Why this total solar eclipse is our best chance to discover mysteries of the sun
As millions watch the total eclipse sweep across America on Monday, an army of 'citizen scientists' will provide a trove of information
Around 9am on Monday, observers standing on the coast of Oregon will notice a small black spot that will appear on one side of the sun. As the morning progresses, this inky imperfection will grow until, by about 10.15am, it covers the entire solar disc. The sun will be blotted out from the sky and night will descend on the Pacific state. Only the fiery, wispy filaments of the solar corona - the sun's atmosphere - will be visible.
For just under three minutes observers there will experience a total solar eclipse, which occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth and in the process turns day into night. According to the late astronomer Patrick Moore, the event is simply "the most magnificent in all nature".
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