Total solar eclipses aren't just eerie and beautiful – they’re also a rare chance to study how the sun impacts the Earth.
On Aug. 12, when the moon blocks the sun, casting a shadow on the Earth’s surface – plunging Spain, Iceland and Greenland into total darkness – our atmosphere will change in ways scientists still don’t fully understand.
That’s why six students from Connecticut are traveling to Spain to study the eclipse for NASA.
“I’m very excited,” said Brianna Montano, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering at the University of Hartford.
Montano remembers watching the 2024 partial eclipse on campus.
“I think it was like midday,” she recalled. “Everybody – no matter if you were in class or not – everybody came outside and they gave us all glasses from the library to see it and it was really cool. So when we learned about [this] opportunity, I was like, ‘Oh, if I can do that, I would want to do it.’”
Montano and five other Connecticut students – from the University of Hartford and University of Bridgeport – are taking part in the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project. The project is supported by NASA and will send college students to Spain and Iceland to launch scientific balloons before, during and after the eclipse.
Unlike weather balloons, scientific balloons are larger, can carry more weight and reach higher altitudes.
"It's not going to go entirely into space," said Nicolas Zoghb, an assistant professor at the University of Bridgeport. "It's going to go into the near space, just around the stratosphere."
In Spain, students will launch a balloon carrying a 360-degree camera to take photos of the eclipse shadow from above.
The balloon will also carry equipment designed to measure ozone in the atmosphere. Since sunlight is required to create ozone, a similar experiment in 2024 showed ozone decreased during totality. Scientists are curious if the same will happen during this eclipse since totality will happen later during the day and during a different season.
For Luis Cardoso, a master's student at the University of Bridgeport, the project is a chance to experience what he’s learned in the classroom.
“It's very fun,” Cardoso said. “We learn about ballooning, satellite design and then we're putting all this knowledge into practice. It's satisfying.”
In July, students launched a test balloon from the University of Hartford.
“We keep practicing to get better for when we get to Spain, so it'll be natural for us,” Cardoso said.
How to safely watch the eclipse from Connecticut
Although Connecticut won't experience totality, residents will still see a partial solar eclipse with the moon covering 11% to 13% of the sun.
The eclipse will peak around 1:54 p.m., according to The Weather Channel.
For those willing to travel, the best view in New England will be in Presque Isle, Maine, where the moon will cover approximately 28% of the sun.
NASA recommends viewers wear safe solar viewing glasses, also known as eclipse glasses, at all times. But don’t combine the glasses with a camera lens, telescope or binoculars since that will concentrate the solar rays, potentially burning through the filter and causing serious eye injury.
Regular sunglasses, no matter how dark, don’t provide enough protection.
NASA will livestream the eclipse from its website and YouTube page starting at 1:15 p.m. EST.
