NASA-funded teams will use a high-altitude research aircraft and scientific balloons to study the Sun's corona and atmospheric changes during the August 12, 2026, total solar eclipse.
Key facts
- •The total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, will pass over Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Portugal, and Russia.
- •The NASA WB-57 jet will fly at 50,000 feet to capture at least 20 images per second of the solar corona.
- •Iceland-based teams will launch 80 balloons to study the impact of the eclipse on the Earth's boundary layer.
- •Balloon experiments in Spain will measure ozone levels and capture 360-degree imagery of the eclipse shadow.
- •The research is funded by NASA’s Heliophysics Low Cost Access to Space Program.
On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will sweep across Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Portugal, and Russia. NASA-funded science teams plan to utilize a WB-57 high-altitude research aircraft and a series of scientific balloons to observe the event. These efforts aim to investigate the dynamics of the Sun’s corona and analyze how the sudden darkening of the sky impacts Earth’s atmosphere.
By the numbers
Aerial Observations of the Solar Corona
A NASA WB-57 jet will fly at 50,000 feet to capture high-resolution imagery of the solar corona using the SCIFLI Multispectral Airborne Imager (SAMI). By flying along the eclipse path at 460 miles per hour, the aircraft will extend the observation window to nearly three minutes, compared to the maximum of two minutes and 18 seconds available from the ground. The high altitude also allows the cameras to record infrared wavelengths that are typically absorbed by the lower atmosphere. Principal investigator Amir Caspi noted that the team has implemented technical enhancements for this campaign, including adjusted exposure times to prevent overexposure of bright features. The data collected will help researchers study solar prominences, the heating of the corona, and the relationship between coronal material and the solar wind.
Atmospheric Research via Balloon Launches
The Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, led by Angela Des Jardins of Montana State University, will deploy teams to Iceland and Spain to conduct atmospheric measurements. In Iceland, two teams will launch 80 balloons over a 26-hour period to study the Earth's boundary layer, which is the portion of the atmosphere in contact with the ground. Researchers are investigating whether the eclipse will cause this layer to collapse, as observed in previous missions. In Spain, three teams will launch six balloons equipped with 360-degree cameras to image the eclipse shadow from above. These balloons will also carry instruments to measure atmospheric ozone levels. Scientists are interested in how ozone concentrations change during totality, particularly given the specific seasonal and timing conditions of the August 2026 event.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by NASA Breaking News.
