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The Milky Way and curtain-like auroras fill a clear southern sky off Nugget Point, at the edge of New Zealand’s remote Catlins. While the island nation is too far north to see the aurora australis regularly, aurora-hunters flock to the Nugget Point lighthouse area for its dark skies and unobstructed view off the South Island’s southeastern coast.
science

Aurora Hunters Capture the Wonder of the Northern (and Southern) Lights

A curated collection of images shows why this natural phenomenon has fascinated and inspired humans for millennia.
Gemma Tarlach December 21, 2022
Physics of the Sun
Changikhisarak, Uzbekistan

Physics of the Sun

More than 10,000 small mirrors cover the curved surface of the world's second-largest solar oven, located in a remote village in Uzbekistan.
Zaragoza, Spain

Reloj Solar Multicaja-Zaragoza

The world's largest sundial can cast a shadow more than 1,600 feet long.
All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura
japan

Puzzle Monday: Charting a Path Between Day and Night

AO Puzzles August 15, 2022
Richard B. Dunn Solar Telescope
Sunspot, New Mexico

Sunspot Solar Observatory

High in the Sacramento Mountains, a facility dedicated to studying the sun.
Big Sur, California

Keyhole Arch at Pfeiffer Beach

Centuries of crashing waves carved out this small hole in the rock, which lights up at certain parts of the year.
The corona is most visible during a total solar eclipse, like this one, captured on August 21, 2017.
telescopes

How Do You Do Color Commentary for an Eclipse?

Live from space, it’s a grand celestial phenomenon!
Jessica Leigh Hester July 2, 2019
Researchers testing for wind in the lab.
insects

When the Sun Is High, Dung Beetles Navigate With the Wind

There's more than one way to get from point A to point B while rolling a ball of dung.
Evan Nicole Brown June 25, 2019
A still from the film, which captured an eclipse in North Carolina in the year 1900.
astronomy

Found: The First Film of a Total Solar Eclipse

Taken by a magician, the fragment marks the oldest surviving astronomical motion picture.
Sabrina Imbler June 5, 2019
A sunset in Tuscon, Arizona.
deserts

Why Desert Sunsets Are Incredibly Colorful

Turns out, dry, clean air is the secret to a vivid landscape.
Evan Nicole Brown April 23, 2019
A spectacular fata morgana of a single boat on the horizon.
optical illusions

The Most Interesting, Spectacular Mirages Aren’t in the Desert

Spoiler alert: Try the Arctic or Sicily instead.
Sabrina Imbler April 22, 2019
Po, Thailand

Phu Chi Fah

This mountain sunrise is one of the most breathtaking views in Thailand, yet well off the tourist trail.
The Light Pyramid at the far end of Midsummer Boulevard.
Milton Keynes, England

Midsummer Boulevard Light Pyramid

This suburban British town holds secrets that would have made the druids proud.
What, exactly, were birds up to?
animals

What We Know About How Animals Reacted to the 2017 Eclipse

Last year's celestial main event generated a lot of data.
Jessica Leigh Hester November 15, 2018
Researchers found this 5,000-year-old stone on a Danish island.
spiders

Found: Neolithic Spiderweb Stones in Denmark

They may have more to do with the sun than with arachnids.
Vittoria Traverso February 13, 2018
The cannon goes off
Åtvidaberg, Sweden

Åtvidaberg Sun Cannon

In the town of Åtvidaberg, the midday sun sets off a loud cannon boom.
Winter Solstice 2019
Wendover, Utah

Sun Tunnels

A sculpture for the sun and stars, created by Nancy Holt.
Odeillo solar furnace
Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via, France

Odeillo Solar Furnace

10,000 mirrors concentrate the sun's rays to generate power for the world's largest solar furnrace.