Techotic

Do you remember the last total solar eclipse back in March 29, 2006? I remember it clearly, it was an amazing day for me, as it was the first time I’ve seen the total eclipse. There were several total eclipses before, but 2006 was the first time I really paid any attention to it. Today Friday August. 1, is the next one and NASA will broadcast and webcast live from China.

This particular eclipse will sweep across the planet in a slim path that begins in Nunavut, a northern province of Canada, and ends in northern China. So people in parts of Canada, northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia and China will be able to witness the seconds-long blackout.

When the moon totally obscures the sun — the moment of totality — the sun’s outer atmosphere, called the solar corona, becomes visible. The solar corona reaches temperatures higher than a million degrees Celsius and extends farther than 620,000 miles from the star’s surface. Because the sun’s surface is brighter than its corona, a solar eclipse is the only opportunity to see the corona with the naked eye.

[via science news] watch the total eclipse live streaming from China