Citizen scientists capture eclipse’s entire 2500-mile journey across the U.S.
The volunteers helped create a historic data set of more than 4,000 images of the 90-minute celestial event
By Kheiro Magazine
Hundreds of citizen scientists participated in a cosmic relay race capturing Monday’s total solar eclipse as it passed across the contintental U.S., creating a historic data set comprised of more than 4,000 images of the 90-minute event.
The volunteers were given 68 identical telescopes, software and instrument packages from Citizen CATE, an experiment organized by the National Solar Observatory in Boulder, Colorado.
CATE, short for Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse, was the first to collect research-quality observations of the sun’s corona over such a long data set, which spanned the entire 2,500-mile path of totality, the NSO said.
“This dataset is extraordinary,” Principal Investigator Matt Penn said in a statement. “Normally during a solar eclipse we get about 2 minutes of data in the region closest to the photosphere [the sun’s surface]. But Citizen CATE allowed us to get an hour and a half of data.”
The volunteers represented high schools, universities, astronomy clubs, five national research centers and several corporate sponsors, who contributed funding along with the National Science Foundation.
They were spaced about 50 miles apart and were trained to start photographing when the moon’s shadow appeared on the horizon. As the shadow passed from west to east, each site took more than 1,000 images until the celestial baton passed to the next location. The eclipse was the first in almost 40 years to transverse the entire continental U.S.
The NSO has already created a 3-second preview video featuring 25 frames. A full high-resolution data set will be assembled in the coming weeks, with 4,000 images selected and processed by site volunteers and state coordinators.
“This dataset will allow us to see unprecedented views of our star’s inner atmosphere,” Penn said.
In a total solar eclipse, the moon passes in front of the sun and blocks its surface—called the photosphere—from view. Only the sun’s faint, wispy outer atmosphere—the corona—remains visible. Normally the light from the photosphere overpowers the corona, but the eclipse provides a uniquely clear image of it.
The 90-minute data set will allow scientists to study the corona’s static and dynamic features in detail, according to the NSO. Many of the phenomena known as “space weather” are believed to originate there. Researchers hope to gain a clearer understanding of the corona’s intensity, motions of prominence, inflows, mass ejections and other active regions.
Citizen CATE was funded by a combination of federal, corporate and private sources. The volunteer observers and institutions will keep the equipment for further research, education and public outreach.
“We hope this will go a long way to creating a lasting legacy of astronomy and solar science across the nation,” said Claire Rafferty, the NSO’s head of education and public outreach.
The Citizen CATE movie is available at: www.citizencate.org.
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