August 12, 2026 total solar eclipse reveals around 1,000,000°C corona
On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse gave scientists a rare peek at the sun's corona, the super-hot outer layer that's way hotter than the surface.
The eclipse crossed Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and a sliver of Portugal, with partial views in Europe and North America.
For a few minutes, researchers could see the corona glowing at around 1 million degrees Celsius. Now they're trying to figure out why it's so insanely hot.
NASA WB-57 images and balloon measurements
A Nasa-funded team flew a WB-57 high-altitude research aircraft packed with cameras capturing at least 20 images per second in visible and infrared light. This helped track solar features like prominences and fast-moving changes in the corona.
Meanwhile, teams in Iceland and Spain launched balloons to check how the eclipse affected ozone levels and other atmospheric layers.
Eclipse data could improve geomagnetic forecasts
The data from this eclipse could help scientists predict geomagnetic storms, those space weather events that mess with satellites, power grids, and astronauts' safety.
By observing the corona, researchers hope to improve forecasting for these storms in the future.