On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will be visible across a swath of North America, from Mexico\u2019s Pacific coast to the easternmost reaches of Canada. And in those few minutes of daytime darkness, all sorts of interesting phenomena are known to occur \u2014\u00a0phenomena NASA would like our help measuring.<\/p>\n
During a total solar eclipse, temperatures may drop and winds may slow down or change their course. Animals have been observed to behave unusually \u2014 you might hear crickets start their evening chatter a few hours early. Even radio communications can be disrupted due to changes in the ionosphere while the sun\u2019s light is blocked. And, the sun\u2019s corona \u2014 its outermost atmosphere \u2014 will come into view, presenting scientists (and those of us helping them) with a rare opportunity to study this layer that\u2019s normally invisible to the naked eye.<\/p>\n
NASA has lots of research efforts planned for the eclipse, and has sponsored a handful of citizen science campaigns that anyone can take part in if they\u2019re in or near the path of totality, or the areas where people on the ground can watch<\/a> the sun become completely obscured by the moon. The path of totality crosses 13 US states, including parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. It\u2019s an event of some significance; the next time a total solar eclipse passes over that much of the contiguous US won\u2019t be until 2045.<\/p>\n All you\u2019ll need to join in is equipment you already own, like a smartphone, and a few minutes set aside before the eclipse to go through the training materials.<\/p>\n