【[Ep4] Secret Campus】

One of the most magical,[Ep4] Secret Campus though at times unsettling, experiences on Earth is experiencing a total solar eclipse.

These rare events happen when the moon passes in front of the sun and fully blocks out our star's light. A shadow is cast on Earth in areas where the eclipse is occurring. For those perfectly situated under the shadow where the moon covers 100 percent of the sun (called the path of totality), it's a bizarre, relatively sudden transition from light to darkness.

"The sky becomes very dark, as if it were dawn or dusk," notes NASA. During the 2017 morning eclipse, I witnessed bats flutter out amid the brief dark spell. The sudden darkness can puzzle or trick animals.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

On Dec. 4, an eclipse shadow passed over Antarctica, and NASA streamed the early morning event of the moon gradually blotching out the sun. Nearly everyone on Earth couldn't be in the remote, ice-clad continent, but you can still see what the sky looked like as the eclipse occurred. Researchers in the field (Theo Boris and Christian Lockwood of the JM Pasachoff Antarctic Expedition) provided the space agency, and the world, with the footage NASA streamed.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

In a recording of the livestream, the moon starts to pass in front of the sun at around 17:30. By around 1:07:00 (one hour and seven minutes) the total eclipse is in full swing. When the sun is completely covered, ghostly light around the moon appears. That's the sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, which we can't see when the overpowering, radiant sun is shining in the sky.

The moon moving in front of the sun during the total solar eclipse. Credit: Screenshot: NASA TV

Some of those in the Southern Hemisphere who couldn't be perfectly aligned under the total solar eclipse (in Antarctica) could still witness something dazzling: a partial solar eclipse, wherein the moon passes in front of a portion of the sun.

SEE ALSO: NASA's sci-fi mission to move an asteroid is crucial for humanity

The next total solar eclipse on Earth will happen on April 20, 2023. But the following one on April 8, 2024 will pass over a wide swathe of the land from Mexico, into Texas, and across the nation through Maine.

Make your plans.

• Entertainment
• Digital Culture
• Deals
• Social Good
• Science
• Life
• Games
• Tech

• Episode 4: The Wave of the Future
• Lifelines: On Santa Barbara by Jamie Quatro
• Inertia by Kate Zambreno
• 5 Days of Awesome Wallpapers: Cars and Sports Wallpapers
• Amazon Big Spring Sale 2025: Best portable speaker deal
• War Diary by Alba de Céspedes
• The Action of Love: A Conversation with Charif Shanahan by Morgan Parker
• “The British Male!”: On Martin Amis by The Paris Review
• A Decade Later: Does the Q6600 Still Have Game in 2017?
• The Cups Came in a Rush: An Interview with Margot Bergman by Na Kim

• SAIC starts operations at new $14 million battery plant in Thailand: report · TechNode
• New Mac malware 'Cuckoo' can take screenshots of your desktop and other creepy actions
• Toyota’s China JV reportedly cuts production, sees growing competition · TechNode
• The number of species on Earth is uncountable
• FaceApp's old filter is a climate change anxiety coping mechanism
• The New York City bar that airs the dramatic, live bear cams
• Apple May 7 event: Last
• How to pre
• Greta Thunberg is unfazed by stormy seas
• Google Pixel 8a vs. Pixel 7a: What are the differences?

• Elon Musk makes request to Reddit CEO to take down posts he didn't like
• Shadow Canons: Danzy Senna and Andrew Martin Recommend by The Paris Review
• August 27–September 4: What the Review’s Staff Is Doing Next Week by The Paris Review
• 5 Days of Awesome Wallpapers: Minimalist and Abstract Wallpapers
• Best portable power station deal: Save $179.01 on the EcoFlow River 2 Max
• Wrong Turn by Natasha Stagg
• Making of a Poem: Richie Hofmann on “Armed Cavalier” by Richie Hofmann
• 5 Days of Awesome Wallpapers: Fans and Enthusiasts
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for April 7, 2025
• Rear Window, Los Feliz by Claudia Ross

• Best smartwatch deal: Save $40 on the Fitbit Versa 4
• 5 Days of Awesome Wallpapers: Minimalist and Abstract Wallpapers
• Opera Week by Sophie Haigney
• The Action of Love: A Conversation with Charif Shanahan by Morgan Parker
• Best robot vacuum deal: Save $400 on the roborock Q5 Pro+
• The Review’s Review: Don Carlo and the Abuse of Power by Krithika Varagur
• On Friendship: Juliana Leite and Devon Geyelin Recommend by The Paris Review
• Musical Hallucinations by Nancy Lemann
• Trump delays TikTok ban for another 75 days
• Lifelines: On Santa Barbara by Jamie Quatro