NASA Shares Views of August Solar Eclipse from Ground, Air, Space

On August 12, a total solar eclipse crossed Greenland, Iceland, and Spain, briefly revealing the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, to observers in the path of totality. NASA researchers positioned along the eclipse’s route captured images of the event, including partial phases before sunset in Spain and the International Space Station transiting the partially eclipsed Sun from Maine. Astronauts aboard the station also photographed the eclipse from orbit, while NASA pilots flew a WB-57F research jet at 50,000 feet to extend observation time and record high-resolution images of the corona and solar prominences.

Teams participating in the NASA-funded Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project launched scientific balloons in Iceland and Spain, equipped with instruments to study the eclipse’s shadow and its impact on the atmosphere. Despite cloud cover in Iceland, the balloons collected data on atmospheric changes during the brief loss of sunlight and heat. The observations aim to improve understanding of how solar eclipses influence Earth’s lower atmosphere and weather patterns.

Scientists at Predictive Science Inc., supported by NASA grants and supercomputers, used solar observations from NASA spacecraft and ground-based telescopes to predict the appearance of the corona during the eclipse. Their predictions were later compared to composite images captured by the NASA-supported DEB Initiative project near León, Spain, providing a basis for further analysis of the Sun’s dynamic outer atmosphere.

Over the coming months, researchers will analyze the data collected during the August 12 eclipse to deepen knowledge of the Sun and its interactions with Earth. These findings will also help prepare for future eclipse observations, including a longer total solar eclipse visible from southern Spain and northern Africa on August 2, 2027.