00:00Coming up super soon is the Great American Eclipse. On April 8th, the cosmic event will
00:08pass over parts of Mexico, Canada, and of course the US, with NASA saying they expect it to
00:13completely block out the sun in 15 states. And while anyone with eclipse viewing glasses will
00:18want to do everything they can to watch it, scientists say it might be even better for them.
00:23That's because it could help them solve some ongoing mysteries about the sun itself.
00:27During a total solar eclipse, scientists can actually take measurements of the sun's corona,
00:31with observations taken during a total solar eclipse being even better than those taken
00:35with special corona viewing telescopes at non-eclipse times. This means after the eclipse,
00:40we'll have a better understanding of its density, and it might give us better insights into solar
00:45winds. Solar winds can be especially concerning to earthlings, as they can affect electrical grids
00:50and communications on our planet. And the sun's solar maximum is set to kick off next year as well.
00:55Other measurements include the sun's coronal temperature and large-scale magnetic conditions
00:59on the solar surface.
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