\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA Johnson Pilots Chase Moon\u2019s Shadow for Eclipse Science\u00a0\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/jsc2026e406812.jpg?w=1536\")
<\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/jsc2026e406812.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nNASA\u2019s WB-57F aircraft prepares for takeoff from Ellington Field in Houston ahead of its mission to observe the Aug. 12, 2026, total solar eclipse from Iceland. From left are John Gustine, NASA WB-57F pilot, and Cary Klemm, sensor equipment operator for NASA\u2019s WB-57F. <\/div>\nNASA\/Robert Markowitz<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nDuring the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse\u00a0over\u00a0Europe, scientists aimed to study a long-standing mystery: why the Sun\u2019s outer atmosphere, the corona, is far hotter than its visible surface.\u00a0Capturing\u00a0the data they needed\u00a0meant\u00a0being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pilots from NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center\u00a0flew the WB-57F\u00a0high altitude research\u00a0aircraft\u00a0from Ellington Field in Houston\u00a0to\u00a0Iceland, their base for flying\u00a0through the path of totality\u00a0to give scientists a clearer view of the Sun\u2019s corona.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A total solar eclipse\u00a0provides\u00a0a unique opportunity to examine the corona because the Moon temporarily blocks the Sun\u2019s bright surface, revealing its fainter outer atmosphere. Observations collected<\/a><\/strong> during this brief window can help scientists better understand how energy and material move through the corona and away from the Sun, improving our understanding of space weather.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/jsc2026e406818.jpg?w=1365\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nJohn Gustine, NASA WB-57F pilot, prepares for flight at Ellington Field in Houston ahead of the aircraft\u2019s departure for Iceland to support the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse. <\/div>\nNASA\/Robert Markowitz<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAt about 50,000 feet, the WB-57F\u00a0flew above most clouds, dust, and water vapor that can interfere with observations from the ground. The altitude reduced atmospheric interference while also allowing the science instruments to\u00a0observe\u00a0infrared wavelengths that are\u00a0largely absorbed\u00a0lower in Earth\u2019s atmosphere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Capturing those observations required careful coordination between scientists and the\u00a0flight crew. Before the mission, teams calculated where the\u00a0aircraft\u00a0needed to be as the Moon\u2019s shadow moved across the North Atlantic.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing into a mission like this takes a huge team. It starts with the science team\u00a0establishing\u00a0the requirements, and then we work closely with them for months leading up to the mission,\u201d said Tom Parent, NASA WB-57F pilot. \u201cWe rely heavily on our maintenance team to get the instruments serviced, prepared, loaded onto the\u00a0aircraft, and flight tested.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a huge team effort to get\u00a0an aircraft\u00a0like this up there to image and achieve these\u00a0objectives.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/jsc2026e406821.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nNASA\u2019s WB-57F aircraft takes off from Ellington Field in Houston ahead of its mission supporting the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse from Iceland. <\/div>\nNASA\/Robert Markowitz<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nDuring totality, NASA WB-57F pilot John Gustine positioned the\u00a0aircraft\u00a0along the eclipse path to maximize time in the Moon\u2019s shadow and give scientists as much opportunity as possible to collect data.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From the back seat, Cary Klemm, sensor equipment operator for NASA\u2019s WB-57F, controlled the camera systems, adjusting focus and exposure times while tracking features of interest throughout totality.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With the cameras capturing observations throughout the brief window, every second mattered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery\u00a0image is another piece of data that could reveal something new about the Sun,\u201d Klemm said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What scientists can learn from those observations reaches far beyond the eclipse itself. The Sun\u2019s corona is made of plasma shaped by magnetic fields, and many of the same physical processes occur elsewhere in the universe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe NASA WB-57F\u2019s unique capabilities of high-altitude flight were truly crucial in providing access to these valuable wavelengths during an eclipse whose path crossed mostly over the ocean in an area where clouds are common,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Amir Caspi, principal investigator for the study at Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado. \u201cWe could not have achieved this success without this platform, and\u00a0all of\u00a0the efforts of the many intrepid ground, air, and science crew members.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/jsc2026e406812.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>During the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse\u00a0over\u00a0Europe, scientists aimed to study a long-standing mystery: why the Sun\u2019s outer atmosphere, the corona, is far hotter than its visible surface.\u00a0Capturing\u00a0the data they needed\u00a0meant\u00a0being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pilots from NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center\u00a0flew the WB-57F\u00a0high altitude research\u00a0aircraft\u00a0from Ellington Field in Houston\u00a0to\u00a0Iceland, their base for flying\u00a0through the path of totality\u00a0to give scientists a clearer view of the Sun\u2019s corona.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A total solar eclipse\u00a0provides\u00a0a unique opportunity to examine the corona because the Moon temporarily blocks the Sun\u2019s bright surface, revealing its fainter outer atmosphere. Observations collected<\/a><\/strong> during this brief window can help scientists better understand how energy and material move through the corona and away from the Sun, improving our understanding of space weather.\u00a0<\/p>\n At about 50,000 feet, the WB-57F\u00a0flew above most clouds, dust, and water vapor that can interfere with observations from the ground. The altitude reduced atmospheric interference while also allowing the science instruments to\u00a0observe\u00a0infrared wavelengths that are\u00a0largely absorbed\u00a0lower in Earth\u2019s atmosphere.\u00a0<\/p>\n Capturing those observations required careful coordination between scientists and the\u00a0flight crew. Before the mission, teams calculated where the\u00a0aircraft\u00a0needed to be as the Moon\u2019s shadow moved across the North Atlantic.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cGoing into a mission like this takes a huge team. It starts with the science team\u00a0establishing\u00a0the requirements, and then we work closely with them for months leading up to the mission,\u201d said Tom Parent, NASA WB-57F pilot. \u201cWe rely heavily on our maintenance team to get the instruments serviced, prepared, loaded onto the\u00a0aircraft, and flight tested.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a huge team effort to get\u00a0an aircraft\u00a0like this up there to image and achieve these\u00a0objectives.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n During totality, NASA WB-57F pilot John Gustine positioned the\u00a0aircraft\u00a0along the eclipse path to maximize time in the Moon\u2019s shadow and give scientists as much opportunity as possible to collect data.\u00a0<\/p>\n From the back seat, Cary Klemm, sensor equipment operator for NASA\u2019s WB-57F, controlled the camera systems, adjusting focus and exposure times while tracking features of interest throughout totality.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the cameras capturing observations throughout the brief window, every second mattered.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEvery\u00a0image is another piece of data that could reveal something new about the Sun,\u201d Klemm said.\u00a0<\/p>\n What scientists can learn from those observations reaches far beyond the eclipse itself. The Sun\u2019s corona is made of plasma shaped by magnetic fields, and many of the same physical processes occur elsewhere in the universe.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe NASA WB-57F\u2019s unique capabilities of high-altitude flight were truly crucial in providing access to these valuable wavelengths during an eclipse whose path crossed mostly over the ocean in an area where clouds are common,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Amir Caspi, principal investigator for the study at Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado. \u201cWe could not have achieved this success without this platform, and\u00a0all of\u00a0the efforts of the many intrepid ground, air, and science crew members.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure>