Help NASA Study Eclipses With These Citizen Science Projects

Narration: Lacey Young

Transcript:

Did you know that YOU can participate in solar eclipse science with NASA?

NASA’s citizen science projects are collaborations between scientists and members of the public, no matter your citizenship.

Several volunteer science projects are gearing up for the 2024 total solar eclipse that you can join!

Total solar eclipses don’t just look cool – they provide a rare chance to see the Sun’s faint outer atmosphere.

Using telescopes and cameras that are safe for viewing the Sun, volunteer scientists across North America will capture images of the total solar eclipse. Scientists will study these images in detail, tracking how plumes of solar material move through the Sun’s atmosphere.

But be careful – without proper tools and techniques, you can damage your eyes and your camera!

Did you know you can “listen” to an eclipse too? Amateur, or “ham,” radio operators will send radio messages to one another during the eclipse to see how changes in the upper atmosphere distort radio signals.

As the Moon blocks one portion of the Sun, it can make other portions easier to see. Working with local scientists at an observatory in Southern California, participants will observe magnetic “hot spots” on the Sun as the Moon passes over them, revealing details they normally can’t detect.

Want to learn more? Follow @DoNASAScience on X and Facebook to see how YOU can get involved in NASA citizen science!