Annular Solar Eclipse
An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth while it is at its farthest point from Earth. Because the Moon is farther away from Earth, it appears smaller than the Sun and does not completely cover the star. This creates a “ring of fire” effect in the sky.
On Oct. 14, 2023, the annular eclipse will begin in the United States, traveling from the coast of Oregon to the Texas Gulf Coast. Weather permitting, the annular eclipse will be visible in Oregon, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas, as well as some parts of California, Idaho, Colorado, and Arizona. For those in Iowa, this solar eclipse will still be visible as a partial eclipse. Because the Sun is never completely covered, observers must wear proper eye protection at all times while watching an annular eclipse.
The annular eclipse will continue on to Central America, passing over Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Panama. In South America, the eclipse will travel through Colombia before ending off the coast of Natal, Brazil, in the Atlantic Ocean.
Total Solar Eclipse
A full totality eclipse will occur on April 8th, 2024. The total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk. People along the path of totality will see the Sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, which is usually obscured by the bright face of the Sun. Iowans will still be able to experience this solar phenomenon even outside the path of totality, which will result in viewing a partial eclipse of the sun.
The annular eclipse will continue on to Central America, passing over Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Panama. In South America, the eclipse will travel through Colombia before ending off the coast of Natal, Brazil, in the Atlantic Ocean.
An eclipse season is one of only two periods during each year when the Sun, the Moon, and Earth are aligned, allowing eclipses to occur. Each season Lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months later.
After the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2023, the next total solar eclipse that can be seen from the contiguous United States will be on Aug. 23, 2024.
We can’t normally see the corona, the Sun’s outer atmosphere, because the Sun’s surface below is so much brighter. But during a total solar eclipse, the corona emerges, offering unique opportunities to study it.
ISGC Eclipse Activities
The High Altitude Balloon Experiments in Technology (HABET) team at Iowa State University, which is a group under Make to Innovate, was invited to participate in the National Eclipse Balloon project led by Montana Space Grant Consortium. The National Eclipse Balloon project has two groups of teams, a science group, and an engineering group. HABET will participate in the engineering group. The group currently consists of six undergraduates and one graduate student that will work over the summer to prepare for the upcoming eclipses.
The group will join a diverse group of other teams coming from over 50 other universities and colleges across the US. The team will participate in two upcoming eclipses. The first eclipse will be the annular eclipse on October 14th, 2023. The second eclipse will be the total eclipse on April 8th, 2024. Iowa Space Grant Consortium and the Make to Innovate program at Iowa State University will be providing funding to support students, travel and equipment. Additional equipment has been provided by the National Eclipse Balloon project.
Make to Innovate at Iowa State
National Eclipse Ballooning Project
Resources
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