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Pilots have chased a total eclipse of the sun. It happened while people in North America looked at this rare celestial event. NASA sent high-altitude planes with special sensors and instruments to gather information from the eclipse. Pilots flew 15,240 meters high to get a view of the corona – the sun's outer surface. NASA also fired rockets into Earth's upper atmosphere to try to find out about some of the sun's mysteries.
A total solar eclipse blocks the sun, and momentarily turns day to night. Totality means the sun's corona is a million times dimmer than the sun. A solar astrophysicist explained that: "Total solar eclipses let us study and see the corona in ways that just would not be possible at any other time." Solar eclipses often confuse animals. They wake up nocturnal animals, and make birds fall silent. Motorists should slow down as visibility can change.
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