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Questions for Discussion: Eclipse of the Century

The moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun, but 400 times closer to Earth than the Sun. What is the result of this amazing coincidence?
What nearly obscured the view of the solar eclipse from the observatories on Mauna Kea? What saved the day?
Since a total solar eclipse happens about every 18 months, why is it that this is the first time a total solar eclipse has happened directly over a major observatory?
Describe in detail what you observed in the images from the total eclipse of the Sun in this video.
Why do you think astronomers from all over the world flocked to Hawaiʻi in July 1991? What was unusual about this eclipse?