If you plan to watch the solar eclipse April 8 at the edge of the totality path, you might want to move further into the shadow.path suggest that variations in the local terrain might change if you see a total eclipse, or how long the eclipse is experienced, compared to older estimates. The work, firstpasses in front of our solar neighbor.
EarthSky, another astronomy publication, asked C. Alex Young, associate director for Science in the heliophysics science division of NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center, Young didn't explicitly endorse Besselian's work, but said he will have a peer-reviewed paper coming out shortly showing the sun is slightly larger than expected. He told EarthSky that finding was uncovered during a previous U.S. total solar eclipse in 2017. That work, he added, may influence future eclipse mappings.
If you're looking for a takeaway solution, the best idea is to move as far into the region of shadow as you can to avoid any hiccups. And when you're observing the solar eclipse, make sure you have the right tools to do so. to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at:
Elizabeth Howell , Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer forfor 10 years before joining full-time.