on
the upcoming eclipse events
and the latest from science.
Thank you all
so much for joining us.
See You next time.
The heliophysics big year
is a global celebration
of solar science
and the sun's influence
on earth
and throughout
the solar system.
And we want you
to be a part of it.
We challenge you to participate
in as many sun science
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beginning
with the annular eclipse 2023
and ending with Parker
Solar Probes closest
approach to the Sun
in December 2024.
Space is increasingly part
the human domain.
By studying
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we learn how to better protect
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We have 20
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The heliophysics
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The big year is a concept
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So please
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