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Scientists are chasing the Aug. 21, 2017, total solar eclipse from the skies.

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A NASA-funded team will follow the Moon’s shadow in two jet planes

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as it passes over the Eastern U.S.

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The jets will take off from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas,

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and fly in formation 50,000 feet above Missouri, Illinois, and Tennessee.

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From that vantage point, the jets will witness an eclipse almost three times longer than visible from the ground

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and give scientists a rare opportunity to make extended observations.

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Using telescopes placed at the noses of the jets,

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scientists will take unprecedented high-speed images of the Sun’s atmosphere to understand why it is so hot.

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They will also observe Mercury and create the first thermal map of the planet.

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From scientific research to citizen science, the team is one of many studying under the shadow of the Moon.

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