NASA announced it will observe the total solar eclipse on August 12 using a fleet of scientific balloons and a high‑altitude jet. The effort aims to give researchers a view of the solar corona that cannot be obtained from the ground.
The balloons will ascend into the stratosphere while the aircraft flies at high altitude along the eclipse’s path of totality. Both platforms carry instruments designed to capture the corona’s light during the eclipse’s darkest phase.
As one researcher noted, “Scientists can study the sun's corona in a way we can't from anywhere else in the solar system.” This highlights the exceptional observing conditions the eclipse provides.
The collected data are expected to improve knowledge of magnetic structures and temperature distributions in the corona. NASA stresses that the mission relies solely on the balloons and jet, with no additional ground‑based systems required.