‘You’re hit with a slam of shadow’: Nasa’s air mission to capture rare eclipse data
NASA is conducting a high-altitude research mission using a specialized aircraft to capture rare data during a solar eclipse. By flying at 50,000 feet, the team aims to extend the duration of totality to gather better imagery of the sun.
Why it matters
Advanced aerial observation allows scientists to study solar phenomena with greater clarity and duration than ground-based observation.
The sun behind the moon during the Great North American Eclipse in April 2024, seen from in Mazatlan, Mexico. The sun behind the moon during the Great North American Eclipse in April 2024, seen from in Mazatlan, Mexico. Solar eclipses ‘You’re hit with a slam of shadow’: Nasa’s air mission to capture rare eclipse data Two aviators will take off from Iceland to photograph the sun while flying at high altitude along solar eclipse’s path
Prefer the Guardian on Google After lunch on Wednesday, two Nasa aviators will climb into a research plane and take off from Keflavik airport on a western tip of Iceland . They will climb north towards Greenland and then bank to head south on a gently curving course 40 miles (64km) off the Icelandic coast.
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