Good Lifestyle

Many of them have already marked on April 8 on our calendars this year, while we are preparing for one of the most fascinating phenomena : a total solar eclipse. This happens when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, completely blocking sunlight and sweeping the shadow of the moon on the planet. According to NASA, it is estimated that 31.6 million people Throughout North America will be able to see the total solar eclipse next month, which makes it quite a show for such a rare event. You do not want to miss it - the next one you can see from the United States will be in 2044, but while you are waiting, consult these 25 fascinating facts of solar eclipse.

In relation: Which really happens to you if you directly look a solar eclipse .

You've certainly used helium to explode balloons. But did you know that you have solar eclipses to thank for the discovery of this natural element?

French astronomer Pierre Janssen was the first person at observe helium (even before he was named as such) during a total eclipse which crossed Gunutur, in India, on August 18, 1868, according to the American Physical Society (APS).

Discoveries during solar eclipses did not stop. During the last total solar eclipse that hit the United States in 2017, more than 400 scientists installed surveillance stations to determine how bees behave in the middle of this natural phenomenon. Their research, which was published in THE Annals of the Entomological Society of America , revealed that almost all bees stop flying and were completely during a total eclipse.

"We did not expect the change to be so brutal that the bees would continue to fly to the whole and only then stop," Candace Galen , PHD, professor of biological sciences at the University of Missouri, said in a report . "It was like 'Lights Out' at the summer camp! It surprised us."

Solar eclipses not only affect bees. This type of event tends to confuse many animals, especially those which are normally nocturnal, like most owls.

Kate Russo , an author, psychologist and hunter of Eclipse, aged 44, who saw 10 solar eclipses in total, said microphone That you may "hear the hiboux hooting" during a total solar eclipse.

"They act as if it was at night and, when everything stops, they act as if it was the day again," she said.

In relation: 81 strange animal facts that everyone should know .

The relatively unknown university city of Carbondale, Illinois, was nicknamed "Solar Eclipse Crossroads of America" for a particular reason. It's the Only city in the United States It was on the path of the entire last total solar eclipse in 2017 which will also be on the path of the whole for the next total eclipse in April, according to LiveScience.

Total solar eclipses are often called "rare" events - and although it is relatively true, they are not The rarest type of solar eclipse there. This title belongs to Hybrid solar eclipse , according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

As Earthsky explains , a hybrid eclipse is a type of solar eclipse that looks like an annular solar eclipse or a total solar eclipse depending on the place where someone looks at it along the central eclipse path. But that only happens about it once a decade, because the distance from the moon and the sun to the earth must be just so that this hybrid phenomenon occurs.

In relation: 8 Best destinations for the following total solar eclipse (and rare) .

While many people are now traveling just for a chance to see a solar eclipse, this natural phenomenon has not aroused the same type of excitement at the time. In ancient Greece, people thought solar eclipses were A bad omen , and a sign that the gods were angry.

The word "eclipse" itself comes in fact from the Greek word "ekleipsis", which means "to be abandoned", according to experts from the University of Dallas.

This former belief was able to end a five -year war. Greek historian Herodotus indicated that a total solar eclipse on May 28, 585 BC. An unexpected ceasefire Between the Lydians and the Medides who were fighting for control of Anatolia (modern Turkey), according to The History Channel.

The soldiers interpreted the eclipse - which happened during the Battle of the Halys - as a sign that the gods wanted their conflict to end, so they withdrew their weapons and negotiated a truce.

You may need to change your radio station or remove a physical card during a solar eclipse. This event can cause Ionospheric anomalies This can "disrupt radio signals and GPS navigation systems, affecting communication and navigation on affected regions", explains NASA.

No matter how hot it can be on the day of a solar eclipse, the sudden disappearance of the sun generally causes a drop of temperature. In fact, a retired meteorologist and meteorologist Brown gib recently told at Adirondack Explorer That he believes that the following total eclipse could trigger a decrease of 10 degrees.

"I think we will see something we can measure, something that can be relatively dramatic," said Brown. "But beyond about a few minutes of the eclipse, temperatures should bounce fairly quickly over the eclipse."

In relation: 54 hilarious and random facts you want to tell your friends .

While solar eclipses have been linked to history in many ways, most Famous total solar eclipse In history, it occurred in 1133, according to the NASA website.

King Henry I From England died during the event which lasted more than four minutes on August 2 of the same year. Referred that "the hideous darkness agitated the hearts of men", this eclipse launched a massive civil war, while the country was fighting on the throne.

At least two solar eclipses occurs somewhere on earth each year, according to NASA. But did you know that there is also a maximum number of solar eclipses which can also occur annually? Whether partial, annular, total or hybrid, there can only be five solar eclipses each year.

Curious to know how colors change during solar eclipses? Local Cleveland astronomer Jay Reynolds said wjw That various "strange visual effects" can occur both before and after a total solar eclipse, and this includes a clear change in color saturation.

"For example, colors like red will lose their shine and seem discolored," he said.

In relation: Why you shouldn't wear black, white or gray during the eclipse, says science .

A total solar eclipse can last anywhere From 10 seconds to around 7.5 minutes, according to NASA. Until now, the longest totality has occurred on June 15, 743 BC And lasted 7 minutes and 28 seconds.

The next total solar eclipse which should break this record will not come before July 16, 2186, the date on which the whole will last 7 minutes and 29 seconds.

On the other hand, the shortest total solar eclipse ever recorded has not even broken the alleged minimum of totality. This occurred on February 3, 919, when all only lasted 9 seconds.

Solar eclipses have created a phenomenon called "Eclipse Chasing", where people travel around the world just to try to catch these rare events. Unfortunately, a notable Eclipse Chaser found the glory of his bad luck.

Canadian astronomer and teacher J.W. Campbell , who wrote a manual on the prediction of eclipses, traveled to Over 50 years On the expeditions was centered on the vision of 12 different solar eclipses, LiveScience reported. But it is said that he ended up meeting weather conditions covered each time, feeling a cloudy sky instead of an eclipse.

Although the covered sky is certainly a real concern during solar eclipses, you can count on a type of cloud to move away.

New research published in the Earth & Environment Communications The newspaper has shown that the cumulus clouds are starting to disappear when only 15% of the sun is covered, and they stay away until the end of the eclipse.

In relation: 40 oceanic facts that will blow you out of the water .

Some people say that the land is the only planet that has solar eclipses. But this is not true. Other planets of the solar system can live This natural event , and scientists say that the eclipses of certain planets, like those of Saturn, can compete with those we see on Earth.

Solar eclipses do not only cover sunlight and lower temperatures. They can also play with the wind , slowing down and making him change the direction, according to Earthsky.

Another strange impact of solar eclipses is a phenomenon called shadow bands . Sometimes called "shadows of snakes", these are "thin wavy lines of alternate light and darkness that can be seen in motion and wavy in parallel on surfaces of united color immediately before and after a total solar eclipse", according to the NASA. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

It is not always easy to see solar eclipses, even if you are able to travel as "eclipse hunter". Since two thirds of the earth are made up of water, many eclipses eventually occur above the ocean And far from real human visibility, according to the national solar observatory (NSO).

The darkness caused by a total solar eclipse can bring out the brightness of other stars and planets in the sky. For example, during the 2017 event, people could See four planets With their naked eyes near the eclipsed sun: Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Mercury.

Mercury, Venus and Potentially Jupiter could be visible During the April 8 eclipse, by great American eclipse.

A lunar eclipse should occur at the end of March, shortly before the solar eclipse. This is because solar and lunar eclipses go into pairs , according to Earthsky. One generally follows the other in about two weeks, and sometimes three eclipses can occur in an eclipse season.

In relation: 39 facts on the storms that will make you run for a blanket .

Experts are serious with regard to their advice on wearing protective glasses when they try to watch a solar eclipse. You might think that their advice is exaggerated, but you can really become blind if you try to look at the sun directly at any time other than the brief period of entirely.

In a Reddit wire , Nasa astronomer Bill Cooke , PHD, warned others of his own error during a solar eclipse.

"You should never look at the sun without protection! You can damage your eyes without feeling pain," he wrote. "I know because I have a scar on my retina not to recover my eye protection at the end of the whole during the 1979 eclipse. Please do not follow my example!"

Albert Einstein published his General Relativity Theory In 1915, but many scientists remained skeptical about it up to two years later.

In 1919, two teams of astronomers decided to test Einstein's theory during a total solar eclipse. After several months of analysis, they revealed that their results checked the theory of general relativity, making Einstein a scientific celebrity, according to Britannica.

From the end of a war to discover the helium to the celebrity status of Einstein, total solar eclipses have changed history in more ways than most people think so. But one day, this natural phenomenon will be one thing in the past.

As NASA explains, the moon has Drifting slowly Further from the earth, at a rate of about 1.5 inches per year. Once he spends 14,600 miles, he will no longer appear large enough of the earth to cover the sun.

Of course, we will have left a long time before that: experts say that it will still take 600 million years or more before the planet no longer undergoes total solar eclipses.