{"id":1940,"date":"2023-06-22T16:43:28","date_gmt":"2023-06-22T16:43:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aurorasaurudev.wpengine.com\/?p=1940"},"modified":"2026-07-06T21:01:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T21:01:28","slug":"senses-and-sensors-for-solar-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/?p=1940","title":{"rendered":"Connecting Senses and Sensors with Solar Science"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guest post by Dr. Liz MacDonald, Sarah Kirn, and Laura Edson<\/span><\/p>\n

As it rises, sets, dances the seasons with the Earth, and sends space weather our way, the Sun is an integral part of our daily lives. Science is one of many ways to get to know our Sun better, and the upcoming year will bring especially exciting opportunities. In this post, we\u2019ll introduce collaborative science projects that use different senses, like sight and sound, as well as sensors like radios to learn about the Sun\u2019s influence on life on Earth and on our Solar System. We\u2019ll also explain how these projects connect with the Sun, upcoming eclipses, and one another in the broad field of Heliophysics, the study of our Sun and how it interacts with our solar system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From October 2023\u2013December 2024, NASA will be celebrating a <\/b>Heliophysics Big Year<\/b><\/a> (HBY) that will celebrate solar science and its connection with our world.<\/b> Heliophysics provides a huge breadth of activities to try out and phenomena to observe. Like a \u201c<\/span>Big Year<\/span><\/a>\u201d in birding, the HBY is a personal quest to experience and enhance your relationship with the Sun, especially through citizen and community science. If you\u2019re as excited as we are, there are <\/span>ways to get involved<\/span><\/a> early and help prepare.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only are we ramping up to the Sun\u2019s most active \u201csolar maximum\u201d phase, but an annular eclipse will occur on <\/b>October 14, 2023<\/b><\/a>, over North, Central, and South America, and a total eclipse will happen on <\/b>April 8, 2024<\/b><\/a>, over North America. <\/b>Solar eclipses<\/span><\/a> occur when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on our planet.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Map<\/a>
Map<\/a> developed by NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio (SVS) in collaboration with the NASA Heliophysics Activation Team (NASA HEAT<\/a>), part of NASA\u2019s Science Activation portfolio. Credits: NASA\/Scientific Visualization Studio\/Michala Garrison; eclipse calculations by Ernie Wright, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Download the full map here<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Collaborative science projects take individual approaches to learning about the Sun, but like a family they relate to one another. In other words, read on to find out more about some of the cool things you can try out during the Heliophysics Big Year!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Presentation<\/a>
Full list of participating collaborative science projects. Note that the top row are new projects, the middle row are currently or soon recruiting, and the last row are longstanding open projects.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Keeping a (safe!) eye on the Sun<\/b><\/p>\n

During the total eclipse in April 2024, for a few minutes in the path of totality people will be able to see something amazing (find out about eclipse safety best practices <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>). Because the Moon blocks so much light, during total eclipses we can see detailed features of the outermost part of the Sun\u2019s atmosphere, called the corona. The corona is home to one of the biggest mysteries in Heliophysics: it\u2019s much hotter than we think it should be. Why?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Phases<\/a>
This composite image of eleven pictures shows the progression of a total solar eclipse over Madras, Oregon, on Aug. 21, 2017. Credits: NASA\/Aubrey Gemignani<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Volunteers for several projects will have special solar telescopes trained on the Sun to record the changing corona, too! (<\/span>Never<\/span><\/i> point a regular telescope or camera at the Sun, even during an eclipse.) And we need to look with different filters and at different spots to see different things, and do as much science as we can during this incredible observing opportunity. We don\u2019t know what rare events might be captured, like the evolution of a flare, the passage of a <\/span>comet<\/span><\/a>, or something else entirely! A dynamic duo of projects, <\/span>Citizen CATE 2024<\/span><\/a> (CATE stands for Continental America Telescope Eclipse) and the <\/span>Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast Initiative<\/span><\/a> (DEBI), will engage teams of volunteers on the path of totality to make recordings during the eclipse. The resulting hour-long movies about the Sun’s corona will allow scientists to study its movement and features. While both projects descend from the <\/span>Citizen CATE 2017<\/span><\/a> project, they have different goals. Citizen CATE 2024 will be working with upgraded equipment to study a certain kind of light, while DEBI will use more accessible equipment on and off the path of totality. The <\/span>Eclipse Megamovie 2024<\/span><\/a>: Characterizing Transient Plasma Flows and Jets in the Solar Corona will combine volunteer photos along the path of totality, expanding on a project they did in 2017. Suffice it to say, these eclipses will be well documented and you can help!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Can we see eclipses elsewhere in the galaxy? When we see a star get suddenly dimmer in scientific data, something might have passed in front of it\u2014like a planet! In other words, objects can pass in front of stars and that, in short, is how exoplanets are found. You can help by searching for these patterns with <\/span>Planet Hunters Tess<\/span><\/a>, or finding them yourself with a small telescope with <\/span>Exoplanet Watch<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A lot of citizen science revolves around people finding tricky things that machines simply aren\u2019t able to notice. Some use satellites to safely watch the Sun. For example, <\/span>Solar Jet Hunter<\/span><\/a> is a <\/span>Zooniverse<\/span><\/a> project in which participants identify small, narrow ejections of solar material. Solar jets are important to the origin of the solar wind, a <\/span>gusty stream of material<\/span><\/a> that flows from the <\/span>Sun<\/span><\/a> in all directions, all the time, carrying the Sun\u2019s magnetic field out into space. The <\/span>Sungrazer Project<\/span><\/a> gives participants the opportunity to discover new comets by looking at images of the Sun.<\/span><\/p>\n

Listening to the Earth<\/b><\/p>\n

When scientists think about a planet, they think about the things it is wrapped in, too, like magnetic fields and atmosphere. In addition to the Sun itself, Heliophysics studies how the giant magnetic field that surrounds the Earth responds to what is happening on the Sun. It\u2019s complicated, so spacecraft flying through the Earth\u2019s magnetic field itself collect data on special kinds of particles and waves. A brand-new project called Heliophysics Audified: Resonances in Plasmas (<\/span>HARP<\/span><\/a>) changes some of the collected data into sound and asks volunteers to listen for unusual noises. <\/span>Check it out<\/span><\/a>, and check out this recent <\/span>Q&A with the Aurorasaurus Ambassadors<\/span><\/a>!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If a sudden explosion of energy called a solar flare happens, the Sun could also emit radio waves. Radio waves can also be generated in unusual ways during the rapid sunset-like effect of an eclipse on the upper atmosphere. With the right equipment, people can observe these radio wave signals and their variations! Two projects capture different frequencies. The Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (<\/span>HamSCI<\/span><\/a>) is a way for ham radio operators to take part in scientific research on the effects of solar flares on man-made, high-frequency radio signals, and it has an annual <\/span>free virtual conference<\/span><\/a> and special <\/span>QSO (eclipse contact) contest<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>Radio JOVE<\/span><\/a> participants build their own radio telescopes and listen in to natural radio emissions from the Sun. Small <\/span>grants<\/span><\/a> are available for students and teachers to bring projects like it to the classroom. Radio JOVE is also super cool because in the high-frequency range of radio waves it covers, participants can also capture dynamic emissions from Jupiter for study.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What about life on Earth? How do living things on or near the path of an eclipse respond? <\/span>Eclipse Soundscapes<\/span><\/a> asks volunteers to submit their eclipse observations, and\/or collect audio recordings of ambient sounds during eclipse week using a special device. In this way, volunteers will work alongside scientists to document changes in animal behavior and sounds during the eclipse. Eclipse Soundscapes also focuses on accessibility and works to enable everyone to participate in multisensory eclipse research.<\/span><\/p>\n