The Secret Life of the Sun Page #2

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Oh, you're joking!

We could share them.

Don't film this. This is horrible.

This is like breaking my heart!

No...

It's once every 50 years or so,

so make the most of it.

Thank you very much. Thanks, bye!

Seriously, your last pair?

Last pair. No more, all gone!

To get an eclipse, the moon

must drift between the sun and us.

At what's called first contact,

the moon begins to block it.

But what's extraordinary

is what happens

when the sun is completely covered.

That moment of totality

reveals something that's normally

hidden by the sun's glare -

the sun's faint atmosphere,

the corona.

And it's the corona that's key

to what this eclipse can tell us.

The corona is due to reveal itself

at precisely 6.38 in the morning

the day after tomorrow.

But the fact that we get

total eclipses in the first place

is thanks

to an astonishing coincidence.

Earth is the only planet

in the solar system

from where you can witness

a total eclipse,

and the reason for that

is down to pure luck.

The moon is 400 times smaller

than the sun.

But it's also 400 times closer

to the Earth.

So when the moon's orbit brings it

between the Earth and the sun,

it appears to be

exactly the same size as the sun,

and it's able to block out

its entire surface from our view.

There's a total eclipse

on average every 18 months,

so they're not exactly rare.

But catching one isn't easy.

The narrow shadow paths

they trace on the Earth's surface

are far more likely

to pass over uninhabited regions,

such as the oceans,

than a populated area like Cairns.

And the timing of this eclipse

is significant.

Right now,

we're due to be at solar maximum,

the period of greatest activity

in the sun's cycle.

But each maximum

is slightly different,

so scientists need to confirm

that we have actually reached it.

One way to do that is to study

the sun's corona during totality.

Click on that.

'And that's what makes this eclipse

especially exciting.'

Delivery!

Jay...I think we've got

the box you wanted.

'Even to the most hardened

eclipse chasers.

'Astronomer Francisco Diego

has seen 17 total eclipses.

'This time, he's advising a group of

a hundred British eclipse chasers.

'But he's also brought

his own equipment.'

The sun, as far as it is...

You're not the most hi-tech

scientist I know!

This is an ideal container for

a very delicate part of equipment.

You're like a Blue Peter scientist,

it's brilliant!

Can you hold this for me? Careful

with the wind. I've got it, yeah.

'A camera and some home-made filters

'are all he needs to take detailed

photographs of the corona.'

So what I do,

I remove the lens cap here...

'And it's the shape of the corona

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