Scientists to chase solar eclipse using Nasa jets

Washington: In a first, scientists are planning to chase the shadow of the Moon using Nasa’s research jets during the upcoming total solar eclipse in the US, in order to capture the clearest ever images of the Sun’s outer atmosphere. Amir Caspi of the Southwest Research Institute in the US and his team will use two of Nasa’s WB-57F research jets to follow the darkness across the US on August 21. Taking observations from twin telescopes mounted on the noses of the planes, Caspi will capture the clearest images of the Sun’s corona to date and the first-ever thermal images of Mercury, revealing how temperature varies across the planet’s surface. “These could well turn out to be the best ever observations of high frequency phenomena in the corona,” said Dan Seaton, researcher at University of Colorado in the US. The total solar eclipse provides a rare opportunity for scientists to study the Sun, particularly its atmosphere. As the Moon completely covers the Sun and perfectly blocks its light during an eclipse, the typically faint corona is easily seen against the dark sky. During the upcoming total solar eclipse, scientists will observe the solar corona using stabilised telescopes aboard the WB-57F research aircraft. This vantage point provides distinct advantages over ground-based observations, researchers said. One theory proposes micro explosions, termed nanoflares — too small and frequent to detect individually, but with a large collective effect — might release heat into the corona. No one has yet directly seen nanoflares, but the high-resolution and highspeed images to be taken from the WB-57F jets might reveal their effects on the corona. —