April's total solar eclipse promises to be the best yet for experiments

April's total solar eclipse promises to be a scientific bonanza, thanks to new spacecraft _ and cosmic chance. The moon will be extra close to Earth, providing a long and intense period of darkness. Plus the sun should be more active with the potential for bursts of plasma. Then there's totality's densely populated corridor stretching from Mexico to the U.S. to Canada. Put all this together, and scientists are anticipating a windfall of learning on April 8. The U.S. won't see another total solar eclipse on this scale until 2045, so NASA and everyone else is pulling out all the stops.