Monday, February 07, 2005

Here's an interesting/spooky thought ...

The surface of the planet earth is the only place in the solar system where a total solar eclipse can be seen - allowing the chromosphere of the sun to be observed.

Furthermore, using geological timescales, in 250 million years' time, due to the fact that the moon is gradually receding from the earth and the sun is gradually expanding, it will no longer be possible to observe total solar eclipses from the surface of the earth.

So we are in the one place in the solar system where a total solar eclipse can be seen, in a window of about 5% of the earth's geological history during which total solar eclipses can be seen.

Is earth just another planet? Maybe not, after all ....

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