Private citizens getting the chance to help

NASA study a solar eclipse

By Agence France-Presse, adapted by Newsela sta on 08.02.17
Word Count 693
Level 870L

On August 21, 2017, Earth will cross the shadow of the moon, creating a total solar eclipse. Photo from NASA

Millions of people are preparing to contribute to a huge eort to study a total solar eclipse. An
eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth and sun. When it does, it
blocks the light, causing parts of the Earth to look very dark during the day.

This eclipse will sweep across the United States on August 21.

The entire country will fall into shadow as the "Great American Eclipse" passes. However, the
darkest path will be in a 70-mile ribbon that moves from Oregon to South Carolina.

Observers Can Film Eclipse With Cell Phones

With technology everywhere, from cell phones to satellites taking photos from space, the
eclipse will be captured on camera like never before. It will give scientists new information
about how the sun works. Observers from students to rocket scientists plan to get involved.

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"There has never been an event like this in human history," where so many people can be
involved with such technology, said Carrie Black. She works for the National Science
Foundation.

They expect millions of people to be part of this event, she said. Images and data from this will
be studied by scientists for years to come, she said.

One of the most popular projects is called Eclipse MegaMovie. It is a partnership between
Google and University of California, Berkeley.

Its goal is to put together images from students and other observers along the eclipse path.
The plan is to show the 93-minute eclipse across the country.

Another project is the Citizen Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse Experiment. It is by the

National Solar Observatory and the University of Arizona. The project will work in stages.

Volunteers will be spread out along the path of the eclipse. They will come from schools and
labs. The volunteers will use matching telescopes and camera systems to capture high-quality
images. Their work is expected to provide a full data set from the event.

Scientists Want To Study The Sun's Solar Corona

This event will be like the 1969 moon landing as a memory for a new generation, said
Madhulika Guhathakurta. She is a scientist for NASA, the U.S. space agency.

The eclipse's blackout of the center of the sun gives an opportunity for study. It lets scientists
capture in detail the elusive outer atmosphere of the sun. The outer part is known as the solar
corona.

NASA is reminding people to protect their eyes. It is never safe to look at the sun during an
eclipse.

Only with special solar viewers can you look directly at the sun, the agency said. They include
eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer.

Wearing ordinary sunglasses, even dark ones, is not enough, NASA said.

Of course, volunteers are not the only ones involved. Experts from many U.S. agencies and
universities are leading the studies.

Government planes will follow the eclipse. They will take measurements to determine the solar
corona's magnetism and other traits.

NASA plans to use a camera on its Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite. It is
to capture the view of light leaving the Earth. The satellite sits in a distant orbit about 900,000
miles away.

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Project Will Help NASA Prepare For Next Eclipse

President Donald Trump said earlier this year he wanted to shut down that camera. He also
talked about cutting three other earth science missions run by NASA.

Two other tools on the Terra and Aqua satellites will observe conditions before and after the
eclipse, said NASA. Terra and Aqua were launched in 1999 and 2002.

This data should give scientists information on energy. It should help show how much energy
from the sun hits our atmosphere and how much is reected and sent back to space. It should
also help to see how much heat the Earth sends into space.

This giant study could also be a chance to practice for the next big eclipse. Another eclipse is
set to pass over the east coast of the United States in 2024.

When you see an eclipse, it is an experience, said Scott McIntosh. He works for the National
Center for Atmospheric Research.

"After you see one, you want to see another one," he said.

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