Physics
Eclipses come in many forms
Eclipses are one of nature’s most awesome spectacles, and scientists have learned a lot by observing them and related celestial alignments — occultations and transits.
Featured Articles in this Issue
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Cover Story
Get ready for the 2024 total solar eclipse
A total solar eclipse will race across North America on April 8, 2024, providing a rare opportunity for both scientists and casual observers.
Explainer
Technically Fiction
Animals
Have you seen Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster? Probably not
Floe Foxon is a data scientist by day. In his free time, he applies his skills to astronomy, cryptology and sightings of mythical creatures.
Profile
Space
This space physicist uses radios to study eclipses
Nathaniel Frissell uses radio data to study how eclipses affect a layer of the atmosphere called the ionosphere.
Features
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Get ready for the 2024 total solar eclipse
A total solar eclipse will race across North America on April 8, 2024, providing a rare opportunity for both scientists and casual observers.
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How artificial intelligence could help us talk to animals
AI translates human languages with ease. Researchers are now using this tech to analyze the sounds of whales, rodents and many other animals.
More Stories from the March 1, 2024 issue
- Tech
New thermal ‘cloak’ keeps spaces from getting too hot or too cold
A prototype fabric could help keep cars, buildings and other spaces cooler during heat waves while also reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.
- Earth
Canada’s Crawford Lake seems to mark when the Anthropocene began
Mud at the bottom of this lake holds a record showing how humanity has been changing our planet. But the Anthropocene isn’t an official new epoch yet.
- Plants
Young corn leaves can ‘smell’ danger
As they mature, these leaves lose their ability to detect threatening scents.
- Space
You can get involved in science during the 2024 solar eclipse
The sun will be near the peak of its activity cycle during the eclipse on April 8, 2024. That will make it a great time to crowdsource solar research.
