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NASA-Funded Science Projects Tuning In to \u2018Eclipse Radio\u2019<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross parts of the United States<\/a>. For millions of people along the path of totality, where the Moon will completely cover the Sun, it may feel like an eerie daytime darkness has descended as temperatures drop and wind patterns change. But these changes are mild compared to what happens some 100 to 400 miles above our heads in an electrically conductive layer of our atmosphere known as the ionosphere, where the \u201cfalse night\u201d of an eclipse is amplified a hundredfold. Three NASA-funded experiments will investigate the eclipse\u2019s effects on the ionosphere through the power of radio, a technology well suited to studying this enigmatic layer of our atmosphere.\u00a0<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019ve heard of the ionosphere or not, you\u2019ve likely taken advantage of its existence. This electric blanket of particles is critical for long-distance AM and shortwave radio. Radio operators aim their transmitters into the sky, \u201cbouncing\u201d signals off this layer and around the curvature of Earth to extend their broadcast by hundreds or even thousands of miles.<\/p>\n The ionosphere is sustained by our Sun. The Sun\u2019s rays separate negatively charged electrons from atoms, creating the positively charged ions that the ionosphere is named for. When night falls, over 60 miles of the ionosphere disappears as ions and electrons recombine into neutral atoms. Come dawn, the electrons are freed again and the ionosphere swells in the Sun\u2019s illumination \u2013 a daily cycle of \u201cbreathing\u201d in and out at a global scale.<\/p>\n A total solar eclipse is a scientific goldmine \u2013 a rare chance to observe a natural experiment in action. On April 8 the three NASA-funded projects listed below are among those \u201ctuning in\u201d to the changes wrought by a blotted-out Sun.<\/p>\n The Super Dual Auroral Radar Network, or SuperDARN, is a collection of radars located at sites around the world. They bounce radio waves off of the ionosphere and analyze the returning signal. Their data reveals changes in the ionosphere\u2019s density, temperature, and location (i.e. movement).<\/p>\n The 2024 eclipse will pass over three U.S.-based SuperDARN radars. A team of scientists led by Bharat Kunduri, a professor at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, have been busy preparing for it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe changes in solar radiation that occur during a total solar eclipse can result in a \u2019thinning\u2019 of the ionosphere,\u201d Kunduri said. \u201cDuring the eclipse, SuperDARN will operate in special modes designed to monitor the changes in the ionosphere at finer spatiotemporal scales.\u201d<\/p>\n Kunduri\u2019s team will compare SuperDARN\u2019s measurements to predictions from computer models to answer questions about how the ionosphere responds to a solar eclipse.<\/p>\n While some experiments rely on massive radio telescopes, others depend more on people power. The Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation, or HamSCI, is a NASA citizen science project that involves amateur or \u201cham\u201d radio operators. On April 8, ham radio operators across the country will attempt to send and receive signals to one another before, during, and after the eclipse. Led by Nathaniel Frissell, a professor of Physics and Engineering at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, HamSCI participants will share their radio data to catalog how the sudden loss of sunlight during totality affects their radio signals.<\/p>\n This experiment follows similar efforts completed during the 2017 total solar eclipse and the 2023 annular eclipse.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the 2017 eclipse, we found that the ionosphere behaved very similar to nighttime,\u201d Frissell said. Radio signals traveled farther, and frequencies that typically work best at night became usable. Frissell hopes to continue the comparison between eclipses and the day\/night cycle, assessing how widespread the changes in the ionosphere are and comparing the results to computer models.<\/p>\n Some radio signals don\u2019t bounce off of the ionosphere \u2013 instead, they pass right through it. Our Sun is constantly roiling with magnetic eruptions, some of which create radio bursts. These long-wavelength bursts of energy can be detected by radio receivers on Earth. But first they must pass through the ionosphere, whose ever-changing characteristics affect whether and how these signals make it to the receiver.<\/p>\n The RadioJOVE project is a team of citizen scientists dedicated to documenting radio signals from space, especially Jupiter. During the total solar eclipse, RadioJOVE participants will focus on the Sun. Using radio antenna kits they set up themselves, they\u2019ll record solar radio bursts before, during, and after the eclipse.<\/p>\n During the 2017 eclipse, some participants recorded a reduced intensity of solar radio bursts. But more observations are needed to draw firm conclusions. \u201cWith better training and more observers,\u00a0we\u2019ll get better coverage to further study radio propagation through the ionosphere,\u201d said Chuck Higgins, a professor at Middle Tennessee State University and founding member of RadioJOVE. \u201cWe hope to continue longer-term observations, through the Heliophysics Big Year<\/a> and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n Find out more about the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse on NASA\u2019s eclipse page<\/a>.<\/p>\n By Miles Hatfield Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross parts of the United States. For millions of people along the path of totality, where the Moon will completely cover the Sun, it may feel like an eerie daytime darkness has descended as temperatures drop and wind patterns change. But these changes are mild compared [\u2026] Continue reading ![\"Solar](\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/eclipse-national-forest.jpeg?w=2048\")
<\/figure>SuperDARN<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/pic-fort-hays-facing-east-lasse.jpg?w=997\")
<\/figure>HamSCI<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/hamradio-5171-1.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/figure>RadioJOVE<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/radio-image-of-sun.jpeg?w=800\")
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NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.<\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n