22 July 2009, 00:51-04:19 UT
Notwithstanding sophisticated ground-based coronagraphs, other instruments on the ground and on board SOHO and other spacecraft, any total solar eclipse is an exciting opportunity for unique observations from the ground. Free from the overwhelming glare from the Sun itself, the corona that surrounds it is usually the prime target for the observations.
So almost invariably during an eclipse, expeditions go out to whatever sites are deemed most favourable, to capture what may be a once-in-a-lifetime observation of phenomena that are otherwise hidden by the brightness of the Sun.
To make the most of the observations, however, a number of expeditions are relying on additional data supplied from SOHO and other spacecraft, either to determine the pointing of their instruments (for those with a limited field of view), for context information to help interpret the data in a broader setting, or both.
This page has pointers to an overview of the collaborations and support observations provided by SOHO, as well as a collection of related useful and hopefully interesting links.
SOHO Links
- Support for eclipse expeditions
- SOHO's orbit information
- Real-time images; see also
- 22 Jul 2009 eclipse composite image
Past eclipses observed with SOHO
Observations by other spacecraft
- Hinode (Solar-B) daily events page
Miscellaneous Links
- Follow the 2009 total solar eclipse with live webcasts and with SOHO
- NASA Eclipse website
- Williams College Astronomy Eclipse Expeditions.
- IAU Eclipse page
- IAU Program Group on Public Education on the Occasions of Solar Eclipses
- Wikipedia page on Solar Eclipses
The 2009 Solar eclipse in the news
- Eclipse fever in India village (BBC)
- The Eclipse Chaser: Getting Ready in China (The New York Times/TierneyLab blog)
- Solar eclipse sparks tourism fever in China (FRANCE24)
- Asia set for total solar eclipse (BBC)
- Asia watches long solar eclipse (BBC)
- Darkness falls in Asia during total eclipse, luring masses (CNN)
