Clouds can block and ruin the total solar eclipse.Laurie Ambrose/Getty Images People have been studying total solar eclipses for thousands of years to better understand the cosmos. Total eclipses helped prove Einstein’s theory of relativity and led to the discovery of helium. Here are seven examples where total solar eclipses have helped advance our knowledge … Read more
Global warming has slowed the Earth’s rotation slightly – and this could affect the way we measure time. A study published Wednesday shows that the melting of Arctic ice — an accelerating trend caused mainly by human-induced climate change — has caused the Earth to spin less quickly than it would otherwise. The study’s author, … Read more
ratpack223/Getty Images At the equator, the Earth rotates at a speed of about 1,600 kilometers per hour. But what if it suddenly stopped? You and everything else could be flying at hundreds of miles per hour unless you are at the poles. The Earth’s rotation is actually slowing down at an estimated rate of 2.3 … Read more