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.
Can I see the eclipse?
To check out viewing information at your location, visit: https://eclipse-explorer.smce.nasa.gov/
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, 2024, the next total solar eclipse that can be seen from the contiguous United States will be on August 23rd 2044.
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.
Annular Solar Eclipse
On Oct. 14, 2023, the annular eclipse began in the United States, and traveled from the coast of Oregon to the Texas Gulf Coast. For those in Iowa, the solar eclipse was visible as a partial eclipse.
To watch the NASA eclipse livestream from Oct. 14 and to learn more about annular eclipses, visit: The Ring of Fire: 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse (Official NASA Broadcast)
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 is a part of the engineering group. The group currently consists of six undergraduates and one graduate student that worked over the summer to prepare for the 2024 eclipse.
The group is a part of a diverse group of other teams from over 50 other universities and colleges across the US. The first eclipse that the team participated in was 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 provide 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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