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A total solar eclipse occurs on August 12, 2026, with the path of totality crossing parts of Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Portugal and Russia.
It is not visible as a total eclipse from India, which lies outside the path of totality.
It occurs during the declining phase of Solar Cycle 25, which peaked around October 2024.
Total eclipses allow direct observation of the solar corona, normally hidden by the Sun's bright surface.
India's solar mission Aditya-L1 studies the Sun and its corona continuously.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth and completely blocks the Sun's photosphere for observers standing within the Moon's umbra. That alignment can only happen at New Moon — yet there is a New Moon every month and eclipses are rare. The reason is that the Moon's orbit is inclined about 5 degrees to the ecliptic, the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun. At most New Moons the Moon passes above or below the Sun from our viewpoint. An eclipse requires the New Moon to occur near a lunar node, one of the two points where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic.
Simple Analogy: Two rings tilted against each other touch at only two points; the alignment has to happen there.
During a total solar eclipse visible from India, astronomer Jules Janssen observes a previously unknown spectral line, contributing to the discovery of helium
Arthur Eddington observes the bending of starlight near the Sun during a total eclipse, providing important evidence supporting Einstein's General Theory of Relativity
Total eclipses are used to study short-term changes in Earth's atmosphere and ionosphere caused by the sudden reduction in sunlight
GS Paper I > Geography > Solar System; GS Paper III > Science and Technology
General Awareness > Science and Current Affairs
General Awareness > General Science
The term 'Goldilocks Zone' is often seen in the news in the context of
Answer: search for the Earth-like planets in outer space
What is the purpose of 'evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (ELISA)' project?
Answer: To detect gravitational waves
"The experiment will employ a trio of spacecraft flying in formation in the shape of an equilateral triangle that has sides one million kilometres long, with lasers shining between the craft." The experiment in question refers to
Answer: Evolved LISA
The darkest part of a shadow; observers within the Moon's umbra see a total solar eclipse.
The Sun's visible surface, whose brightness normally hides the corona.
The Sun's outermost layer, visible during a total eclipse; its shape reflects solar magnetic activity.
One of the two points where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic; eclipses require a New Moon near a node.
A large expulsion of plasma and magnetic field from the corona, capable of disrupting satellites and power grids.