Chasing the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse With NASA Jets

NASA Goddard
NASA Goddard
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Published 2024-04-03
The April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse will produce stunning views across North America. While anyone along the eclipse path with a clear sky will see the spectacular event, the best view might be 50,000 feet in the air, aboard NASA’s WB-57 jet planes. That’s where a trio of NASA-funded teams are sending their scientific instruments to take measurements of the eclipse.

Two teams will image the Sun’s outer atmosphere – the corona – and a third will measure the ionosphere, the upper electrically charged layer of Earth’s atmosphere. This information will help scientists better understand the structure and temperature of the corona, the effects of the Sun on Earth’s atmosphere, and even aid in the search of asteroids that may orbit near the Sun.

Read more: science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/scientis…

Music credits: “Prophecies”, “The City in the Clouds”, “Rodin Museum” by Laurent Dury [SACEM]; “Depths Unseen” by Grant Fisher [PRS]; “Simple Story” by Fred Dubois [SACEM]

Credit: NASA
Producer: Joy Ng (NIA)
Scientist: Amir Caspi (Southwest Research Institute)
Scientist: Shadia Habbal (Uni. of Hawaii)
Scientist: Bharat Kunduri (Virginia Tech)
Cinematographer: Josh Valcarcel (eMITS), Joy Ng (NIA)
Support: Lacey Young ((MORI Associates)
Support: Peter Layshock (JSC)

This video can be freely shared and downloaded at svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14562. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, the music and some individual imagery may have been obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. Specific details on such imagery may be found here: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14562. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit nasa.gov/multimedia/guidelines.

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All Comments (21)
  • @kurtdewittphoto
    I chased it with my 2005 Ford Focus and got an extra .00004% longer viewing time.
  • @zukacs
    They did this in 70s with Concorde over Africa, wild story
  • @weyrleaderkev
    I recall there were teams of super sonic jets racing from Washington State to Charlotte NC back in August of 2017 or 18
  • @xXxDSMer
    SR-71 would have got a lot more than just 25% longer lol
  • @augl2702
    Wb-57s are such cool aircraft. April 8th was such a great day, I think a lot of us really needed to see something extraordinary.
  • @AndyGneiss
    Very interesting research. Good luck out there!
  • @SK22000
    I will watch from my from yard with a pina colada
  • @AldenDoble
    I actually saw one of these fly over just after totality ended, it was so cool!
  • @tylerknight99
    why aren't they using an ionosonde at night when there is similarly a lack of solar radiation?
  • @tetra3ne56scur3
    Virginia Tech 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
  • @tyreseswipey6499
    Amazing , thank you to NASA for their accommodations they supply for our earth