THE SCIENCE
Eclipses as
SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
[To be developed with Dr. Habbal]
WHAT
WE STUDY
Solar Wind Sherpas research focuses on three key areas:
Solar Corona
The Sun's outer atmosphere and its temperature structure—why it reaches millions of degrees higher than the solar surface below.
Solar Wind
The continuous stream of charged particles flowing from the corona into the solar system and what drives its behavior.
Space Weather
How variations in the solar wind and corona affect satellites, communications systems, and power grids on Earth.
INSTRUMENTS
Solar Wind Sherpas operates three complementary systems, all designed to be deployed in field conditions anywhere on Earth.
White Light Cameras
Identical cameras operating at different focal lengths and exposure times capture the structured emission of light scattered by electrons in the corona. This range is necessary because coronal brightness varies by orders of magnitude between inner and outer regions. Images are processed using techniques developed with mathematician Miloslav Druckmüller.
Special Filters
Beyond visible light, the corona emits radiation from highly ionized iron atoms. Solar Wind Sherpas operates custom narrow-band filter systems tuned to four distinct ionization states of iron—Fe X, Fe XI, Fe XIII, and Fe XIV—providing diagnostic information about temperature and coronal conditions. Primary sites use 3-inch optical systems; secondary sites use 2-inch systems for simultaneous multi-point observations.
Multi-Channel Spectrometers
Custom-designed triple-channel imaging spectrographs acquire resolved spectra of iron emission lines as a function of distance from the Sun. This enables measurements of thermal and non-thermal motion, plasma flow, and temperature structure. Designed specifically for expedition conditions: robust, lightweight, and transportable as carry-on luggage.
RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS
Thirty years of expeditions have produced peer-reviewed research spanning solar corona structure, iron ionization diagnostics, solar wind origins, and coronal mass ejection characterization.
The First Empirical Determination of the Fe10+ and Fe13+ Freeze-in Distances in the Solar Corona (Boe et al. 2018)
We report on white light observations of high latitude tethered prominences acquired during the total solar eclipses of 2012 November 13 and 2013 November 3, at solar maximum, with a field of view spanning several solar radii.