Scientists Use 80 Balloons and Jets to Probe Sun's Corona During Eclipse

Q: Did the sudden eclipse darkness trigger unexpected animal behaviors that completely defied biological predictions across Spain?

No. The reporting from Spain does not show animal behavior that “completely defied biological predictions.” It shows researchers were looking for, and generally expected, short-term responses to sudden darkness. In the TriEclipse Project in Spain, more than 200 citizen scientists were asked to record how animals reacted as the sky darkened. Researchers said many species typically respond by hiding, going quiet, trying to sleep, or becoming agitated. That fits what biologists already know about eclipse behavior: animals often interpret the abrupt loss of light as a dusk-like cue, while some nocturnal species may become more active. The broader scientific record supports that. Studies from earlier eclipses in zoos and in the wild found mixed but understandable responses, not biological anomalies. Some animals show little change, while others move toward shelters, reduce activity, stop vocalizing, cluster together, or display brief stress. A few species can become more alert or active, but that variation is itself expected. Just as important, the Spain eclipse project was designed to document and compare animal reactions across multiple eclipses over 18 months, suggesting scientists were testing patterns, not chasing evidence of impossible or wholly unpredictable behavior. So far, the evidence points to varied but biologically plausible reactions to sudden midday darkness in Spain, not behavior that overturned existing predictions.

Q: What hidden solar secrets did NASA jets capture while flying above the clouds during those crucial minutes of total darkness?

NASA’s WB-57 jets captured unusually clear, high-speed images of the Sun’s corona — the faint outer atmosphere normally hidden by the Sun’s glare — revealing magnetic structures, plasma outflows, prominences, and possible nanoflare activity during nearly three minutes of totality. Flying at about 50,000 feet above most clouds and atmospheric distortion, the aircraft used four nose-mounted cameras in visible and infrared wavelengths, taking at least 20 images per second. That let scientists observe features near the Sun’s limb that are difficult to see from the ground and in some infrared bands that are rarely observable at all. The key “hidden secrets” NASA hoped to extract were how the corona is structured by the Sun’s magnetic field, how prominences form, how material in the corona connects to the solar wind, and why the corona is heated to around a million degrees — far hotter than the Sun’s surface. Researchers also aimed to catch rapid changes in coronal loops and faint eruptions that can help explain solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Because the jet chased the Moon’s shadow at roughly 460 mph, it extended the observing window beyond what ground viewers could get. That extra time, combined with cleaner infrared access above the lower atmosphere, gave scientists a rare dataset to test coronal models against direct observations and improve space-weather forecasting that affects satellites, astronauts, communications and power systems.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 12

NASA and other researchers are using the eclipse over Greenland, Iceland and Spain to capture rare measurements of the sun’s corona and test models of its magnetic field.
Jets carrying special cameras will image the corona, while 80 NASA weather balloons in Iceland and additional balloon teams in Spain track how sudden darkness changes Earth’s boundary layer and ozone production.
Matching eclipse observations with pre-event predictions could sharpen forecasts of solar wind, flares and coronal mass ejections that affect satellites, astronauts and daily life on Earth.
More than 200 citizen scientists in Spain are also recording animal behavior during this eclipse and two more over the next 18 months, extending the research beyond professional observatories.