2024 Total Eclipse (April 8, 2024)
The April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse crossed North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
Caption: This map shows the path of totality and partial contours crossing the U.S. for the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse.
(Image credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio)
While SOHO, due to its location at the first Lagrangian point (see diagram below) could not observe the eclipse, continued to gather images of both the corona and the Sun surface before, during, and after the eclipse. These observations add valuable information to the interpretation of the pictures gathered by ground-based instruments.
Source: SOHO and the Eclipse (ESA)
However, software tools and other sun-observing satelites were able to provide more eclipse perspectives:
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The new
Helioviewer Eclipse Watch online visualization tool provides eclipse-like images that are captured over a hundred times each day by the
Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph Experiment (LASCO) instrument on SOHO. These images showcase some of the Sun's features that
are visible from the ground on Earth when the Moon completely covers the Sun during the total solar eclipse.
Caption: An eclipse-like image captured by the LASCO instrument on SOHO includes a picture of the Moon added for scale. To see the latest image, visit eclipse.helioviewer.org/ - Solar Orbiter conducted an Eruption Watch Campaign during the eclipse, monitoring the Sun for any bursts of material sent in the direction of Earth. In additions, to study the Sun's corona, Solar Orbiter creates its own artificial eclipse. Its Metis instrument uses a mirror to reflect the light from the Sun's surface back into space and only image the surrounding corona in visible and ultraviolet light. Metis is an example of a coronagraph, a specialised instrument designed to block out the light of the Sun. More about Solar Orbiter's eclipse-related activities at: Solar Orbiter to Watch for Eruptions During Total Eclipse
SOHO began its Weekly Pick several years ago after sending a weekly image or video clip to the American Museum of Natural History (Rose Center) in New York City. There, the SOHO Weekly Pick is displayed with some annotations on a large plasma display. Today, we use this area as 'Solar Picks' to highlight stories, events or activities but not as often as every week.
