Jump to content
Join the Alien Search, login or register FREE on Aliens and Space Forum
Members Can Post Anonymously On This Site

Eclipse Photographers Will Help Study Sun During Its Disappearing Act

NASA

By NASA
in NASA

 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Publishers
NASA Mentor

NASA

Posted
  • Publishers
Posted

5 min read

Eclipse Photographers Will Help Study Sun During Its Disappearing Act

As the Sun temporarily disappears from midday skies over North America on April 8, 2024, hundreds of volunteers will capture photos of the total solar eclipse to help us better understand the Sun and its relationship with Earth.

These photographers will be participating in three NASA-funded citizen science projects to study the Sun’s ghostly outer atmosphere – the corona – during totality, when the Moon completely covers the bright disk of the Sun and the corona is revealed.

Against a black background is a total solar eclipse. In the middle is a black circle – the Moon. Surrounding it are white streams of wispy light, streaming out into the sky.
The Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, appears like a feathery white halo around the dark disk of the Moon during a total solar eclipse, as seen in this photo taken from Madras, Oregon, on Aug. 21, 2017.
NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

The corona is the birthplace of the solar wind – a constant stream of particles and material flowing from the Sun that impacts Earth and other planets. The best time to see the full range of dynamics in the corona is during a total solar eclipse.

However, in any one location along April’s eclipse path, totality will last less than four and a half minutes – not long enough to watch the corona change. By staging observers all along the eclipse path, though, these NASA projects hope to essentially extend totality for over 90 minutes – the time it takes for the Moon’s shadow to cross from Mexico to Canada. Afterward, the projects will combine their images into “movies” revealing activity in the corona that would otherwise be hard to see.


Eclipse Megamovie

Eclipse Megamovie is a NASA-funded citizen science project that engages photographers across the United States to capture images of the Sun’s outermost atmosphere – the corona – during the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Volunteers will use DSLR cameras on mounts that will track the Sun’s position in the sky to record changes in the Sun’s corona during the eclipse.
NASA/Lacey Young

Led by Laura Peticolas of Sonoma State University in California, the Eclipse Megamovie project is asking photographers to capture the corona using their own DSLR cameras on mounts that will track the Sun’s position in the sky during the eclipse.

The project has already selected and sent tracking mounts to over 70 individuals who will be stationed along the eclipse path in the U.S. and Mexico. Over 80 additional photographers who have their own DSLR cameras and tracking mounts and who plan to be in the Moon’s shadow on April 8 have also joined the project. Others are welcome to participate if they sign up by March 18.

“Citizen scientists are the perfect volunteers for this type of research,” Peticolas said. “They’re coming with their own cameras. They’re coming with the expertise on how to use those cameras. They’re coming with enthusiasm. And with this group of amazing volunteers, we’re going to get a dataset that is literally impossible to get in any other way.”

The project is also seeking volunteers with experience in databases, Python coding, and machine learning to help process the images and reveal hard-to-spot changes in the corona.

DEB Initiative

The Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast (DEB) Initiative, led by Bob Baer and Matt Penn of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, organizes volunteers as they capture images of the corona during the 2024 eclipse. Using identical instruments at more than 70 different locations across North America, participants document the moment-by-moment appearance of the corona throughout the eclipse.
NASA/Beth Anthony

The Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast (DEB) Initiative, led by Bob Baer and Matt Penn of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, has recruited 82 volunteer teams to image the eclipse from Mexico, the U.S., and Canada.

All teams, which range in size from a few people to as many as 30, have been selected and have received identical astrophotography equipment provided by the project. Many of them will be in the path of totality to capture views of the corona, but some will be outside the path, imaging the Sun itself.

“We’re looking at the evolution of the solar corona along the entire path,” Baer said. “And we’re also looking outside of the path of totality at the solar disk to connect the changes we see in the solar corona back to the surface of the Sun.”

During the eclipse, DEB teams will upload images of the partial phases every minute to the project’s image server, while some teams will also stream live video. During totality, teams in the path will collect images more rapidly, each contributing a single detailed image of the corona.

CATE 2024

Led by Amir Caspi of the Southwest Research Institute in Colorado, the Citizen Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse (CATE) 2024 project will place 35 teams in the eclipse path from Texas to Maine to capture the corona in polarized light.
NASA/Joy Ng

Led by Amir Caspi of the Southwest Research Institute in Colorado, the Citizen Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse (CATE) 2024 project will place 35 teams in the eclipse path from Texas to Maine to capture the corona in polarized light.

Light travels in waves, but those waves can be oriented in different directions, or polarization angles. Caspi explains that light we see from the corona is sunlight that gets bounced around by the corona before it reaches our eyes. “That bouncing process makes the light polarized and it makes it go in a particular direction,” he said. “By measuring that you can understand what’s going on in the corona.”

All of the CATE 2024 teams have been selected and have received identical telescopes, mounts, and cameras. Teams are currently practicing and receiving feedback in preparation for the eclipse.

To learn more about these projects or to sign up to participate, visit the websites below.
NASA Funds 3 Citizen Science Projects to Study 2024 U.S. Solar Eclipse
Eclipse Megamovie
DEB Initiative
CATE 2024

by Vanessa Thomas
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Share

Details

Last Updated
Mar 14, 2024

Related Terms

Explore More

fig-cover-na-v3-wide.png?w=300
3 min read

NASA-Supported Team Discovers Aurora-Like Radio Bursts Above Sunspot



Article


24 hours ago

nasa-moon-eclipse-poster-nguyen-preview.
5 min read

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: The Moon’s Moment in the Sun

To know exactly where and when the solar eclipse will cast its shadow, we study…



Article


3 days ago

snap-it-promo-thumbnail.jpg?w=300
2 min read

NASA Launches Snap It! Computer Game to Learn About Eclipses



Article


6 days ago

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

Eclipse 2024 Citizen Science

eclipse-poster-2-rev7-27-02-1-1.png?w=87


Eclipse 2024 Science

14447-002-img-8419-e1709593825277.jpg?w=


2024 Total Eclipse

903_total_solar.jpg?w=340


Safety

5685_5685-1.jpeg?w=1536

View the full article

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Similar Topics

    • NASA
      NASA Study Reveals Venus Crust Surprise
      By NASA
      3 min read
      NASA Study Reveals Venus Crust Surprise
      This global view of the surface of Venus is centered at 180 degrees east longitude. Magellan synthetic aperture radar mosaics from the first cycle of Magellan mapping are mapped onto a computer-simulated globe to create this image. Data gaps are filled with Pioneer Venus Orbiter data, or a constant mid-range value. Simulated color is used to enhance small-scale structure. The simulated hues are based on color images recorded by the Soviet Venera 13 and 14 spacecraft. NASA/JPL-Caltech New details about the crust on Venus include some surprises about the geology of Earth’s hotter twin, according to new NASA-funded research that describes movements of the planet’s crust.
      Scientists expected the outermost layer of Venus’ crust would grow thicker and thicker over time given its apparent lack of forces that would drive the crust back into the planet’s interior. But the paper, published in Nature Communications, proposes a crust metamorphism process based on rock density and melting cycles.
      Earth’s rocky crust is made up of massive plates that slowly move, forming folds and faults in a process known as plate tectonics. For example, when two plates collide, the lighter plate slides on top of the denser one, forcing it downward into the layer beneath it, the mantle. This process, known as subduction, helps control the thickness of Earth’s crust. The rocks making up the bottom plate experience changes caused by increasing temperature and pressure as it sinks deeper into the interior of the planet. Those changes are known as metamorphism, which is one cause of volcanic activity.
      In contrast, Venus has a crust that is all one piece, with no evidence for subduction caused by plate tectonics like on Earth, explained Justin Filiberto, deputy chief of NASA’s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and a co-author on the paper. The paper used modeling to determine that its crust is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) thick on average and at most 40 miles (65 kilometers) thick.
      “That is surprisingly thin, given conditions on the planet,” said Filiberto. “It turns out that, according to our models, as the crust grows thicker, the bottom of it becomes so dense that it either breaks off and becomes part of the mantle or gets hot enough to melt.” So, while Venus has no moving plates, its crust does experience metamorphism. This finding is an important step toward understanding geological processes and evolution of the planet.
      “This breaking off or melting can put water and elements back into the planet’s interior and help drive volcanic activity,” added Filiberto. “This gives us a new model for how material returns to the interior of the planet and another way to make lava and spur volcanic eruptions. It resets the playing field for how the geology, crust, and atmosphere on Venus work together.”
      The next step, he added, is to gather direct data about Venus’ crust to test and refine these models. Several upcoming missions, including NASA’s DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) and VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) and, in partnership with ESA (European Space Agency), Envision, aim to study the planet’s surface and atmosphere in greater detail. These efforts could help confirm whether processes like metamorphism and recycling are actively shaping the Venusian crust today—and reveal how such activity may be tied to volcanic and atmospheric evolution.
      “We don’t actually know how much volcanic activity is on Venus,” Filiberto said. “We assume there is a lot, and research says there should be, but we’d need more data to know for sure.”
      Melissa Gaskill
      NASA Johnson Space Center
      Media Contacts:
      Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1600
      karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov
      Victoria Segovia
      NASA’s Johnson Space Center
      281-483-5111
      victoria.segovia@nasa.gov

      Read More About Venus

      Share








      Details
      Last Updated May 09, 2025 Related Terms
      Astromaterials Venus Explore More
      5 min read How NASA is Using Virtual Reality to Prepare for Science on Moon


      Article


      2 months ago
      5 min read NASA DAVINCI Mission’s Many ‘Firsts’ to Unlock Venus’ Hidden Secrets
      NASA’s DAVINCI probe will be first in the 21st century to brave Venus’ atmosphere as…


      Article


      5 months ago
      5 min read 5 Surprising NASA Heliophysics Discoveries Not Related to the Sun


      Article


      6 months ago
      Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics
      Venus



      Astromaterials



      Planetary Science



      Solar System


      View the full article
    • Amazing Space
      LIVE : Sun Live stream - close up Video Of The Sun / Lunt Telescope - Backyard Astronomy 9th May
      By Amazing Space
      LIVE : Sun Live stream - close up Video Of The Sun / Lunt Telescope - Backyard Astronomy 9th May
    • NASA
      NASA Earns Two Emmy Nominations for 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Coverage
      By NASA
      3 min read
      Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
      NASA’s coverage of the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse has earned two nominations for the 46th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards.
      The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the nominations on May 1, recognizing NASA’s outstanding work in sharing this rare celestial event with audiences around the world. The winners are set to be unveiled at a ceremony in late June.
      “Total solar eclipses demonstrate the special connection between our Earth, Moon, and Sun by impacting our senses during the breathtaking moments of total alignment that only occur at this time on Earth,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “NASA’s Eclipse coverage team perfectly encapsulated the awe-inspiring experience from start to finish for viewers around the world in this once-in-a-lifetime moment in American history. Congratulations to the entire NASA Eclipse coverage team for their two much-deserved Emmy award nominations!”
      The two nominations include:
      Outstanding Live News Special for the agency’s live broadcast coverage of the 2024 total solar eclipse. NASA’s live broadcast coverage of the 2024 total solar eclipse was the most ambitious live project ever attempted by the agency. The broadcast spanned three hours as the eclipse traveled 3,000 miles across seven states and two countries. From cities, parks, and stadiums, 11 hosts and correspondents provided on air commentary, interviews, and live coverage. Viewers tuned in from all over the world, including at watch parties in 9 locations, from the Austin Public Library to New York’s Times Square. An interactive “Eclipse Board” provided real time data analysis as the Moon’s shadow crossed North America. Live feeds from astronauts aboard the International Space Station and NASA’s WB-57 high-altitude research aircraft were brought in to provide rare and unique perspectives of the solar event.
      In total, NASA received almost 40 million views across its own distribution. Externally, the main broadcast was picked up in 2,208 hits on 568 channels in 25 countries.
      Outstanding Show Open or Title Sequence – News for the agency’s show open for the 2024 total solar eclipse. NASA’s show open for the 2024 total solar eclipse live broadcast explores the powerful connections between the Sun, humanity, and the rare moment when day turns to night. From witnessing the Sun’s atmosphere to feeling the dramatic drop in temperature, the video captures the psychological, emotional, and cultural impact of this celestial phenomenon.  
      For more information about NASA missions, visit:
      https://www.nasa.gov
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated May 08, 2025 Related Terms
      General 2024 Solar Eclipse Eclipses Heliophysics Heliophysics Division Science Mission Directorate Solar Eclipses The Solar System Explore More
      7 min read NASA’s Hubble Pinpoints Roaming Massive Black Hole
      Like a scene out of a sci-fi movie, astronomers using NASA telescopes have found “Space…
      Article 3 hours ago 2 min read NASA Expands Youth Engagement With New Scouting America Agreement
      Article 1 day ago 5 min read NASA Progresses Toward Crewed Moon Mission with Spacecraft, Rocket Milestones
      Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics
      Missions
      Humans in Space
      Climate Change
      Solar System
      View the full article
    • Amazing Space
      LIVE : Sun Live stream - close up Video Of The Sun / Lunt Telescope - Backyard Astronomy
      By Amazing Space
      LIVE : Sun Live stream - close up Video Of The Sun / Lunt Telescope - Backyard Astronomy
    • European Space Agency
      Plato grows its many eyes
      By European Space Agency
      The activities to assemble the European Space Agency’s Plato mission are progressing well now that 24 of the spacecraft’s 26 cameras have been installed. Once in space, Plato will use its many eyes to survey a very large area of the sky and hunt for terrestrial planets. The spacecraft’s supporting element is also coming together in parallel.
      View the full article

  • Check out these Videos

×
×
  • Create New...