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Informationen zum Autor Dana Meachen Rau; Illustrated by Gregory Copeland Klappentext "Just in time for the third North American total solar eclipse of the twenty-first century, this book explains how to safely observe solar eclipses, how long eclipses last, and why they result in a blackout period during the day. Young armchair astronomers and astronauts will be inspired by the wonders of outer space and what exists beyond our atmosphere as they learn more about the moon, the sun, and our earth. What really happens during a solar eclipse and how does it affect the energy in our atmosphere?"--Provided by publisher. Leseprobe What Is a Solar Eclipse? Kate Russo’s life changed on August 11, 1999, while traveling in France. It was the first time she saw the sun disappear behind the moon. This total solar eclipse was such an amazing sight that Kate decided to spend her life studying, writing about, and chasing solar eclipses around the world. The sun doesn’t really disappear during a total solar eclipse. It just looks like it does. During a solar eclipse, the sun, moon, and earth line up, and the moon casts a shadow on a part of the earth. The dark round shape of the moon passes over the brightness of the sun. The sun seems to grow smaller until it is black, surrounded by a halo of light. On earth, everything in the shadow of the moon goes dark for a few minutes. Then, the sun begins to emerge as the moon moves away. Solar eclipses happen often, but the chances of seeing an eclipse more than once in the same location occurs only every three hundred to four hundred years. And they are not always viewable over land. Sometimes eclipses can only be seen over the ocean or in areas where few people live. But that doesn’t stop an eclipse chaser like Kate Russo, who once traveled by boat far into the Pacific Ocean just to see an eclipse. Eclipse chasers are also known as umbraphiles (say: UM-bruh-files), which means “shadow lovers.” Scientists can predict when eclipses will happen. So umbraphiles know where and when to watch them. They plan trips to be in the right place at the right time to get the best view. They visit islands and climb up mountains. They go to the hot desert and the freezing Arctic. If an eclipse occurs over the ocean, they take cruise ships. If bad weather is predicted, they take airplanes to see the sky from above the clouds. Why are umbraphiles willing to travel so far for an experience that lasts only a few minutes? Because they like the way it makes them feel! Eclipse chasers have described watching these events as magical and mysterious, beautiful, powerful, and exciting. It gives them goose bumps. Umbraphiles may bring along special cameras and viewing equipment. But they also treat the eclipse as a celebration. People from all over the world meet up and share in the event. Some have traditions: One viewer always wears orange pants. Another brings a special flag. And another brings along the same teddy bear! The experience can be simply awesome. You don’t have to be an umbraphile to enjoy watching an eclipse. You might live close enough to the path of one. And you might be able to travel to see one. Some communities host eclipse parties when they are in the eclipse’s path. They gather in backyards, schools, parks, campgrounds, beaches, and stadiums. And almost everyone can watch an eclipse over live streams on their computers or television. Through experiments and observations, scientists learn more about the sun, the moon, and the earth itself by watching solar eclipses. Nonscientists come together to wonder about space and to try to observe all the fascinating ways the solar system moves, too. Solar eclipses are a thrill to see. Chapter 1 History of Eclipses Thousands of years ago, people wondered about many things they saw in the sky. They did not have telescopes, spacecraft, ...
