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Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Invest Like the Pros with StockMVP - https://www.stock-mvp.com/?via=ron - Discover the Future of AI Audio with ElevenLabs - https://try.elevenlabs.io/tad - Lindy is your ultimate AI assistant that proactively manages your inbox - https://try.lindy.ai/tad Support The Automated Daily directly: Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/theautomateddaily Today's topics: Total solar eclipse sweeps north - The August 12, 2026 total solar eclipse crosses Siberia, Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain, while deep partial views reach much of Europe, North America, and Africa. This rare sky event also arrives on a New Moon, setting up ideal observing conditions for the Perseid meteor shower later that night. Agencies stream and study eclipse - NASA, ESA, and outreach groups are turning the eclipse into a global science and public engagement event with livestreams, local programs, and airborne observations. Researchers hope to capture new views of the solar corona and eclipse-driven atmospheric effects while millions watch in real time. Gravity blackout rumor gets debunked - Viral claims that Earth will lose gravity for seven seconds during the eclipse have been flatly rejected by NASA and fact-checkers. The story is a reminder that major celestial events often attract pseudoscientific rumors, making clear science communication essential. SpaceX scores back-to-back launches - SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 Starlink missions on August 11, one from Cape Canaveral and one from Vandenberg, with both boosters landing successfully on droneships. The flights highlight the company’s relentless launch cadence and the maturity of reusable rocket operations. Exoplanet find and Webb nebula - Astronomy headlines also include Gaia23braL b, the first microlensing planet confirmed using TESS data, and a dramatic James Webb Space Telescope image of the Lion Nebula. Together, they show how modern observatories are expanding both exoplanet science and our view of stellar nurseries. Episode Transcript Total solar eclipse sweeps north The biggest story today is the August 12 total solar eclipse. The Moon’s shadow is sweeping from the high Arctic across Greenland and Iceland, then into northern Spain and a small part of Portugal, with the maximum eclipse occurring over the North Atlantic. Observers inside the narrow path of totality get a brief plunge into daytime darkness and a view of the Sun’s corona, while much wider regions across Europe, North America, and Africa are seeing deep partial phases. And because this eclipse lands on a New Moon, it sets up unusually dark skies for the Perseid meteor shower later tonight. Agencies stream and study eclipse This eclipse is also a major science and outreach event. NASA is livestreaming the spectacle with expert commentary, while ESA has built public programming in Spain and is broadcasting from observatories inside the path of totality. NASA is also using high-altitude aircraft and balloon platforms to chase the shadow and gather extended observations of the corona and of how Earth’s atmosphere responds during the sudden drop in sunlight. It’s a good example of how a short-lived celestial event can double as both a research opportunity and a global public classroom. Gravity blackout rumor gets debunked Not all of the eclipse conversation has been scientific. NASA and fact-checking groups have had to rebut a viral rumor claiming that Earth will lose gravity for seven seconds during the eclipse, sometimes packaged online under the name Project Anchor. The claim is false. Eclipses do not change Earth’s mass, and they do not switch gravity on or off. The real lesson here is that dramatic sky events often attract dramatic myths, which makes calm, evidence-based explanation just as important as the headline itself. SpaceX scores back-to-back launches In launch news, SpaceX logged two more Starlink successes on August 11. First came a Falcon 9 launch from...
