The ‘Great American Eclipse’ that happened in August this year was special as the scientists were able to discover something unusual. The researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Tromso in Norway discovered a fascinating and unusual thing in our planet’s ionosphere.
During the Great American Eclipse, when the moon came in front of the sun, it blocked the heat and the light that we receive from the sun temporarily. And when the moon moved away, it created a bow wave effect in the atmosphere. The scientists were able to detect these atmospheric ripples with the help of a network of Global Navigation Satellite System receivers’ network. As per the report, the scientists tracked the waves in the atmosphere by using 2000 sensors receiving positioning satellite data.
Study author Shun-Rong Zhang from the MIT Haystack Observative said that the scientists were looking at some phenomena that were expected but never had the chance to be observed. He further added that the team had a large coverage and the satellite system is sensitive enough to be able to see these smaller variations.
Generally, the Geomagnetic storms can disrupt the satellite system. But the bow waves are not harmful. The scientists said that it is safe and has given more opportunities to conduct further research work.
The study has revealed that there is some interconnection between the Sun, Moon, Earth’s atmosphere and ionosphere. It is just like a topic of significant community interest.
In August, Joshua Semeter, Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor at Boston University had said that the bow waves, also sometimes known as Stern Waves, were the phenomena that he and his colleagues expected to capture during the eclipse. Semeter told Boston University in August, “It’s like a controlled experiment. Mother Nature is providing us a nice experimental environment.”