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Solar Science Projects and the Sun's Corona Art

Scratch Art Design of the Sun's Corona by Kathleen Horner "Sometimes I think of the Sun and Moon as lovers, who rarely meet, always chase, and almost always miss one another. But, once in awhile they do catch up, and they kiss, and the world stares in awe of their eclipse." By Fiona Newbury ©2014 This coming August 21st we in the United States will be celebrating the occurrence of a total solar eclipse. Others outside the path (penumbra) will also be participating in partial views of the eclipse. I live in a city where the path of totality (umbra) will pass right through so I am really enthusiastic and excited about that! In this special blog I will be sharing some creative science art and solar science projects with you as we prepare for this big solar event. What happens when we have a total solar eclipse? It's a type of eclipse that happens during the New Moon phase when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth whereby the Moon fully blocks (or in science terms-occults) the Sun. Check out the illustration below: When viewing a solar eclipse most people fail to take note of the local wildlife around them. The animals and insects are affected by the darkening sky. As the blue sky transforms into a deep twilight state and a slight temperature drop occurs, songbirds' diurnal rhythms will be affected where they will become quiet in their nests, lightening bugs may come out, nocturnal animals may appear and other animals may... Read More..