What Knowledge Has Namkind Gained From Examining Solar Eclipses?

Many interesting facts have been gleaned from solar eclipses. For instance, consider the corona or crown of the sun. During a total eclipse it is seen as a frosty haze of light wisping out from the now dark disk of the sun. Truly a beautiful sight against the background of the deep-blue sky! By measuring the polarization of the particles in the inner and outer areas of the corona, scientists can determine where the atmosphere of the sun ends and the light refracted particles of outer space begin.

The rose-coloured prominences or immense flames of incandescent gases extending out from the sun for thousands of miles have yielded other information. These flaming prominences impress one with the sun's beneficial role—that of a burning fire sending out its radiant heat into the cold space around it. From examining these solar flames the previously unknown chemical element helium was first discovered in 1868.

The precise alignment of the sun, the moon and the earth at the time of total solar eclipse also makes it possible to arrive at exact measurements of the earth's surface within the general zone covered by an eclipse. A check on the accepted measurements then is made. The use of this information is impaired, however, because of the infrequency and diverse locations of total solar eclipses.