NASA has unveiled plans to launch three scientifically oriented rockets into the moon’s shadow on Monday, April 8, coinciding with a partial solar eclipse spanning North America.

During this celestial event, which will feature a total solar eclipse along a 115-mile-wide path across parts of Mexico, 15 U.S. states, and Canada, and a partial eclipse throughout the Americas, there will be a noticeable decrease in sunlight.

NASA’s initiative, dubbed Atmospheric Perturbations Around The Eclipse Path (APEP), aims to explore the effects of this decrease in sunlight and temperature on Earth’s upper atmosphere.

APEP draws its name from the ancient Egyptian mythological serpent deity, a nemesis of the sun god Ra, as per NASA, Forbes reported.

Apep, an ancient Egyptian deity, symbolized darkness and chaos, serving as the adversary of light and Ma’at, which represents order and truth. Ra, on the other hand, represented illumination, making him the primary antagonist of Apep.

The suborbital rockets will not ascend into totality but will instead launch from Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia, where 81% of the sun will be obscured by the moon.

This event is slated to occur at 15:33 EST, with the eclipse unfolding between 14:06 and 16:33.

Written by B.C. Begley