This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: During the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse over Europe, scientists aimed to study a long-standing mystery: why the sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, is far hotter than its visible surface. Capturing the data they needed meant being in exactly the right place at the right time.
Pilots from NASA's Johnson Space Center flew the WB-57F high-altitude research aircraft from Ellington Field in Houston to Iceland, their base for flying through the path of totality to give scientists a clearer view of the sun's corona. A total solar eclipse provides a unique opportunity to examine the corona because the moon temporarily blocks the sun's bright surface, revealing its fainter outer atmosphere. Observations collected during this brief window can help scientists better understand how energy and material move through the corona and away from the sun, improving our understanding of space weather.
At about 50,000 feet (15,000 meters), the WB-57F flew above most clouds, dust and water vapor that can interfere with observations from the ground. The altitude reduced atmospheric interference while also allowing the science instruments to observe infrared wavelengths that are largely absorbed lower in Earth's atmosphere. Capturing those observations required careful coordination between scientists and the flight crew.
Before the mission, teams calculated where the aircraft needed to be as the moon's shadow moved across the North Atlantic. "Going into a mission like this takes a huge team. It starts with the science team establishing the requirements, and then we work closely with them for months leading up to the mission," said Tom Parent, NASA WB-57F pilot.
"We rely heavily on our maintenance team to get the instruments serviced, prepared, loaded onto the aircraft, and flight-tested. It's a huge team effort to get an aircraft like this up there to image and achieve these objectives." During totality, NASA WB-57F pilot John Gustine positioned the aircraft along the eclipse path to maximize time in the moon's shadow and give scientists as much opportunity as possible to collect data. From the back seat, Cary Klemm, sensor equipment operator for NASA's WB-57F, controlled the camera systems, adjusting focus and exposure times while tracking features of interest throughout totality.
With the cameras capturing observations throughout the brief window, every second mattered. "Every image is another piece of data that could reveal something new about the sun," Klemm said. What scientists can learn from those observations reaches far beyond the eclipse itself.
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