Last Saturday’s “ring of fire” eclipse, which blocked out 98 percent of the sun’s surface, was a rare and spectacular sight for those who got to view it. But the total solar eclipse in 2024 is going to be a particularly special event.
On April 8, when the eclipse will cross the United States, the sun will be nearing its most active phase. Solar maximum, as it’s known when the sun acts up every 11 years, features more sunspots, increased light and radiation, and frequent blasts of charged particles from the sun’s surface in solar storms that threaten satellites and may even disrupt communications and power grids on Earth (SN: 2/26/21).
Being on the brink of a solar maximum also means it’s a great time for an eclipse.
The combination of high solar activity and a total eclipse provides a rare view of the outer edges of the sun at a time when researchers have more scientific instruments to study our star than ever before, says astrophysicist Kelly Korreck of NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. That’s leading to a flurry of activity and a host of projects to take advantage of the opportunity to learn about the sun and its effects on our planet and atmosphere.
The benefits extend beyond working scientists. “There’s a lot of emphasis on citizen science and having folks join NASA in doing [solar] science projects,” Korreck says.
Here are a few of the ways you can contribute to science during the upcoming eclipse.
Help make an improved eclipse megamovie
Volunteers along the path of totality, where the sun is fully blocked by the moon, will take pictures of the eclipse to be stitched together into a movie covering the event as it moves from Texas to Maine. The 2024 Eclipse Megamovie will be an improved follow-up to the 2017 effort that was the first crowdsourced collection of total eclipse images turned into a movie (SN: 8/2/17).
The primary goal of the 2017 version was to inspire people to get out to see the…
Read the full article here