Throughout time, eclipses have inspired societies to understand the cosmos and its events.
(Shutterstock)
Eclipses have inspired myths, predictions and scientific discoveries. The total solar eclipse occurring on April 8 provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to engage with science and the cosmos.
Solar eclipses happen because of a few factors, including the Moon’s size and distance from the Sun.
AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley
Many people will see a dazzling eclipse this April, but these events are possible only because of the sizes and precise distances between Earth, the Moon and the Sun.
Solar eclipses don’t come around often, but make sure to view these rare events with eclipse glasses to protect your vision.
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Now’s the time to get your hands on a pair of eclipse glasses in preparation for April’s display of celestial wonder.
A photograph of the 2017 total solar eclipse, taken at the Oregon State Fair Grounds, Salem, Ore.
(Dominic Hart/NASA)
Mentions of total solar eclipses in ancient history help researchers pinpoint precise dates of notable events.
Solar panels in Brazil.
AP Photo/Bruna Prado
When the Moon blocks the Sun during an eclipse, utility suppliers have to pull power from the grid to make up for gaps in solar energy.
The World Health Organization recommends formal school programmes as the key to preventing skin cancer.
Paul Higley/Shutterstock
Being severely sunburnt as a child more than doubles the chance of developing future skin cancer but less than half of primary schools questioned in new research have a sun safety policy.
Getty Images
2024 is a leap year, when the shortest month mops up a bit of leftover time. But the extra day also tells us about space – and our place in it.
Leap Day is coming.
Marvin Samuel Tolentino Pineda/iStock, via Getty images
Humans have synced their calendars to the sun and moon for centuries, but every so often, these systems need a little correction.
The dark, far side of the Moon is the perfect place to conduct radio astronomy.
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
Projects under NASA’s CLPS program – including the Odysseus lander that made it to the lunar surface – will probe unexplored questions about the universe’s formation.
Nearby planets can affect how one planet ‘wobbles’ on its spin axis, which contributes to seasons.
Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library via Getty Images
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A sunspot emitting a flare on the surface of the sun.
(NASA/GSFC/Solar Dynamics Observatory)
The sun is expected to reach its solar maximum in 2025. Recent auroras suggest that the maximum may be bigger than predicted.
CSA Images/Getty
Early products focused on tanning. Others roasted you like a chicken. Which of these claims can you remember?
Otto Mehes / Alamy Stock Photo
Releasing reflective particles into the upper atmosphere would help us tackle climate change – but it’s not without risk.
LHS 3154b, a newly discovered massive planet that should be too big to exist.
The Pennsylvania State University
A newly discovered planet that should be too big to have formed around a tiny star is throwing into question what researchers know about planet formation.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Viral headlines would have you think Saturn’s rings will vanish in just 18 months. Here’s what that really means and why you don’t need to worry.
An image from January 2023 showing an X1.2 class flare erupting on the Sun (far left hand side).
NASA/GSFC/SDO
A more active Sun could disable satellites and affect electrical grids on Earth.
Comet Hale-Bopp was visible from Earth in 1997.
E. Kolmhofer, H. Raab; Johannes-Kepler-Observatory, Linz, Austria
There’s a flurry of excitement every time a comet comes into view from Earth. But what are these celestial objects, and where do they come from?
Annie Spratt/Unsplash
Does SPF in makeup and moisturisers provide effective sun protection?
A coronal mass ejection on the solar surface.
(NASA/GSFC/SDO)
We’re currently a few years into the 25th studied solar cycle. An 11-year period of sun activity, this solar cycle is more active than previously expected.
Obed Hernández/Unsplash
Among the expert witnesses in our justice system, astronomers play a surprising role. This astronomer provides evidence to several cases per week.