Sky & Telescope - March 2024 - 58

SEAN WALKER
MARCH 2024 OBSERVING
Pro-Am Conjunction by Diana Hannikainen
Post-eclipse, the team, together
with computer programmers and scientists,
will analyze the treasure-trove
of images and extract useful scientific
information. To this, they'll add NASA
data gathered by satellites and groundbased
telescopes, which will help them
analyze, e.g., transient plasma flows in
the corona. They'll also make the data
public for anyone to peruse.
Ready, Set, Film! If you'd like to
Eclipse Megamovie 2024
Help a team of scientists record the Sun's corona during
April's total solar eclipse.
L
ikely the most spectacular aspect
of a total solar eclipse is the Sun's
corona. The only time we can witness
this wispy stellar atmosphere with our
own eyes is when the Moon has fully
covered the blinding light of the Sun's
disk. Not only does the corona provide
an unforgettable view, but it is also an
important target for solar researchers.
The solar corona is a dynamic entity,
varying on time scales of up to 15 minutes
or so. Due to the length of totality,
though, anybody viewing an eclipse will
only catch a few-minutes-long glimpse
of the corona. So how can scientists
watch longer variations of its tendrils?
One nifty way is by having observers
stationed all along the path of totality
and later collating their data into one
long observation. This is exactly what
NASA's Eclipse Megamovie 2017 did
for the event on August 21, 2017.
Eclipse Megamovies. The Megamovie
team had another nifty idea.
They tapped into a device that many
folks have in their back pocket: a
smartphone. Couple this with the fact
that an eclipse is an experience most
people won't want to miss, and you
have millions of cameras transported
58 MARCH 2024 * SKY & TELESCOPE
pDYNAMIC FEATURES The Sun's corona
varies on time scales of about 15 minutes,
but totality lasts only a few minutes. How can
scientists study the corona's behavior for long
enough to catch the changing phenomena?
With a continent-wide citizen-science project!
into the path of totality. In 2017, more
than 600 eclipse-viewers all across the
United States snapped photos during
totality, which the Megamovie team
then stitched together. Voilà, you now
have a 90-or-so-minute movie showing
the evolution of the solar corona.
The 2017 experiment is being
repeated this April, with improvements.
The Eclipse Megamovie 2024
team, led by Laura Peticolas (Sonoma
State University), is again asking citizen
scientists to take photos during the
eclipse. But this time they're requesting
photographers use regular cameras,
and that they acquire flats, darks,
and calibration frames (for accurate
alignment of the images). Individually,
the 2017 and 2024 results will highlight
the corona's behavior over several
hours; comparing the two movies
should provide some insight into how
the corona behaves over a timeline of
seven years.
help the team capture images of the
corona, go to the project's webpage,
eclipsemegamovie.org. You'll have
opportunities to participate in training
in the form of webinars and/or
written instructions. You will, however,
need your own camera - a DSLR
or mirrorless camera with a 300-mm
or greater telephoto lens will do. The
camera should be equipped with a GPS
receiver or be able to connect to one.
A tripod is essential, as is an equatorial
tracking mount.
The project's comprehensive FAQ
page, at eclipsemegamovie.org/faq,
has info on the required tech specs.
Megamovie Communications Specialist
Hannah Hellman urges those
interested to join their Discord server
(https://is.gd/Megamovie_Discord;
the project website has instructions
on how to use Discord for the uninitiated).
" It's already looking like it's
going to be a wonderful way for our
community of volunteers to engage
with one another leading up to and
following the eclipse, " she says.
Want to go a step further? Become
a volunteer! The Megamovie team
offer several ways to get involved in
the project, including having detailoriented
citizens to help them sift
through the data after the event.
You can sign up here: eclipsemegamovie.org/team/volunteers.
Are you a
Spanish-speaker? You can volunteer to
help the team communicate with the
Spanish community along the path.
And now, let's all cross fingers and
toes for clear skies on April 8th.
¢ Observing Editor DIANA HANNIKAINEN
is constantly amazed by what we continue
to learn about our Sun.
http://www.eclipsemegamovie.org https://eclipsemegamovie.org/faq https://is.gd/Megamovie_Discord https://eclipsemegamovie.org/team/volunteers https://eclipsemegamovie.org/team/volunteers
Sky & Telescope - March 2024

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