VOA科学技术2024--NASA Seeks New Discoveries During Total Solar Eclipse

NASA Seeks New Discoveries During Total Solar Eclipse

　　Scientists plan to closely study next week's total solar eclipse to learn new things about the sun and our own planet.

　　The eclipse can be seen on April 8 across most of North America and parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The event will cause the moon to completely block out sunlight for up to four minutes and 28 seconds in a narrower area. Millions of people are expected to fully¹ experience the eclipse within the so-called path of totality, where there will be a brief, total blockage² of the sun.

　　The event gives scientists an unusual chance to study the sun and learn how Earth's atmosphere reacts during a total solar eclipse. So, the American space agency NASA will launch several observation projects.

　　"Scientists have long used solar eclipses to make scientific discoveries," said Kelly Korreck. She is a program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Korreck said among past discoveries were the first identification of helium and details about the sun's influence on Earth's upper atmosphere.

　　Scientists will center a lot of their efforts on the sun's outermost³ atmosphere, known as the corona⁴. Cameras and instruments will closely examine the corona, which is normally hard to observe because of the brightness of the sun.

　　NASA's WB-57 research airplanes can make these observations. The jets can operate 15,000 meters or more above Earth's surface. The aircraft will help search for "new details of structures in the middle and lower corona," a NASA statement said.

　　The space agency noted⁵ that studies of the corona can provide new information about how solar activity influences Earth. Images taken during the eclipse might also help astronomers⁶ learn more about dust rings around the sun and help them find unknown asteroids⁸ orbiting near the sun.

　　NASA will be flying WB-57 planes equipped with cameras and instruments along the eclipse path. These aircraft will look for increases in charged particle flows, called plasma⁹, and other solar materials from the corona.

　　Another project will involve the agency's "sounding rockets." The rockets are designed to make short trips while collecting data and completing scientific experiments.

　　NASA said it plans to launch three sounding rockets during the total solar eclipse. The rockets to be launched from Virginia will examine possible changes within the ionosphere, an electrically charged part of the atmosphere near the edge of space.

　　The rockets will launch at different periods "to study how the sudden drop in sunlight affects our upper atmosphere." The first rocket will blast off 45 minutes before totality happens. The second will be sent during the height of the eclipse, and the third will launch 45 minutes after.

　　Each rocket will deploy¹⁰ four small instruments built to measure changes in electric and magnetic fields, density¹¹, and temperature. NASA said these experiments will aim "to measure just how widespread the effects of an eclipse are."

　　NASA and other research groups will receive help from many "citizen scientists" carrying out their own observations. These individuals will take pictures of the sun's corona during different parts, or stages, of the eclipse.

　　Citizen scientists will observe the behaviors of birds and other animals as darkness arrives in the middle of the day. They will also measure dropping temperatures, observe clouds and use ham radios to test international communication signals.

　　College students will launch more than 600 weather balloons along the path of totality. The balloons are designed to identify atmospheric¹² changes as they happen.

　　In addition to those efforts, three U.S. radar¹³ stations are in the path of the upcoming total solar eclipse. The stations – which are normally used to observe space weather – will attempt to measure changes in the upper atmosphere when the sky goes dark.

　　Research activities have been carried out during past total solar eclipses. But this time, scientists note that the moon is closer to Earth, meaning April's event will result in a longer period of darkness and a wider path of totality.

　　NASA's Korreck said this fact has researchers very interested in the science results. "Any time we can observe for longer, that gives scientists more data," she said.

　　Words in This Story

　　asteroid⁷ – n. a rocky object that goes around the sun like a planet

　　ham radio – n. a radio built by someone whose hobby is to send and receive radio messages over long distances

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 blockage   

n.障碍物；封锁

参考例句：

• The logical treatment is to remove this blockage.合理的治疗方法就是清除堵塞物。
• If the blockage worked,they could retreat with dignity.如果封锁发生作用，他们可以体面地撤退。

3 outermost   

adj.最外面的，远离中心的

参考例句：

• He fired and hit the outermost ring of the target.他开枪射中了靶子的最外一环。
• The outermost electron is shielded from the nucleus.原子核对最外层电子的作用受到屏蔽。

4 corona   

n.日冕

参考例句：

• The corona gains and loses energy continuously.日冕总是不断地获得能量和损失能量。
• The corona is a brilliant,pearly white,filmy light,about as bright as the full moon.光环带是一种灿烂的珠白色朦胧光，几乎像满月一样明亮。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 asteroid   

n.小行星；海盘车(动物)

参考例句：

• Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
• It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小，但这样的危险还是存在的。

8 asteroids   

n.小行星( asteroid的名词复数 )；海盘车，海星

参考例句：

• Asteroids,also known as "minor planets",are numerous in the outer space. 小行星，亦称为“小型行星”，在外太空中不计其数。
• Most stars probably have their quota of planets, meteorids, comets, and asteroids. 多数恒星也许还拥有若干行星、流星、彗星和小行星。

9 plasma   

n.血浆，细胞质，乳清

参考例句：

• Keep some blood plasma back for the serious cases.留一些血浆给重病号。
• The plasma is the liquid portion of blood that is free of cells .血浆是血液的液体部分，不包含各种细胞。

10 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

11 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

12 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

13 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。