Chasing the Solar Atmosphere using Eclipses and the Parker Solar Probe - Gabriel Muro - 02/16/2024

How do scientists use solar eclipses to study the sun? What has NASA's Parker Solar Probe revealed about our sun's atmosphere? Join us for a 30-minute lecture investigating the solar atmosphere and discussions of the upcoming total solar eclipse, followed by a panel Q&A consisting of several astrophysicists to answer your questions about astrophysics and space science. Timestamps below:
00:00 Announcements
06:35 Description of Upcoming Solar Eclipse
10:36 Intro to Solar Atmosphere Presentation
11:52 Solar Atmosphere Presentation
45:10 Q&A for Solar Atmosphere Presentation
45:30 "Does the observation of Iron-14 lines in the corona tell you about electron densities?"
47:00 "How much lead time do we have before getting hit by solar particles?"
48:19 "Can computers predict when hazardous events might be emitted by the Sun?"
49:30 "Why do Wolf-Rayet stars eject their outer layers of gas?"
51:38 Intermission
1:01:10 Q&A Panel Introductions
1:03:40 "Why and how do sunspots form?"
1:05:17 "How close can spacecraft get to the Sun without being damaged?"
1:07:33 "Tell us about your research in dark matter and dark energy."
1:11:08 "How can I take a spectrum of the solar corona?"
1:13:12 "Can nuclear fusion take place inside a solar flare?"
1:14:32 "Do other types of stars have solar flares too?"
1:16:48 "How long do heliophysicists wish eclipses would last?"
1:19:10 "Why can't you place a sunshield a few meters in front of your telescope?"
1:22:20 "How much damage would a major solar event do to our satellites?"
1:28:46 "What is the life span of dark matter?"
1:30:18 "In what ways can nations protect against major solar events?
1:35:05 "Can GFCI circuits protect against major solar events?"
1:36:34 "Can you describe muon-catalyzed fusion?"
1:37:14 "Can the clumping of matter on small scales constrain the nature of dark matter?"
1:40:55 "Could Parker Solar Probe survive a major solar event?"
1:44:15 "How close are we to understanding the corona heating problem?"
1:47:46 "Do you find being an astrophysicist to be a rewarding profession?"
1:53:27 "Are there locations or times where dark matter is not present in the universe?"
1:57:54 "Which came first: dark matter or galaxies?"
1:58:34 "How do we explain the recently discovered galaxies lacking dark matter?"
2:00:46 Concluding Remarks
Title: Chasing the Solar Atmosphere using Eclipses and the Parker Solar Probe
Speaker: Gabriel Muro
Abstract:
"Never look directly at the Sun" is sage advice that has applied to astronomical observations of our nearest star for centuries. The technical challenge of measuring and understanding the sun requires specialized equipment, the perfect location, and a bit of luck. First, I'll discuss how spectroscopy, breaking sunlight into its constituent colors, has been used during the fleeting moments of total solar eclipses to glimpse at the inner workings of the corona, our sun's atmosphere. Then, I'll cover how NASA's most extreme heliophysics mission, Parker Solar Probe, measures highly energized particles to learn about the physics of solar storms. There will also be a brief information session on the upcoming total solar eclipse across North America on April 8, 2024.
Photo Credit: NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory

[@spacepygmy4443]

So glad you guys do this, Keep up the enlightenment 🎖️

[@CaltechAstro]

Thanks for the friendly comment! We'll keep doing them as long as we can!

[@dr.anetawisniewska3863]

Thank you very much for the possibility to watch this talk :) The nearly 'infinite solar eclipse' that Gabe mentioned, is actually simulated by the ground-based telescopes called coronographs like american' UCoMP (Upgraded Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter) for instance. However, I really liked the idea with the space-borne spectrometer in L2 point. Very fascinating and kind of 'crazy' proposal :)))

[@CaltechAstro]

It's definitely a wild idea, but the science checks out. Now it's just the expense of making it happen! Thanks for the feedback!

[@julia-miguelbernardes3038]

Thank you once more, Cameron, great session. BTW, in the previous session, how did you exactly draw that triangle on the surface of a balloon? Granny trying unsuccessfully!

[@CaltechAstro]

The trick with drawing the right triangle on the balloon is to make it very large, so the 3 corners of the triangle are on perpendicular surfaces of the balloon. Then you can draw a 90-degree angle for each of the three corners and break the "all interior angles of a triangle have to add to 180 degrees" rule, because it is in non-euclidean space (i.e., the space is not "flat").

[@julia-miguelbernardes3038]

Sending Chris Giorgi a get-well-soon greeting.

[@genghisgalahad8465]

The Coronal Heating... 🌞 Circumstance isn't actually as baffling as I had previously thought! 😅

[@CaltechAstro]

Great question, Genghis! Thanks for the discussion.

[@essaudanny]

When is the next lecture?

[@CaltechAstro]

Friday, March 15. It's listed as an upcoming stream on our TH-cam Channel: th-cam.com/users/caltechastro

[@julia-miguelbernardes3038]

Connaissais-vous la tradition des currents d'air? According to this theory, if people in a room opened, say, one door plus a window, there would be a [n air] draft and people would catch a cold. So, I have a hypothesis. Since both dark matter and neutrinos interact or pass through living organic matter such as our living bodies, the difference between the speeds of passage of neutrinos and dark matter through our bodies would cause our thermostat to get confused. There! 🤪

[@CaltechAstro]

Interesting hypothesis, Julia. But I think our bodies are largely incapable of perceiving either neutrinos or dark matter as they pass through us. :)