A rare total solar eclipse will sweep across parts of Europe on August 12, 2026, briefly turning daylight into darkness as the Moon completely covers the Sun. Europe is about to experience a total solar eclipse, and people around the world will be able to watch it live. The European Space Agency (ESA) will begin [...]European scientists are taking advantage of this week’s solar eclipse to test a potentially groundbreaking instrument that could transform the way astronomers study the Sun.
For weeks, a team from the Astrophysical Observatory of Turin has been stationed at Spain’s Javalambre Astrophysical Observatory, preparing to deploy a novel spectrometer ahead of the August 12 eclipse.
On that date, researchers will activate the Circular Slit Spectrometer (CISS), which the Turin-based team says will provide a unique new view of our life-giving star. Specifically, the device will focus on the corona, the outermost portions of the Solar atmosphere, and the hottest part of the Sun.
This month, skywatchers will be treated to a trio of celestial events: a solar eclipse and the peak of the Perseids meteor shower on August 12, followed by a lunar eclipse between August 27 and 28. The total solar eclipse will be best viewed from parts of Spain, Portugal, Russia, Iceland, and Greenland, while observers across much of Europe, Africa, and North America will experience only a partial eclipse.
To take advantage of the event, the research team traveled from its home base in Padua, northern Italy, to Spain, where years of development work will culminate in the first field test of CISS. The scientists believe the new instrument could significantly improve observations of the Sun’s corona.
Spectrometers are among astronomers’ most valuable tools, allowing researchers to analyze the composition of stars and even detect the atmospheres of distant exoplanets by examining subtle changes in starlight.
Closer to home, the Italian team believes CISS can separate the wavelengths of sunlight far more rapidly than existing instruments. That capability could prove especially valuable because the corona drives powerful space weather events capable of disrupting communications, power grids, and GPS systems on Earth and in orbit.
The researchers see the eclipse as the ideal opportunity to test their instrument, since the Moon’s passage in front of the Sun dramatically increases the contrast of the corona against the sky. For the team, the observation marks the culmination of more than two and a half years spent rethinking some of the fundamental design principles behind conventional spectrometers.
Unlike traditional spectrometers, which typically rely on a narrow rectangular slit, CISS uses a circular slit. This allows it to “capture the spectrum of the entire corona at a certain distance from the centre of the Sun in a single photograph,” according to principal investigator Federico Landini of the Astrophysical Observatory of Turin.
By redesigning the instrument’s aperture, the researchers say they have reduced the time needed to scan the corona from hours to just minutes. If successful, the eclipse demonstration could pave the way for incorporating the technology into future space missions designed to observe the Sun from closer vantage points.
For now, the team is focused on ensuring the best possible observing conditions. Researchers continue to monitor the weather, with current forecasts appearing favorable for eclipse viewing. To minimize the risk of equipment problems, the team transported CISS from Italy to Spain by van rather than by air, avoiding the need to disassemble the instrument and reducing the possibility of flight delays or cancellations.
Later this week, they will learn whether years of work have produced a breakthrough in solar observation—or simply the next step in refining a promising new technology.
Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org.
O eclipse solar total de 12 de agosto é um dos momentos mais aguardados pelos entusiastas da observação astronómica. Mas qual é melhor hora e local para observar com segurança e o que fazer se estiver num local onde o fenómeno não é visível? Reunimos tudo o que precisa de saber neste explicador.
The post Eclipse solar vai dar espetáculo no céu esta semana e Portugal não fica de fora. Como (e onde) observar em segurança? appeared first on Tek Notícias.
Quem estiver em Portugal nesta quarta-feira, 12 de agosto, terá a oportunidade de testemunhar o primeiro eclipse solar total desde 1912, com previsão de repetição do feito somente daqui a 118 anos, em 2144.
A sua raridade, além da sazonalidade, está especialmente no percentual de visibilidade do fenômeno em todo o país, que varia de 92% a 100%. Para quem quiser ver o eclipse em sua totalidade, será necessário visitar o Parque Natural de Montesinho, no concelho de Bragança.
Caso também seja do seu interesse registrar esse momento histórico, existem algumas coisas importantes a se observar e algumas alternativas, a depender do que você pretende fotografar exatamente.
Antes de qualquer dica tecnológica, é importante se certificar de que a sua visão estará protegida: recomenda-se o uso de óculos de eclipse com certificação ISO 12312-2, que serão distribuídos gratuitamente pela ZEISS em parceria com a rede de óticas Club da Visão, mediante cadastro e enquanto durarem os estoques (que, aparentemente, já esgotaram-se).
Depois, vale observar as janelas de horário do eclipse:
Caso você opte por fotografar o evento, existem duas opções de mais fácil acesso: uma câmera digital ou o seu iPhone. Em ambos os casos, há uma série de poréns.
Sobre DSLRs e mirrorless, vale adquirir um filtro solar para a sua lente, considerando a sensibilidade do sensor à exposição ao sol, que pode acarretar uma danificação irreversível — dada a quantidade de entrada de luz. Recomenda-se fixar a abertura entre ƒ/8 e ƒ/16, com a velocidade do obturador ajustada entre 1/1000 e 1/4, de acordo com as especificações da sua câmera.
Já o iPhone, dado o tamanho do seu sensor e outras limitações técnicas, terá dificuldade de registrar o eclipse naturalmente. Claro, ainda é possível obter muitos resultados legais em relação à sombra e aos seus efeitos, ou até mesmo capturar a atmosfera do momento com um time-lapse utilizando um tripé ou outro equipamento estabilizador.
No entanto, para quem quiser de fato registrar o sol de maneira direta, será necessário adquirir acessórios:
Quanto ao software, embora existam boas opções de apps de terceiros, como o Project Indigo ou o Halide, o próprio aplicativo Câmera (Camera) nativo do iPhone deverá dar conta.
Cada escolha (ou ausência) poderá impactar o registro do fenômeno, mas nada será tão determinante quanto a prática de quem fotografa. Independentemente da escolha, vale conhecer o equipamento que você tem em mãos antes do tão esperado dia, testar o comportamento da câmera sob o sol e pensar qual será o enquadramento do registro no dia do eclipse.
via AppleInsider, Lisboa Secreta
On Wednesday, August 12, the Moon’s shadow will sweep across a narrow stretch of the Northern Hemisphere. Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic, Spain and a small corner of Portugal lie in the path of totality. Much of Europe, northwestern Africa, Canada and parts of the United States will see a partial eclipse. It is […]
The post The August 12 Total Solar Eclipse: Where to See It—and Why NASA Is Flying Through Its Shadow appeared first on Curiosmos.
A walk down the tarmac at the National Air and Space Museum of France is guaranteed to thrill aviation enthusiasts. Several civilian and military aircraft of the past and the present are showcased in this museum, located at the Paris-Le Bourget airport. One of them is the legendary Concorde F-WTSS 001 prototype, the sight of which should give goosebumps to science enthusiasts as well.
That’s because right behind its long nose is a painted map that traces the path of a June 1973 total solar eclipse across Africa. It’s there on the Concorde 001 prototype because a group of eight scientists set a new world record of observing a total solar eclipse for 74 minutes by flying this aircraft at more than twice the speed of sound.
To put this figure into context, the maximum duration of totality on the ground is around 7.5 minutes when an eclipse is observed in the equatorial regions. For the upcoming solar eclipse of August 12, which can be seen from parts of Europe, the maximum duration of totality from the ground will be slightly more than two minutes.
© F. Claudel
A walk down the tarmac at the National Air and Space Museum of France is guaranteed to thrill aviation enthusiasts. Several civilian and military aircraft of the past and the present are showcased in this museum, located at the Paris-Le Bourget airport. One of them is the legendary Concorde F-WTSS 001 prototype, the sight of which should give goosebumps to science enthusiasts as well.
That’s because right behind its long nose is a painted map that traces the path of a June 1973 total solar eclipse across Africa. It’s there on the Concorde 001 prototype because a group of eight scientists set a new world record of observing a total solar eclipse for 74 minutes by flying this aircraft at more than twice the speed of sound.
To put this figure into context, the maximum duration of totality on the ground is around 7.5 minutes when an eclipse is observed in the equatorial regions. For the upcoming solar eclipse of August 12, which can be seen from parts of Europe, the maximum duration of totality from the ground will be slightly more than two minutes.
© F. Claudel
Olhos no céu no final da tarde de 12 de agosto. Enquanto a Lua tapa quase por completo o Sol, dezenas de localidades portuguesas preparam observações, experiências e atividades para acompanhar um dos fenómenos astronómicos mais marcantes dos últimos anos.
The post De Norte a Sul: Portugal prepara centenas de eventos para “viver” o eclipse de 12 de agosto appeared first on Tek Notícias.
Mesmo num eclipse total, a tecnologia ajuda a que ninguém fique de fora. Chama-se LightSound e é um pequeno dispositivo capaz de transformar a luz do Sol em notas musicais, permitindo que pessoas cegas ou com deficiência visual "ouçam" a passagem da Lua em frente ao astro-rei.
The post Do céu para os ouvidos: tecnologia transforma eclipse em experiência acessível para pessoas cegas appeared first on Tek Notícias.
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