Scientists are chasing the Aug. 21, 2017, total solar eclipse from the skies.
A NASA-funded team will follow the Moon’s shadow in two jet planes
as it passes over the Eastern U.S.
The jets will take off from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas,
and fly in formation 50,000 feet above Missouri, Illinois, and Tennessee.
From that vantage point, the jets will witness an eclipse almost three times longer than visible from the ground
and give scientists a rare opportunity to make extended observations.
Using telescopes placed at the noses of the jets,
scientists will take unprecedented high-speed images of the Sun’s atmosphere to understand why it is so hot.
They will also observe Mercury and create the first thermal map of the planet.
From scientific research to citizen science, the team is one of many studying under the shadow of the Moon.