A total solar eclipse in 2024 is considered a special and rare event. On April 8, as the eclipse crosses the United States, the sun will be near its active peak. The solar maximum, as it is known when the sun is active every 11 years, is characterized by more sunspots and increased light and radiation, with frequent explosions of charged particles from the sun’s surface in solar storms that threaten satellites and could potentially disrupt communications and power grids on Earth. This means that at the time of the eclipse, researchers will have a rare opportunity to observe and study the outer edges of the sun with currently available scientific instruments. This leads to intense activity and a range of projects aimed at taking advantage of this opportunity to understand the sun and its effects on our planet and its atmosphere.
Help with Producing the Enhanced Mega Eclipse Film
Volunteers along the path of the total eclipse, where the sun is completely blocked by the moon, will capture images of the eclipse to compile a film covering the event as it moves from Texas to Maine. The 2024 mega eclipse film will be an improvement over the efforts made in 2017, which was the first collection of total eclipse images gathered by the public and turned into a film. Images will be collected from volunteers who have high-quality cameras, on mounts that allow them to closely track the sun’s path in the sky, and be aligned and shielded to enhance the scientific value of the film. To contribute to the film, volunteers need to apply by October 31. The Mega Eclipse Film Cooperative will provide sun-tracking devices for free to up to 100 volunteers. Those who miss the volunteer application deadline or do not have the suitable equipment to capture images can participate in data analysis efforts in the months following the eclipse.
Help Determine the Shape of the Sun
If you only have a smartphone, you can contribute to science, provided you have access to the total eclipse path. Using the SunSketcher app, you can help time the bright spots of light known as Bailey’s beads, which appear when sunlight passes through valleys on the moon before and after totality. The data collected by volunteers using the app “will help us accurately determine the shape of the sun,” according to astronomer Gordon Emslie from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. The results will assist in testing gravity theories by studying how the sun’s shape affects planetary orbits. You can participate without interrupting your other activities to view the eclipse. Just install the app on your phone, point it at the sun, and start the app at least five minutes before the eclipse. The app will take care of the rest, and you can keep copies of the images as a memento.
Help Listen to Wildlife Effects
Eclipses significantly impact animals, as first scientifically noted in 1932. Volunteers in the Eclipse Soundscapes project will expand on previous studies by using audio data they collect along or near the path of totality. Instructions to build the equipment you will need can be found on the Eclipse Soundscapes website. You can also apply for a complete kit. However, if you do not receive one of the pre-equipped kits and do not wish to assemble a data recording device yourself, or if you are not close to the total eclipse path, you can participate by observing the eclipse’s effects on the environment, wherever you are. After uploading your observations on the Eclipse Soundscapes website, volunteers will analyze them along with all other submissions. There are many non-audio aspects as well, according to Marie Kay Severino, a science education specialist at the ARISA Lab in Medford, Massachusetts. Eclipses are “multi-sensory events, making them more powerful and more accessible,” she says. “Eclipse Soundscapes focuses heavily on sound as well as other sensory observations to help us begin understanding how solar eclipses affect nature.”
Opportunities
Another for Citizen Science
Some projects rely on teams sharing specialized equipment to observe the eclipse. The Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast initiative will provide camera and telescope systems, along with training, for 60 teams that will estimate the speed and acceleration of emissions from the solar corona. More than 35 teams participating in the Citizen Continental-America Telescope Eclipse project will use cameras capable of recording the corona in polarized light in an effort to understand how solar winds emanate from the sun. Both projects have a limited supply of equipment, meaning limited opportunities for volunteers, so contact them as soon as possible if you wish to join. Other projects include repurposing equipment designated for various purposes. Amateur radio enthusiasts can join the HamSCI community to learn how eclipses change the way radio signals propagate through the atmosphere. NASA’s Radio JOVE project includes eclipse monitoring information for amateur astronomers who typically rely on radio telescopes to study the sun, Jupiter, and the Milky Way galaxy. Whether you set up a camera, install an app, join a team, or run your radio receiver, Kuriak asserts that there has never been a better time for citizen scientists to contribute to solar eclipse research. And if you miss the event on April 8, you’ll have to wait a while for another opportunity, as “this is the last one for 20 years that covers any major part of the United States.”
Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/citizen-scientists-2024-solar-eclipse
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