She was contributing writer for for 10 years before joining full-time. Once this eclipse campaign is over, NSF says no other total solar eclipse will be visible in the United States until 2044 - that's 20 years after April's event.Įlizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. In April next year, scientists will chase the total eclipse in NSF/National Center for Atmospheric Research Gulfstream-V aircraft to study the elusive "low corona," referring to the parts of the upper atmosphere of the sun that are not observable from space.īlack called the experience of seeing this low corona "magical" – so much so that scientists "spend their whole careers traveling around the world to try to find these total solar eclipses, so that you can see this (low) region that we're particularly interested in." "The moon's shadow traverses across the atmosphere at supersonic speeds, so things change pretty fast (and) very quickly throughout the eclipse region," Sharma said. "That's going to be useful in moving the science forward, and also getting the excitement of the eclipse out into the public," Sharma said.Īdditionally, scientists will be watching local weather to see how it is affected by the lack of solar radiation. The ham radio community will also help with ionospheric studies during the eclipse, using their GPS receivers to help professional scientists track changes in that layer of the Earth's atmosphere. With the sun mostly blacked out temporarily by the eclipse, NSF will be carefully watching what happens "when you suddenly turn off that X-ray and the ultraviolet" rays from the sun that usually filter into the ionosphere and affect its extent, said Mangala Sharma, the foundation's program director for space weather (the ionosphere actually expands and contracts depending on how much energy it is absorbing from the sun) These interactions affect the propagation of radio signals. Solar activity has an immense impact on the ionosphere, which is a layer of Earth's atmosphere that interacts with electromagnetic radiation from above and below its extent. total solar eclipse of 2017, meaning that "the corona will be very active this time around," said Winter, who is NSF's program director for solar-terrestrial research. The sun is nearing its maximum of solar activity in its 11-year-cycle, unlike the last U.S. Scientists generally, said NSF's Lisa Winter, will be able to view a very active corona - or upper atmosphere of the sun - during the precious minutes that the sun is nearly completely blocked by the moon. Related: See amazing new sun photos from the world's largest solar telescope "It's like a microscope," Black said of the powerful Inouye, "essentially to zoom in and look at features we wouldn't be able to see otherwise without this type of high resolution - and then connecting it to other (telescope) observations." Inouye's results can then be compared with other telescopes to get a fuller picture of solar activity and its effects on Earth, particularly with the sun at a height of solar activity. But Inouye will provide a high-resolution "unobstructed view of the sun while the eclipse is happening," Black said. Inouye, the world's largest solar telescope, will not be in the eclipse path during either October 2023's or April 2024's events. Inouye Solar Telescope at the National Solar Observatory in Maui, Hawaii will be entering its operational phase just in time for both eclipses, according to Carrie Black, a program officer at NSF's astronautical science division that oversees Inouye's operations. Science will be front and center as well, with the research team using the annular eclipse to get ready for totality. NSF plans annular eclipse outreach events in both the Albuquerque, New Mexico and Boulder, Colorado areas, including partnerships with NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the University of Colorado's Fiske Planetarium, Albuquerque's International Balloon Fiesta and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science that will bring in thousands of members of the public. You can also consult our guide to photographing the solar eclipse. If you're looking for safe optics to view the eclipse, we recommend the Celestron EclipSmart 2x Power Viewers, which have 2x magnification or this travel-friendly solar telescope.
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