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What Scientists Have Learned From Eclipses

Aug 14, 2017 | 14 videos

Video by The Atlantic

Humans have been obsessed with eclipses for centuries. But, what can they actually teach us about our place in the solar system? Total solar eclipses have helped bring about some of the most important astronomic discoveries. Nicolaus Copernicus’ eclipse observations helped him determine that the Earth revolved around the Sun; light spectrums of the sun’s atmosphere – only visible during a total solar eclipse – led to the discovery of helium in the 19^th century. In this video we explore what scientific knowledge the few minutes under the moon’s shadow have uncovered over time.

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