What NASA's brightest minds can learn during darkness of eclipse
Researchers will use Monday's eclipse to better understand our sun and solar system. The April 8 total solar eclipse will provide unique research opportunities for scientists and researchers. Roshanak Hakimzadeh, a program scientist in the heliophysics division of NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., is focused on finding and funding research missions on our sun. She explained that the small window of time the eclipse will offer insights only available during an eclipse. NASA will launch three research rockets before, during and after the eclipse to study how a sudden drop in sunlight affects our upper atmosphere. The research, combined with observations made during the eclipse, will help researchers better understand our sun's impact on Earth and the way it influences our entire solar system.
Publicados : 10 meses atrás por https://www.facebook.com/, Leanna Scachetti no Science
The April 8 total solar eclipse will provide some of our brightest minds with unique research opportunities. “There is so much that we don’t know, so much,” said Roshanak Hakimzadeh of our sun. She is a program scientist in the heliophysics division of NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. Hakimzadeh’s role is squarely, or perhaps roundly, focused on finding and funding research missions on our bright star.“I am so excited because I will actually be in the path of the eclipse,” she said. Ahead of the big day, scientists and researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration have been explaining how an eclipse happens, who might experience it, and how it can be viewed safely.But they’re also focused on that small window of time in which the eclipse will offer up insights only available during an eclipse.“The surface of the sun, the photosphere, is so bright that we can’t see unless we block it out. We can’t see the outer atmosphere of the sun. That feathery, wispy white atmosphere,” Hakimzadeh explained via Zoom from NASA HQ. “When the moon completely blocks the sun, we can see it, and that’s an interesting part of the sun. That’s where a lot of space weather happens.” NASA will be launching three research rockets just before, during and after the eclipse from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. This to study how a sudden drop in sunlight affects our upper atmosphere. And Hakimzadeh said NASA will also launch jets that will follow the path of the eclipse to study this unique vantage point.“The sun affects not just the earth but it affects all of our solar system as well as interstellar space,” she said. “There is so much we need to understand to advance our understanding of all of our solar system.”Watch how you can participate in solar eclipse research:This total solar eclipse comes just a few months after an October 2023 annular solar eclipse, and in the midst of NASA’s Heliophysics Big Year, celebrating the sun’s influence on Earth and in the solar system. Hakimzadeh said the interest won’t wane with the moon on April 8. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is currently orbiting our sun. “The Parker Solar Probe is a technological miracle, really,” she said. According to NASA, the Parker mission will revolutionize our understanding of the sun as its orbit brings the probe closer and closer to the sun’s atmosphere over seven years. Parker’s instruments are protected by a 4.5-inch-thick carbon-composite shield, which can withstand temperatures reaching nearly 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. “It’s going to reach the sun at the closest approach to the sun that we’ve ever been. Four million miles away from the surface of the Sun, come this December,” Hakimzadeh explained. “That sounds like a lot, but compared to 93 million miles, which is Earth’s distance from the sun, that’s pretty close.”This research, coupled with observations made during the eclipse, will help researchers better understand our sun, its impact on Earth and the way it influences our entire solar system.
The April 8 total solar eclipse will provide some of our brightest minds with unique research opportunities. “There is so much that we don’t know, so much,” said Roshanak Hakimzadeh of our sun. She is a program scientist in the heliophysics division of NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. Hakimzadeh’s role is squarely, or perhaps roundly, focused on finding and funding research missions on our bright star. “I am so excited because I will actually be in the path of the eclipse,” she said. Ahead of the big day, scientists and researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration have been explaining how an eclipse happens, who might experience it, and how it can be viewed safely. But they’re also focused on that small window of time in which the eclipse will offer up insights only available during an eclipse.
How to know if your solar eclipse glasses are safe “The surface of the sun, the photosphere, is so bright that we can’t see unless we block it out. We can’t see the outer atmosphere of the sun. That feathery, wispy white atmosphere,” Hakimzadeh explained via Zoom from NASA HQ. “When the moon completely blocks the sun, we can see it, and that’s an interesting part of the sun. That’s where a lot of space weather happens.” NASA will be just before, during and after the eclipse from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. This to study how a sudden drop in sunlight affects our upper atmosphere. And Hakimzadeh said NASA will also that will follow the path of the eclipse to study this unique vantage point. “The sun affects not just the earth but it affects all of our solar system as well as interstellar space,” she said. “There is so much we need to understand to advance our understanding of all of our solar system.” Watch how you can participate in solar eclipse research: This total solar eclipse comes just a few months after an October 2023 annular solar eclipse, and in the midst of NASA’s , celebrating the sun’s influence on Earth and in the solar system. Hakimzadeh said the interest won’t wane with the moon on April 8. NASA’s is currently orbiting our sun. “The Parker Solar Probe is a technological miracle, really,” she said. According to NASA, the Parker mission will revolutionize our understanding of the sun as its orbit brings the probe closer and closer to the sun’s atmosphere over seven years. Parker’s instruments are protected by a 4.5-inch-thick carbon-composite shield, which can withstand temperatures reaching nearly 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Here's how you can contribute to eclipse research “It’s going to reach the sun at the closest approach to the sun that we’ve ever been. Four million miles away from the surface of the Sun, come this December,” Hakimzadeh explained. “That sounds like a lot, but compared to 93 million miles, which is Earth’s distance from the sun, that’s pretty close.” This research, coupled with observations made during the eclipse, will help researchers better understand our sun, its impact on Earth and the way it influences our entire solar system.
Tópicos: Space, NASA