Israeli Scientist Leads NASA Mission to Study Sun’s Corona During Rare Solar Eclipse

Jerusalem: An Israeli scientist is playing a key role in a major NASA research mission aimed at understanding the Sun’s outer atmosphere and improving the prediction of powerful solar storms.

Professor Amir Caspi, an Israeli researcher at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, is leading the camera system for NASA’s high-altitude WB-57 research aircraft, which will study the Sun’s corona during the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026. The Israeli Space Agency highlighted the mission in an official report published on August 3.

The NASA aircraft will fly at an altitude of around 15.2 kilometres, or 50,000 feet, above the Earth. At this height, the sky is significantly darker than at ground level, allowing researchers to capture infrared observations that are difficult to obtain from the surface.

The aircraft will carry four high-resolution cameras capable of observing the solar corona at different visible and infrared wavelengths. The cameras are expected to capture at least 20 images every second, allowing scientists to study rapid changes and movements in the corona during the eclipse.

The aircraft will also fly at around 740 kilometres per hour, effectively chasing the Moon’s shadow. This will extend the period during which researchers can observe the corona to almost three minutes, giving scientists more time to study dynamic solar activity.

Why the research matters

Scientists are hoping the observations will provide a better understanding of solar eruptions, prominences and the solar wind. Better knowledge of these processes could eventually improve forecasts of space weather.

Strong solar storms can interfere with satellites, communications, radio signals and power networks. Extreme solar activity has the potential to create major disruptions to modern technological infrastructure.

The mission is particularly significant because the Sun is currently experiencing a period of increased activity. According to the Israeli Space Agency, a large coronal mass ejection recently reached Earth and produced a moderate geomagnetic storm.

For Professor Caspi, the 2026 eclipse will be his third major eclipse research campaign. The same camera systems were previously used during the 2017 and 2024 total solar eclipses, but researchers have since improved the imaging and data-processing systems.

The latest mission is expected to generate new observations that could help scientists understand why the Sun’s outer atmosphere reaches temperatures of nearly one million degrees Celsius, despite the visible surface being much cooler.

The research highlights the growing role of Israeli scientists in international space and astrophysics projects and could contribute to better protection of satellites, communication systems and electricity networks from future solar storms.