(NewsNation) — As millions prepare to witness Monday’s highly anticipated total solar eclipse, scientists are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to study a mysterious and little-understood part of the sun.
Dr. Joe Pesce, an astrophysicist with the National Science Foundation, joined NewsNation’s “Morning in America” on Sunday to discuss the scientific significance of the celestial event.
“The outer atmosphere, the most extended part of the atmosphere of the Sun is called the corona, which means crown in Latin because it looks like a crown,” Pesce explained. “It shows up when the vast portion of the light of the sun is blocked out because it’s very faint.”
The corona, which can reach millions of degrees in temperature, is a perplexing aspect of the sun that has long intrigued scientists. Pesce said the high temperature of the corona, which contradicts the typical cooling trend as one moves away from the solar surface, is likely due to magnetic fields depositing energy into the low-density gas and plasma.
“It’s a rare thing to study because historically, we’ve only seen it during solar eclipses,” Pesce said. “Nowadays, modern astronomers have instruments that can block that out. But it’s an important component of the sun.”
To further their understanding of the corona, NASA is planning to launch three sounding rockets during the eclipse, providing additional data and insights.
Pesce said that the eclipse itself poses no threat to power grids or GPS systems, contrary to some public concerns. He explained that while solar activity, such as coronal mass ejections, can affect infrastructure, the eclipse itself does not have any disruptive effects.
“This is an accessible astronomical activity that millions of people can participate in. And I think that’s fantastic,” Pesce said. “And if it encourages someone to go into STEM or to learn more about science and technology, then that’s … terrific.”
Monday’s total solar eclipse will land along Mexico’s Pacific coast and cross into Texas and 14 other U.S. states before exiting over Canada.
The moon will shroud the sun for up to 4 minutes and 28 seconds, a spectacle normally unfolding in remote corners of the globe but this time passing over major cities like Dallas, Indianapolis and Cleveland. An estimated 44 million people live within the path of totality, with another couple hundred million within 200 miles, guaranteeing the continent’s biggest eclipse crowd ever.
NewsNation’s Sean Noone contributed to this report.
