Multimedia Gallery

When the sun and the moon align, the moon blocks the sun's light resulting in a solar eclipse. Throughout history, people have sought to understand the phenomena and today, a person can view an eclipse with special eye protection. But scientists have even more advanced observation tools, we'll explore ways to view the sun in the U.S. National Science Foundation's "Discovery Files."

On October 14th of this year and April 8th of next, people using solar viewing glasses in the path of the eclipses can look up and see the ring of fire and experience the shadow that results from the moon's orbit blocking the light of the sun.

Researchers at the NSF-Supported National Solar Observatory are working to advance our understanding of the sun by operating telescopes including the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, also known as DKIST.

DKIST is a four-meter off-axis reflecting telescope which has the spatial, temporal, spectral resolution, and dynamic range necessary to study the solar surface and outer atmosphere of the sun. It allows for core solar-terrestrial magnetism observations and will offer unique views of astrophysical plasmas.

Program manager Carrie Black: "it's groundbreaking and also incredibly complimentary to the other types of telescopes that we have looking at the sun."

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope opens new opportunities for discovery beyond the limited scale and aperture abilities of current solar telescopes and will offer stunning new views of our sun for generations to come.

To hear more science and engineering news, including the researchers making it, subscribe to "NSF's Discovery Files" podcast.

Images and other media in the National Science Foundation Multimedia Gallery are available for use in print and electronic material by NSF employees, members of the media, university staff, teachers and the general public. All media in the gallery are intended for personal, educational and nonprofit/non-commercial use only.

Images credited to the National Science Foundation, a federal agency, are in the public domain. The images were created by employees of the United States Government as part of their official duties or prepared by contractors as "works for hire" for NSF. You may freely use NSF-credited images and, at your discretion, credit NSF with a "Courtesy: National Science Foundation" notation.

Additional information about general usage can be found in Conditions.