Solar Eclipse

November 1, 2023

On this week's episode: solar eclipses, an exoskeleton helps wheelchair users walk and an AI reads an unreadable scroll.

Eclipse
Exoskeleton
Unreadable Scrolls

On this week’s news update…

Solar Eclipse

A ring of fire solar eclipse...

Human Exoskeleton Suit

…an exoskeleton to help wheelchair users walk…

Unreadable Scroll

…and an AI program reads an unreadable scroll.

First up…

Solar eclipses happen when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, which temporarily blocks some or all of the Sun from view.

We experience different kinds of solar eclipses, depending on the positions of the Sun, Moon, and Earth.

In October, parts of the United States were treated to a rare kind of eclipse, known as a ring of fire solar eclipse.

This happens when Earth is nearest the Sun and the Moon is at, or nearly at, its furthest point from earth, when it passes between the Sun and Earth,and so the Moon appears to be smaller in the sky and seems to be surrounded by a ring of fire.

There won’t be another ring of fire in the US until 2039.

But we don’t have to wait that long for the next solar eclipse.

On April 8th 2024, the United States and Canada will experience a total eclipse,

when the Moon completely blocks the Sun from view.

It won’t be the ring of fire eclipse but it will still be worth marking April 8th in your diaries!

Up next …

Atalante X

Engineers at Wandercraft have created the Atalante X.

exoskeleton

Which they claim is the world’s first self balancing exoskeleton, that can be operated without using your hands.

An exoskeleton is a wearable device that can support and aid movement,

and this one is designed to support wheelchair users, and those recovering from strokes, to walk.

Atalante X is mainly used during physical therapy, which is a kind of treatment that can play an important role in helping to heal from physical injuries and illnesses.

Using the exoskeleton enables wearers to carry out their physical therapy in an upright position, which otherwise may not be possible, and is an effective tool to help regain strength and balance when relearning to walk.

Although the device is new to the United States, it has been used in Europe for several years, and engineers there have even tested it in the home, where they hope it has the potential to help wearers perform everyday tasks and improve their independence.

And finally…

Herculaneum scrolls

The Herculaneum scrolls were burned when Mount Vesuvius, in Italy, erupted nearly 2,000 years ago.

They were preserved by the mud, dirt, gases, and heat of the volcanic flow from the eruption, but have been unreadable ever since.

Professor Brent Seales

University of Kentucky

For the last 20 years, Professor Brent Seales, from the University of Kentucky, has been working on an AI program to read these unopenable scrolls.

Vesuvius Challenge

In March, he led the launch of the Vesuvius Challenge, which called on scientists around the world to build AI programs that might finally be able to read the Herculaneum scrolls.

To get them started, contestants were given thousands of 3-D x-rays, three fragments, and the software from a previous AI program created by Professor Seales’ team, that can extract letters from x-rays of other, unrolled scrolls.

[πορφύραc]

Now, six months later, the first word has been decoded from the Herculaneum scrolls.

It is made up of Greek characters which translate to purple dye or clothes of purple.

As the contest continues, the race is on to read every unopenable scroll in the collection and discover more words and sentences in these ancient texts.

That's all for this week, we'll see you next time!

Teaching Overview

Learning Points

The United States enjoys a ring of fire solar eclipse, and a look forward to the April 2024 total eclipse.
Engineers create an exoskeleton that can help wheelchair users walk.
Scientists create an AI program that can read the unreadable Herculaneum scrolls.

Curriculum Keywords

Eclipse
Exoskeleton
Unreadable Scrolls

Spark a Discussion

Solar Eclipse

What happens to create a solar eclipse?
When will there next be a ring of fire solar eclipse in the United States?
Other than solar eclipses, what other kind of eclipse can be seen in the sky?

Human Exoskeleton Suit

What is an exoskeleton?
What is the Atalante X designed to help people do?
Other than the examples shown in the film, what other life changing benefits do you think this technology could have?

Unreadable Scroll

What happened to the Herculaneum scrolls nearly 2,000 years ago?
What is the meaning of the first word decoded from the Herculaneum scrolls?
Can you find out the names of the two scientists who independently decoded the first word from the scrolls?

Credits

Solar Eclipse: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Human ExoskeletonSuit: Wandercraft
Unreadable Scroll: University of Kentucky

Discover More About Topics Covered in This Week's Episode

Classroom Resources

Use these resources to get the most out of the episode and engage your class in topical science!

Video Viewing Guide

This graphic organizer supports your students to capture their thoughts and questions as they watch the episode.

Access the Guide

Make Your Own Science Episode

This simple guide helps your students to create their very own science episodes.

Access the Guide

Language and Literacy Activities

This guide gives you ideas for how the episode can be used to support language and literacy activities.

Access the Guide

Twig Science: A Complete Pre-K–8 Program for the NGSS

Immersive Investigations With High-Quality Multimedia

Investigating, designing, building, and understanding phenomena
Hands-on, digital, video, and print investigations
Synchronous/asynchronous distance learning

Explore Now

Solar Eclipse

Teaching Overview

Learning Points

Curriculum Keywords

Spark a Discussion

More From Twig Science Reporter

Watch This Episode in Spanish

Credits

Discover More About Topics Covered in This Week's Episode

Solar Eclipse

Human Exoskeleton Suit

Unreadable Scroll

Classroom Resources

Video Viewing Guide

Make Your Own Science Episode

Language and Literacy Activities

Twig Science: A Complete Pre-K–8 Program for the NGSS

Immersive Investigations With High-Quality Multimedia

Solar Eclipse

Transcript

Teaching Overview

Learning Points

Curriculum Keywords

Spark a Discussion

More From Twig Science Reporter

Watch This Episode in Spanish

Credits

Discover More About Topics Covered in This Week's Episode

Solar Eclipse

Human Exoskeleton Suit

Unreadable Scroll

Classroom Resources

Video Viewing Guide

Make Your Own Science Episode

Language and Literacy Activities

Twig Science: A Complete Pre-K–8 Program for the NGSS

Immersive Investigations With High-Quality Multimedia