NASA Teams Prepare Eclipse Experiments for August 12, 2026
NASA-funded research teams are preparing aircraft and balloon experiments for the total solar eclipse scheduled for Aug. 12, 2026, with plans to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere and changes in Earth’s atmosphere.
The campaign will include observations from a NASA WB-57 aircraft flying at about 50,000 feet. Three balloon teams in Spain also plan to launch six balloons carrying 360-degree cameras and ozone instruments.
The research is designed to take advantage of a rare total eclipse, when the Moon blocks the Sun’s visible disk and makes the solar corona available for detailed observation. The campaign also will examine atmospheric ozone and other eclipse-related environmental changes.
What the aircraft will study
The WB-57 aircraft is part of NASA’s high-altitude research effort. During the eclipse, it will observe solar dynamics from roughly 50,000 feet, placing the aircraft above much of the atmosphere that can interfere with observations from the ground.
The aircraft observations will focus on the corona, the Sun’s outer atmosphere. Studying the corona during the eclipse gives researchers an opportunity to examine solar activity while the bright solar disk is covered.
NASA-funded researchers will conduct the work during the eclipse itself. The event remains in the planning stage, so the campaign’s measurements and scientific findings will come later.
Balloon teams will track atmospheric changes
Three balloon teams in Spain are planning a six-balloon effort. The balloons will carry 360-degree cameras and instruments designed to measure ozone.
The balloon work will add atmospheric observations to the aircraft’s solar research. Together, the experiments are intended to capture how the eclipse affects conditions in the atmosphere while also documenting the event from elevated platforms.
The Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project is among the U.S.-linked efforts involved in the campaign. NASA identifies the work as part of its broader eclipse research, involving NASA-funded teams and programs connected with the agency’s science operations.
Where the eclipse will be total
The path of totality will cross Greenland, Iceland and Spain. The total eclipse will not pass across the United States.
People in some U.S. locations will still be able to see a partial eclipse. That means the Moon will cover part, but not all, of the Sun from those locations. The level of coverage will vary by location, but the United States is outside the path where the Sun will be completely obscured.
For U.S. viewers, the distinction matters because the planned research sites are concentrated along the path of totality, while domestic observers will experience a different version of the event. The aircraft and balloon campaign is therefore an international effort even though NASA and U.S.-linked research teams are leading parts of the work.
Why the campaign matters
Total solar eclipses give researchers a short-lived opportunity to study the corona under conditions that are difficult to reproduce. The 2026 campaign combines solar observations with measurements of ozone and other environmental changes, allowing teams to examine more than the eclipse’s visual effects.
The observations may also provide a coordinated record from multiple platforms: an aircraft at high altitude and balloons operating over Spain. The instruments and flight plans are intended to collect data during the same scheduled event.
No research results are available yet. The next major step is the eclipse campaign on Aug. 12, 2026, when the teams plan to carry out the aircraft and balloon observations.
Sources
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