RAPID: Multiwavelength Imaging and Spectroscopy of the Corona During the 2021 December 4 Total Solar Eclipse

日食为了解日冕提供了难得的机会。太阳的外层是一个谜——它比其下的光球层温度高数百万度，而且要热得多。这个快速反应研究（Rapid）项目将在南极洲东北部威德尔海的一艘船上观测2021年12月4日的日全食。这次观测将观测日冕结构。它也将成为未来日食探险的试验台，可以利用船只观察的优势。这一点尤其重要，因为70%的日全食路径发生在海洋上空。团队成员将积极参与外展活动，针对STEM中代表性不足的群体。2021年12月4日的日食将通过白光成像和Fe X 637.4 nm, Fe XI 789.2 nm和Fe XIV 530.3 nm的日冕禁线以及340 - 1100 nm的光谱观测来观测。该设备将被放置在一艘船的甲板上，该船将在日全食中心线上停留大约两分钟。数据采集与成像仪和光谱仪将需要图像稳定和短曝光时间。将对仪器进行修正，以解释船舶的两种主要运动：振动和高振幅，低频运动。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Solar eclipses provide a rare opportunity to learn about the solar corona. This outer layer of the Sun is a mystery – it is millions of degrees and much hotter than the photosphere below it. This Rapid Response Research (RAPID) project will observe the 2021 December 4 total solar eclipse from a vessel in the Weddell Sea, northeast of Antarctica. The observations will observe coronal structures. It will also be a testbed for future eclipse expeditions that can take advantage of observing from vessels. This is particularly important since 70% of the paths of totality occur over oceans. Team members will be actively engaged in outreach, targeting under-represented groups in STEM.The 2021 December 4 eclipse will be observed through imaging in white light and the Fe X 637.4 nm, Fe XI 789.2 nm, and Fe XIV 530.3 nm coronal forbidden lines along with spectroscopic observations from 340 – 1100 nm. The equipment will be placed on the deck of a vessel, which will intercept the centerline of totality for approximately two minutes. Data acquisition with the imagers and spectrometers will require image stabilization and short exposure times. Corrections will be made to the instrumentation to account for the vessel’s two dominant motions: vibrations and high amplitude, low frequency motions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.