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Atmospheric gravity waves generated during a solar eclipse

Abstract

DURING a solar eclipse, the Moon's cool shadow, moving with supersonic speed through the Earth's atmosphere, should generate bow waves. In the experiments described here four microbarographs were used in an attempt to detect atmospheric pressure oscillations that were expected to accompany bow waves associated with the total solar eclipse of 23 October 1976. These internal gravity waves were found to have a peak-to-peak amplitude of 0.1 to 0.2 Pa, a period of 23 min and a velocity of 3.1×102 ms−1.

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GOODWIN, G., HOBSON, G. Atmospheric gravity waves generated during a solar eclipse. Nature 275, 109–111 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/275109a0

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