It's Syzygy* Time Again

Background: As the 2024 eclipse draws its dark curtain across the sky, small towns and cities along its path brace for an astronomical number of visitors, each hoping to catch a glimpse of daytime darkness. It’s a cosmic lottery ticket for local economies, where the sun, moon, and Earth align, and so do the stars of fortune for these towns. And while the sun takes a brief intermission, local businesses are set to shine.

On April 8, up to four million Americans are expected to drive into the 115 miles wide path of totality that stretches across 15 U.S. states.

Fact:

The 1918 eclipse was notable for its path of totality stretching across the United States from the Pacific to the Atlantic. This was the last time such a coast-to-coast path occurred until the much-anticipated 2017 total solar eclipse.

The 1918 eclipse took place during the final months of World War I, a time when the world was engulfed in turmoil. Despite the war, the eclipse garnered significant attention from the public and the scientific community. In an era before modern communications, the eclipse offered a brief respite and a unifying moment of wonder across the nation.

Quote: All the port-a-potties in the county are booked.”

-Johanna Johnston, the event coordinator for 2024 Maine Eclipse.

Number: $269 million

In the wake of 2017’s eclipse, a few in-depth studies were done by states within the path of totality that day. South Carolina 793,000 visitors from out of state who spent $269 million and Wyoming determined that 473,000 people traveled to their state and spent $167 million.

Word: Baily's Beads:

The fleeting, point-like glows visible around the moon's silhouette just before and just after totality during a solar eclipse. These "beads" occur due to sunlight peeking through the lunar valleys and craters, creating a shimmering effect.

Profile: Howard Russel Butler (1856-1934)

Howard Russell Butler was an American painter who holds a unique place in art history for his remarkable paintings of solar eclipses. Trained as both an artist and a scientist (he graduated from Princeton University with a degree in science before studying art in Paris), Butler's dual expertise enabled him to capture the awe-inspiring beauty and scientific accuracy of solar eclipses in a way that few others could.

1918 Solar Eclipse: Butler's journey into painting eclipses started with the total solar eclipse of June 8, 1918, which crossed the United States from Washington State to Florida. After observing this eclipse, he created a series of paintings that vividly captured the corona, the diamond ring effect, and other phenomena associated with totality.

Legacy and Impact: Butler's eclipse paintings were pioneering at the time for their scientific accuracy and artistic beauty. They provided a visual record of solar eclipses at a time when capturing detailed photographs of the corona and other features was challenging. Several of Butler's eclipse paintings are housed in prominent institutions, including the Princeton University Art Museum and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

List: Not Just Pretty to Look At

• Confirmation of General Relativity (1919): During the total solar eclipse of May 29, 1919, observations made by Arthur Eddington and his team confirmed Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. Einstein's theory predicted that massive objects like the sun would warp the space around them, causing the light from stars passing near the sun to bend. The eclipse allowed astronomers to observe star positions near the sun's edge, and they noticed the light paths were indeed bent, consistent with Einstein's predictions.

• Discovery of Helium (1868): The solar eclipse of August 18, 1868, led to the discovery of helium, the second most abundant element in the universe. Astronomers Jules Janssen and Norman Lockyer independently observed the eclipse and detected a new spectral line in the sunlight. They concluded it was due to an element not yet discovered on Earth, which Lockyer named "helium" after Helios, the Greek god of the sun.

• Coronium Mystery Solved (1930s and 1940s): For many years, astronomers observed a mysterious green emission line in the solar corona during eclipses, attributed to an unknown element named "coronium." It wasn't until the mid-20th century, through observations during eclipses and advances in spectroscopy, that scientists determined the line was not due to a new element but rather highly ionized iron which only occurs at the extremely high temperatures of the corona.

• Solar Wind Confirmation (1960s): The solar eclipse of July 20, 1963, among others in the 1960s, played a role in confirming the existence of solar wind. Eugene Parker theorized the continuous flow of charged particles emanating from the sun, but direct evidence was elusive. Observations during eclipses, showing the corona's extended structure and the behavior of comet tails always pointing away from the sun, supported the solar wind theory.

Recommended Reading (for the kiddos): Through a tale of celestial friendship, Total Solar Eclipse: A Stellar Friendship Story explores the awe-inspiring phenomenon of a total solar eclipse and the unexpected ways we shine together.