Observation of the October 14 solar eclipse approaching the maximum occultation, taped by Owens Valley Radio Observatory– Long Wavelength Array (OVRO-LWA). The visible solar disk and the occulting lunar limb are described by the strong and dotted circles, respectively. Especially, the radio sun occasionally distorts due to the refraction of radio waves by the fluctuating ionosphere, a result reminiscent of seeing the sun under a rippling water surface.” We are now working on an automated data processing pipeline that will quickly produce near-real-time solar images and make them offered to the public,” stated Chen. “These eclipse images serve as a proof-of-concept for this effort.
Upper row: Radio images of the 2023 Oct. 14 solar eclipse observed by the Long Wavelength Array at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory Bottom row: Schematic representation of what visible images of the eclipse appeared like at the very same time. Credit: Sijie Yu
Researchers have actually recorded groundbreaking radio pictures of a solar eclipses “ring of fire” using the sophisticated Owens Valley Radio Observatory Long Wavelength Array. The technology promises significant improvements in solar observations.
Scientists at New Jersey Institute of Technologys Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research (NJIT-CSTR) have caught the October 14 solar eclipse in a manner never ever seen before– tape-recording the very first radio pictures of an annular eclipses popular “ring of fire” impact.
The eclipse was partly visible to much of the continental U.S. for several hours that Saturday, though the full “ring of fire” impact was just noticeable for less than five minutes, and just for those within its 125-mile-wide path of annularity.
The new observations of the radio Suns eclipse– much longer in duration than the partial eclipse recently experienced by millions on Earth due to the prolonged solar corona as seen at radio wavelengths– have actually yielded stunning images of the eclipses ring lasting for over an hour.
OVRO-LWA: A Breakthrough in Solar Observations
Researchers utilized the newly commissioned Owens Valley Radio Observatory Long Wavelength Array (OVRO-LWA) in the Owens Valley Radio Observatory, CA to make their breakthrough observation of radio waves originating from the Suns extended corona, as the moon passed between Earth and its nearby star.
” To lastly see a ring of fire eclipse by doing this was amazing … we havent seen this quality of radio imaging of the Sun previously,” said Dale Gary, NJIT-CSTR identified teacher of physics and co-investigator on the OVRO-LWA project, which is funded by the National Science Foundation.
Observation of the October 14 solar eclipse approaching the optimum occultation, tape-recorded by Owens Valley Radio Observatory– Long Wavelength Array (OVRO-LWA). Significantly, the radio sun occasionally misshapes due to the refraction of radio waves by the fluctuating ionosphere, an impact reminiscent of seeing the sun under a rippling water surface.
” We typically can not see the corona from the ground except throughout a total eclipse, however we can now see it all the time with OVRO-LWA. This eclipse makes it that a lot more significant.”
” From our observatory website in California we were not in the belt to see the annular eclipse, yet weve been able to see all of it clearly unfold in radio, which reveals a much bigger solar disk than its noticeable equivalent thanks to its sensitivity to the extended solar corona,” stated Bin Chen, NJIT-CSTR associate teacher of physics who led the data reduction and processing together with NJIT researchers Surajit Mondal and Sijie Yu.
” Science-wise, this is an unique chance to study the Suns prolonged corona with the greatest resolution possible at these wavelengths, making the most of the moons limb as a moving knife edge to increase the reliable angular resolution,” stated Chen.
Technical Insights and Future Endeavors
OVRO-LWA, a multi-institutional job directed by Gregg Hallinan at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), uses a set of 352 antennas to sample countless radio wavelengths between ~ 20-88 MHz.
For solar science, it uses the first-rate images yet of the radio Sun in this wavelength program, which is approximately 2 times bigger than the noticeable solar disk.
” Documenting this amazing event was an excellent chance to reveal the effective operation of OVRO-LWA as a brand-new radio facility to study the Sun and numerous other items consisting of exoplanets, cosmic rays, the early universe, and more,” said Hallinan.
While the next annular solar eclipse is expected to be noticeable from South America in October 2024, those in the U.S. will need to wait till June 2039 to view the next ring of fire eclipse on home soil. A total eclipse noticeable throughout the main U.S. will occur sooner, next April 8.
The team say the current eclipse occasion is an outstanding example of the first observations of the Sun with the instrument. With the new capabilities OVRO-LWA provides, exciting science is expected in the future– especially as solar activity of the existing 11-year solar cycle peaks in 2025 during the expected “solar optimum.”
” We are now working on an automated data processing pipeline that will quickly produce near-real-time solar images and make them offered to the general public,” said Chen. “These eclipse images function as a proof-of-concept for this effort. The unprecedented information products coming soon will open brand-new chances for discovery in solar astronomy and space weather condition research studies.”