Friday, November 17, 2017

These Satellites Will Watch the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse from Space [bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]

These Satellites Will Watch the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse from Space [bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]

The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) spacecraft, which launched in 2013, studies how the solar atmosphere is energized. The spacecraft does this by capturing ultraviolet images of the chromosphere (the lower part of the sun’s atmosphere) and the transition region between the sun’s surface and its atmosphere, where temperatures jump dramatically.

IRIS is in a sun-synchronous orbit, which is a near-polar orbit. The spacecraft always passes over Earth at the same local solar time; in other words, IRIS is in constant sunlight. IRIS will see the moon pass in front of the sun several times during the solar eclipse, for about 15 minutes each pass. IRIS will calibrate its instruments during the transit, NASA officials said. 

IRIS will focus especially on the lower atmosphere (the chromosphere) and loops of material projecting from the sun (prominences.) IRIS can view solar material at temperatures impossible to see from Earth’s surface. It will also scan the entire limb of the sun in high resolution.

IRIS will also work in conjunction with observatories on the ground, NASA officials said.

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https://www.space.com/37778-satellites-watching-the-2017-solar-eclipse.html These Satellites Will Watch the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse from Space

[bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]These Satellites Will Watch the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse from Space

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