When the Moon blocks the Sun
Anjani Ganase discusses the phenomenon of a total solar eclipse On April 8, parts of the USA, Canada and Mexico will experience a total solar eclipse. A total solar eclipse happens when the moon lines up with the sun and blocks most of the sun’s light to the area of Earth directly in its path. While the full process of the eclipse takes hours for the line-up of the moon and the sun, the time for the total black out of the sun lasts only a few minutes, during which time the sky turns to twilight and in some cases the temperature drops. The last time I experienced a total solar eclipse, I was on a boat on the northern Great Barrier Reef off Lizard Island. The light dipped so much that we were able to see the stars around the sun. The atmosphere was eerie, and it felt as if nature was also silent in observation. We wondered about the impacts on the ocean life and the behaviours in nature around us. Solar eclipse of 2017 August 21 in Oregon. Photo by Guisepp...