On Monday, April 8, a total eclipse will be visible from parts of the United States, Canada and Mexico. This event is expected not only by millions of spectators, but also by NASA scientists, which is not surprising. For many years, researchers from different countries have been trying to understand how an eclipse affects various processes on Earth and in the atmosphere. For example, in the 70s, scientists used a supersonic plane that literally chased the shadow so that the phenomenon could be observed for as long as possible. This time, NASA scientists are going to launch three sounding rockets at once.
What happens to the atmosphere during an eclipse
Flying in an airplane after the eclipse did not bring much scientific results other than beautiful photographs. However, it has long been known that an eclipse leads to rapid and dramatic changes on Earth and in the atmosphere. For example, temperatures drop sharply and even some types of clouds dissipate. Even the behavior of animals is changing.
However, little is still known about how this phenomenon affects the ionosphere, that is, the upper layer of the Earth's atmosphere at an altitude of 90 to 500 kilometers. This area is called the ionosphere because of the high concentration of free ions and electrons. X-rays and ultraviolet rays, as well as cosmic rays, strip electrons from gas atoms, ionizing space, causing the upper atmosphere to expand during the daytime.
However, at sunset the ionosphere becomes thinner as ions recombine into neutral atoms until the next dawn. The first rays of the sun pull them out again, and the situation repeats itself. An eclipse dramatically changes this process. Scientists even compare its consequences to a motor boat, the waves from which disturb the light ripples on the pond, literally bursting into it. Such disturbances occurring in the ionosphere interfere with radio and satellite communications.
NASA rockets will study the ionosphere during the eclipse
So, NASA rockets will go into the ionosphere to find out what happens to it during an eclipse. As the scientists themselves explain, brief changes in the ionosphere cannot be observed from satellites, since at the time of the eclipse they will be in a different place. Therefore, three rockets will be launched from the agency's flight base on Wallops Island in Virginia.
It must be said that over this area the eclipse will not be total, but only 81.4%. However, this will be enough for scientists to get answers to their questions, in particular, how widely the “trace” created by the eclipse spreads in the ionosphere.
It must be said that this experiment will not be the first. In October 2023, the team already launched a rocket during a partial solar eclipse known as the “ring of fire.” Then the Moon blocked 90% of the sunlight. The study found that reduced sunlight could indeed affect radio and satellite communications. This only emphasized the need for further research and the possibility of predicting consequences.
Therefore, scientists are now interested in whether disturbances will occur at the same height as last time, and how much their scale will change. But why does NASA want to launch exactly three rockets? In fact, everything is very simple – they will take off at different times with a difference of 45 minutes. The first rocket will fly before the eclipse, the second during the eclipse, and the third immediately after it.
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The results obtained will help scientists improve the quality of communication. In addition, the information may be useful for climate engineering in the future. Let us recall that blocking sunlight is considered by scientists as one of the ways to combat global warming. However, recently more and more information has appeared that this method of solving this problem may entail a number of even more negative consequences.
Finally, we note that the next total eclipse over the United States and the surrounding area will not occur before 2044 of the year. Therefore, now is a rare opportunity for scientists to collect important data.