Study Total Solar Eclipses with Ham Radio
Narration: Joy Ng
Transcript:
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When the Moon blocks the Sun during a solar eclipse,
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there is a noticeable impact on Earth's upper atmosphere known as the ionosphere.
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These changes can affect radio communications,
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including amateur radio, also known as ham radio.
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Ham radio is a way you can talk to people all around the world.
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You set up a radio, and antenna. You talk into the radio.
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The radio sends a signal up to the antenna.
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The antenna sends a signal up to the sky.
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It bounces off of the electrified layer of the sky
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back down to Earth, where you can talk to the person on the other side.
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During the 2024 total solar eclipse, the HamSCI Citizen Science
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Project is inviting ham radio operators to transmit radio signals.
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The goal is to have people make as many radio contacts as they can
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with operators in different locations during the celestial event.
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By recording how strong their radio signals are and how far they go,
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ham radio operators and scientists can learn about
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how the ionosphere changes during solar eclipses.
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Sometimes you can talk around the world and sometimes you can’t,
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and that's all based on what the ionosphere is doing,
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what the Sun is doing.
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When it works and you are able to talk to these faraway places,
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I find that really magical. To learn how you can participate,
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Follow @DoNASAScience on X and Facebook.
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[music]