Solar Eclipses Make Waves in the Atmosphere

When the solar eclipse swept across the continental U.S. in August, it carved a subtle, but noticeable path through our atmosphere.For the first time, researchers confirmed that that moon's shadow generates a pair of bow waves in Earth's ionosphere, similar to the wake a boat leaves as it travels through the water. The waves are caused by the sudden drop and rebound in incoming energy from the sun, and they ripple through the atmosphere ahead of and behind the shadow. Bow waves are actua