A total solar eclipse is scheduled to cross the United States on April 8th. The data collected will be used to improve global weather forecasting models.
BOISE, ID — As people across the country witness a total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, a group of University of Idaho (UI) students will help NASA collect data about the rare phenomenon.
Eight students will travel to North Pennsylvania to participate in the National Eclipse Balloon Project (NEBP), which aims to improve weather forecasting models and collect data to mitigate climate change, the UI said in a news release. He said he would travel to Springfield.
NEBP teams from Texas to Maine will launch weather balloons on Sunday and Monday. The balloon will remain in the air for 30 hours, “gathering data on atmospheric disturbances that occur during solar eclipse events, including gravitational waves, which represent the transfer of energy through the atmosphere.”
“We know this will be the last visible solar eclipse in the United States for the next 20 years, and the teams we have trained across the country will be critical to gathering the data sets we need.” said Matthew Berners, associate professor at U of I's School of Engineering and co-author of the project. lead. “Data will continue to improve our long-term weather forecasting capabilities. Better forecasting methods will have global implications for agriculture, aviation, and the economy.”
UI engineering students are the leaders of university teams and have been training teams nationwide over the past year.
The University of Idaho provided a list of students participating in the research event.
- Konstantin Geranios, a graduate student in Spokane, Washington;
- McCall's Cary Hodges
- Logan Carney in Moscow
- Ashley Keeley of Mukilteo, Wash.
- Boise Cole Long
- Chase Long of Boise
- Shashwat Niraula of Nepal
- Will Schall of Coeur d'Alene
To see a map showing how big the eclipse will be in Idaho cities, check out KTBV's story here.
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