Airborne observatory improves views of solar corona during cloud-covered eclipse
A Southwest Research Institute-led team successfully observed a total solar eclipse using unique equipment installed on NASA's WB-57 aircraft flying above heavy clouds off the coast of Iceland. The high-altitude jet followed the moon's shadow at 50,000 feet to take measurements of the solar corona in nine different wavelengths, ranging from visible to infrared light.
This eclipse was the perfect opportunity to use the unique imaging capabilities of NASA's high-flying research observatory due to the common clouds in the eclipse track, which is mostly over the Atlantic Ocean. The team collected high-resolution images of the eclipse with the Scientifically Calibrated In-Flight Imagery team's Airborne Multispectral Imager, mounted on the nose of the aircraft.
The faint light from the corona is usually overpowered by the intense brightness of the sun itself but is readily accessible when the moon blocks the bright solar disk. Observing from high altitude not only overcomes cloud cover but also allows imaging of wavelengths, such as infrared, that are absorbed by Earth's atmosphere.
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