Abstract
A total solar eclipse offers a unique opportunity to observe the solar chromosphere and corona without the use of a man-made disk to block out light from the photosphere, and high-altitude balloons allow for observation in the infrared spectrum without consideration of the Earth’s atmosphere, which blocks out the shorter wavelengths of the infrared spectrum. Flying a near-infrared camera on a high-altitude balloon during a total solar eclipse, therefore, gives the ability to observe the solar atmosphere in the IR spectrum relatively clearly, cheaply, and easily. Most cameras have built-in filters which stop infrared light from reaching the sensor, but it is possible to buy cameras without this filter, designated NoIR cameras. We flew a Raspberry Pi NoIR camera at a float altitude of roughly 55,000 feet during the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse, with the goal of obtaining data about the chromosphere and corona in the near IR. Although the images were somewhat overexposed, preliminary results show a pinker corona than we would have expected to see with a normal camera. This indicates a significant amount of near IR radiation present in the corona, consistent with existing data on coronal heating.
Near-Infrared Observation of the Solar Atmosphere
A total solar eclipse offers a unique opportunity to observe the solar chromosphere and corona without the use of a man-made disk to block out light from the photosphere, and high-altitude balloons allow for observation in the infrared spectrum without consideration of the Earth’s atmosphere, which blocks out the shorter wavelengths of the infrared spectrum. Flying a near-infrared camera on a high-altitude balloon during a total solar eclipse, therefore, gives the ability to observe the solar atmosphere in the IR spectrum relatively clearly, cheaply, and easily. Most cameras have built-in filters which stop infrared light from reaching the sensor, but it is possible to buy cameras without this filter, designated NoIR cameras. We flew a Raspberry Pi NoIR camera at a float altitude of roughly 55,000 feet during the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse, with the goal of obtaining data about the chromosphere and corona in the near IR. Although the images were somewhat overexposed, preliminary results show a pinker corona than we would have expected to see with a normal camera. This indicates a significant amount of near IR radiation present in the corona, consistent with existing data on coronal heating.