The total solar eclipse on Aug. 12 will reveal something nobody has ever seen before

Per Space.com, the total solar eclipse on August 12th will reveal something unrepeatable: the sun's corona — its outer atmosphere of superheated plasma — visible only when the moon completely blocks the solar disk. Because the sun's magnetic field constantly evolves, no two coronas ever match. We're in the declining phase of Solar Cycle 25, which peaked in October 2024, so this eclipse will display more activity than the quiet ones of 2017, 2019, and 2020, but far less than 2024's dramatic show. Expect strong streamers extending far into space with asymmetrical features, and possibly vivid pink prominences around the moon's edge. Once totality passes, that precise corona configuration will never be seen again.

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