431 Nefeli: 98 Ianthi, our cousin Adrianos from Earth just called us. He invited us to come to Earth on April 8, 2024, to see the total solar eclipse.
98 Ianthi: We must be careful again when entering Earth’s atmosphere so we don’t end up like those shooting stars. (https://uni-mag.gr/what-is-shooting-stars/)
431 Nefeli: We explained here (https://uni-mag.gr/the-nai-team-protecting-the-earths-atmosphere) that to enter Earth, we have to wear the annoying suits, like the ones Columbia wears when entering Earth.
Adrianos: Come, and we will go to Mexico to see it together with other astronomers and astrophotographers from Greece.
431 Nefeli: We will go to Mexico, drink Corona beer…
… and see the corona!
Adrianos: Girls, do you know how a solar eclipse happens? Watch the next video if you’re not sure.
431 Nefeli: During the eclipse, the disk of the Moon completely covers the bright disk of the Sun.
98 Ianthi: And to think that the Sun is much bigger than the Moon.
431 Nefeli: But the Sun is very far away. The Moon is right here, next to Earth.
Adrianos: I believe we can now watch the next video, which shows where the upcoming total eclipses will occur.
98 Ianthi: I see that on August 12, 2026, there will be a total eclipse near the telescopes of Calar Alto, Ibiza, and Mallorca.
431 Nefeli: Exactly where Captain GG and his REF crew went.
Adrianos: We will go too on August 12, 2026. For sure.
431 Nefeli: So we have to come back to Earth in 2026. But really, can’t we see a solar eclipse from the asteroid belt where we live?
98 Ianthi: The asteroid belt is farther from the Sun than Earth is. From where we live, we see a disk of the Sun that is as large as the one seen from the planets Jupiter and Mars, as shown in the next figure.
431 Nefeli: The disk of the Sun that we see is smaller than the disk you see from Earth, Adrianos.
Adrianos: How big the Sun appears depends on how close the observer’s planet is to the Sun. The closest planet to the Sun is Mercury. Look at the figure below to see how big the disk of the Sun appears from Earth. Normally, the disk of the Moon should appear the same size.
98 Ianthi: 1217 Maximiliana and 72 Feronia are our friends! They live near us and are both large asteroids.
Adrianos: Come on, stop talking and let’s go to Mexico with the others.
98 Ianthi: But you’ll come to the asteroid belt sometime, won’t you?