Last Saturday’s “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse blocked out 98 percent of the sun’s surface and was a rare and spectacular sight for those who were able to observe it. But the 2024 total solar eclipse will be an especially special event.
The sun will be nearing its most active phase on April 8, when the eclipse crosses the United States. Solar Maximum is the period in which the Sun is known to be active every 11 years, resulting in increased sunspots, increased light and radiation, and a solar maximum that can threaten satellites and disrupt communications and power grids on Earth. Storms are characterized by frequent explosions of charged particles from the sun’s surface. (SN: February 26, 2021).
Just before solar maximum also means it’s the perfect time for a solar eclipse.
Kelly Kolek, an astrophysicist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., said the combination of high solar activity and a total solar eclipse, at a time when researchers have more scientific instruments than ever before to study our star, , says it will provide a rare view of the sun’s outer edge. This leads to a variety of activities and a number of projects to take advantage of the opportunity to learn about the sun and its effects on the earth and atmosphere.
The benefits extend beyond working scientists. “There is a lot of emphasis on citizen science and getting people involved in NASA. [solar] It’s a science project,” Kolek said.
Here are some ways you can contribute to science during the upcoming solar eclipse.
Help us create improved Eclipse megamovies
Volunteers will take photos of the eclipse along the path of totality, where the sun is completely blocked by the moon, and stitch them into a film covering the event as it travels from Texas to Maine. The 2024 Eclipse Megamovie will be an improvement on his 2017 effort, which was the first to turn crowdsourced images of a total solar eclipse into a film (SN: August 2, 2017).
Laura Peticolas, a physicist at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, California, said the main goal of the 2017 edition was to encourage people to go outside to see the eclipse. The goal this time is to “collect data in a more structured way.” It is likely that we will have publishable results in 2024. ”
Volunteers, who have access to high-quality cameras on mounts that can precisely track the sun’s trajectory in the sky, collect images that are aligned and sized to optimize the scientific value of the film.
“We are one of a kind [volunteer-based] team is, [visible plasma jets] “From the sun’s bright photosphere and riding the solar wind, NASA can watch the features continue into our solar system,” Peticolas said.
Volunteers must apply by October 31 to contribute images to the film. The Eclipse Megamovie collaboration will provide free solar tracking mounts to up to 100 volunteers. Those who missed the volunteer application deadline or don’t have the proper equipment to take photos can join the effort to analyze data in the months following the eclipse.
Help us pinpoint the shape of the sun
Even if you only have a smartphone camera, you can still contribute to science if you can follow the path to perfection.
Using the SunSketcher app, you can time the appearance of bright spots of light called Bailey’s beads that appear when sunlight shines through the lunar valley just before and after a total solar eclipse. Gordon Emsley, an astrophysicist at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, said the data from volunteers who installed the app “allows us to accurately determine the shape of the sun.”
The results could help test theories of gravity by studying how the shape of the sun affects the orbits of planets, Emslie said. “By including as many cell phones as possible spread out over the 2,000-mile-long, 160-mile-wide path of the April 2024 solar eclipse, we will be able to observe the shape of the sun from a vast number of vantage points. .”
You can participate without interrupting other solar eclipse viewing activities. Simply install the app on your phone, point it toward the sun, and start running the app at least 5 minutes before totality. The app will take care of the rest and you can save a copy of the photo as a keepsake.
Help us listen to our impact on wildlife
Solar eclipses, first observed scientifically in 1932, have a dramatic effect on animals. Eclipse Soundscape Project volunteers will expand on previous research using sound data collected on or near the total path.
Instructions for building the necessary equipment are provided on the Eclipse Soundscapes website. You can also apply to receive the completed kit. However, if you don’t get one of the pre-builts, don’t want to assemble the Data Recorder from scratch, or don’t want to get closer to the path to completeness, you can still participate by observing the impact of the Data Recorder. You can harm the environment wherever you are.
When you upload your observations to the Eclipse Soundscapes website, volunteers will analyze your observations along with all other submitted observations.
There’s more to it than it sounds, says Mary Kay Severino, a science education specialist at the ARISA Institute in Medford, Massachusetts. Solar eclipses are “multisensory events, which makes them more powerful and more intimate,” she says. “Eclipse Soundscapes focuses on sound in addition to other sensory observations that help us begin to understand how solar eclipses affect nature.”
More opportunities for citizen science
Some projects rely on teams sharing specialized equipment to observe solar eclipses. The Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast Initiative will provide training, as well as camera and telescope systems, to more than 35 teams to estimate the velocity and acceleration of plumes emitted from the solar corona.
The 60 teams participating in the Citizen Continental Americas Telescope Solar Eclipse Project will use cameras that can record the corona in polarized light to understand how the solar wind emerges from the Sun (SN: 6/7/23).
Both projects have a limited supply of equipment and volunteer opportunities, so please contact us soon if you would like to get involved.
Other projects include reusing equipment for different uses. Amateur radio enthusiasts can join the HamSCI community to see how a solar eclipse changes the way radio signals propagate through the atmosphere. NASA’s Radio JOVE project includes solar eclipse monitoring information for amateur astronomers who typically use radio telescopes to study the Sun, Jupiter, and the Milky Way.
Whether it’s setting up a camera, installing an app, joining a team, or firing up a radio receiver, there’s never been a better time for citizen scientists to contribute to eclipse research. says Kolek. And if she misses the April 8 event, she says, she’ll have to wait a while for the next one. “This is the last of the last 20 years to cover major regions of the United States.”
