NASA What do we learn from eclipse that the NASA IRIS doesn't tell us?

[FactChecker]

What can we learn from a solar eclipse that the NASA IRIS program doesn't tell us? (and why)

 

[BvU]

That even someone like uncle Donald is interested in the former -- while probably having no idea what the heck is the latter ?

 

[FactChecker]

That even someone like uncle Donald is interested in the former -- while probably having no idea what the heck is the latter ?

It's the NASA program that gives us many of those detailed photos of the sun. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/nasas-sun-observing-iris-mission
I know very little about it. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface_Region_Imaging_Spectrograph:

The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) is a NASA solar observation satellite. The mission was funded through the Small Explorer program to investigate the physical conditions of the solar limb, particularly the chromosphere of the Sun.​

I can't help thinking that all they would have to do to get better information than the brief 3 minute eclipse gives us would be to photograph from IRIS with a mask blocking the sun like a permanent eclipse.

 

[256bits]

http://newworlds.colorado.edu/starshade/occulter.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronagraph
http://spaceweather.com/glossary/coronagraph.html

 

[FactChecker]

http://newworlds.colorado.edu/starshade/occulter.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronagraph
http://spaceweather.com/glossary/coronagraph.html

That's very interesting. There is obviously a lot going on to study the Sun's corona that does not depend on an eclipse. That leaves me still wondering if there is anything more to learn about the corona during a solar eclipse. I can understand that there might be a lot to learn about the Earth's reaction to an eclipse (temperature change, animal behavior, etc.). But there seemed to be a lot of scientists being interviewed in the news about what they would learn from the eclipse about the corona. That puzzles me. Maybe they just talk about the corona because it makes such beautiful pictures during an eclipse.

 

[davenn]

That leaves me still wondering if there is anything more to learn about the corona during a solar eclipse.

probably not since the solar corona is under 24 hr, 365 day surveillance
as a result, anything that occurs in the corona is well documented

But there seemed to be a lot of scientists being interviewed in the news about what they would learn from the eclipse about the corona

that's a pretty vague statement ... maybe the wrong scientists were being interviewed ... do you have any further info ?

Dave

 

[Bandersnatch]

Obligatory xkcd reference:

 

[FactChecker]

that's a pretty vague statement ... maybe the wrong scientists were being interviewed ... do you have any further info ?

That's true, it's pretty vague. Unfortunately, I did not pay enough attention and do not remember what they said.

 

[BvU]

Uncle Donald is so excited he let his limited imagination loose on tweettweet .
Forgot that this way he reperesents the moon when Obi is the sun !

 

[FactChecker]

Uncle Donald is so excited he let his limited imagination loose on tweettweet .
Forgot that this way he reperesents the moon when Obi is the sun !

Oh! Now I get who Uncle Donald is. I thought he was an astronomy expert on this forum. :>)