Total Solar Eclipse Will Occur In August 2017, Scientists Gear Up For Studying The Rare Cosmic Event

First Posted: Dec 17, 2016 06:20 AM EST
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America is going to witness a total solar eclipse in August 2017. The eclipse will be visible coast to coast on Aug. 21, 2017 after a century. Scientists across the country are gearing up to study and collect valuable information related to various cosmic parameters such as luminosity of the Sun, solar corona and Moon's shadow.

The total eclipse will start near Lincoln City, Oregon, at about 10:15 a.m. PDT (1:15 p.m. EDT) and will end at 2:48 p.m. EDT near Charleston, South Carolina, lasting for a total of 1 hour and 40 minutes. However, the partial eclipse will last a bit longer that the total eclipse, The Camping Canuck reported.

This extremely rare cosmic event occurs when the Sun, Moon and the Earth line up perfectly, so that the Moon covers the entire Sun when viewed from the Earth. It is a perfect time to observe and study the solar corona, i.e., the faint ring of rays surrounding the dark Moon during total solar eclipse.

Dr. Madhulika Guhathakurta, astrophysicist, NASA Headquarters in Washington, said that, "An eclipse teaches us so many things, but the 2017 eclipse is especially unique because of the uninterrupted land masses it will pass over," and she further added that, "This will allow us to maximize our chance to collect data and connect the shadow of the moon to Earth science."

Scientists across the country are busy designing experiments to study the rare "once in a lifetime" event. The various aspects of this rare solar eclipse was discussed at the American Geophysical Union's Fall Meeting in San Francisco on Dec. 14, 2016, where scientists from various institutes including NASA, University of Texas Arlington and the University of Hawaii presented an overview of the 2017 total solar eclipse. There was also an in-depth scientific discussion on the geometry of the solar eclipses and how the science of study of eclipses has evolved, according to Space Daily.

Meanwhile, NASA is taking initiatives toward raising awareness among people about safe viewing of the event at community centers.

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