How eclipses give scientists the chance to understand the universe
>> I HAD.
>> MILLIONS OF PEOPLE CAUGHT
A GLIMPSE OF TODAY'S SOLAR
ECLIPSE. PEOPLE TRAVELED ACROSS
THE COUNTRY AND SOME ACROSS THE
WORLD TO WITNESS TOTALITY HERE
IN NORTH CAROLINA, PEOPLE COULD
STILL EXPERIENCE A PARTIAL
ECLIPSE. AND THIS ASTRONOMICAL
PHENOMENON IS NOT JUST AN
EXPERIENCE. IT'S AMAZING TO
WITNESS IS GIVING SCIENTISTS A
CHANCE TO COLLECT DATA AND
BETTER UNDERSTAND THE UNIVERSE
FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS IN THE
FUTURE. TEAMS HERE AND ARE PART
OF THE AREA ARE PART OF THIS
MAJOR MISSION, WHICH WILL ALSO
HELP TO IMPROVE FORECASTING
CIVIL AIR PATROL CAPTAIN
SHANNON BABB IS LEADING THE
SOLAR ECLIPSE MISSION AND SHE'S
JOINING US NOW LIVE. THANKS
SO MUCH, SHANNON.
PLEASURE TO BE HERE. SO THIS IS
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NASA.
LET'S TALK ABOUT WHO HERE IN
OUR AREAS INVOLVED AND HOW SOME
YOUNG STUDENTS ARE BEING
INCLUDED.
>> SO WE GOT TO PARTNER WITH
NASA'S LOW, BUT OBSERVERS
PROJECT THIS IS A PROJECT THAT
ENCOURAGES MEMBERS OF OUR
COMMUNITY TO BECOME SCIENTISTS
AND COLLECT VERY LARGE DATA
SETS. SO IN THIS CASE, WE HAD
CADETS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 12
21. WE HAD OVER 125 OF THEM
ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA THAT HOPE
TO COLLECT DATA FOR 6 HOURS
DURING THE SOLAR ECLIPSE.
SO WHAT KIND OF DATA ARE YOU
LOOKING INTO? AND I'M
SPECIFICALLY, OF COURSE,
INTERESTED IN SOME OF THE
WEATHER DATA AND THE
FORECASTING IMPACTS WILL SEE IN
THE FUTURE FROM IT.
>> SO THEY ENDED UP COLLECTING
SOME THINGS THAT MAY SEEM VERY
BASIC. THEY WERE TRACKING YOUR
TEMPERATURE. THEY WERE TRACKING
WHEN IT SPEED AND DIRECTION.
THEY WERE ALSO LOOKING CLOUDS.
THEIR DATA SET IS BEING USED
TO UNDERSTAND HOW ENERGY FROM
THE SUN CHANGES OVER THE LENGTH
OF THE ECLIPSE. AND THIS CAN BE
USED TO HELP IMPROVE LONG TERM
FORECASTING. SO THIS IS THE
DATA THAT WILL GO INTO SOME
OF THOSE BIG MODELS THAT ARE
TRUMP THROUGH SUPERCOMPUTERS.
ABSOLUTELY. WE'RE LOOKING
FORWARD TO SEEING THAT. I KNOW
AT RDU WE SAW TEMPERATURES FALL
BY JUST OVER A DEGREE IN SEE
OTHER RESEARCHERS THERE.
>> SO ABOUT A 3 DEGREE
DIFFERENT. SO, YOU KNOW,
THERE'S ALSO IMPACTS TO RADIO
OPERATION, SOME OF THE HIGH
FREQUENCY RADIO. SO WHAT ARE
YOU SEEING FROM THAT?
>> SO WHAT ARE THE DEBTS FOR
TRACKING WAS A VERY UNIQUE
PHENOMENON THAT AFFECTS THE
RADIO FREQUENCIES. THAT FIRST
RESPONDERS USED TO COMMUNICATE
THINGS LIKE YOUR FIREFIGHTERS,
YOUR POLICE OFFICERS HERE MS
THEY WERE LOOKING AT THIS
PHENOMENON THAT IS LOVINGLY
REFERRED TO AS GHOSTING.
AND THEY WERE TRYING TO FIGURE
OUT WHY DOES THE SOLAR ECLIPSE
CREATE THESE GAPS IN OUR
COMMUNICATION? THESE GHOSTS IN
OUR COMMUNICATION. IT'S A
QUESTION WE DON'T KNOW THE
ANSWER FOR, BUT I CAN TELL SOME
OF THE CADETS IN NORTH CAROLINA
CAPTURED THE GHOST THIS
ECLIPSE. AND SO HOPEFULLY ROOM
LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO
UNDERSTANDING IT. ABSOLUTELY.
I HAVE FAITH. YOU HAVE A LARGE
TEAM ON IT AND I'M LOOKING
FORWARD TO THE FINDINGS.
KEEP US UP TO DATE WHEN YOU
THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE
THIS AFTERNOON.
>> THAT IS FASCINATING, RIGHT?
IT IS REALLY COOL. STOP THERE.
SO MUCH TO LEARN FROM EVENTS
LIKE THIS. SO I'M REALLY
LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING ALL
THE STUDIES THAT WE SEE COME
OUT AND ABOUT A YEAR AT SOME OF
THESE RESEARCH CONFERENCES.
JUST THE POWER OF MOTHER
NATURE. AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT
PHENOMENON IN SO MANY DIFFERENT
WAYS, RIGHT? THIS IS SO
INTERESTING AND SO COOL THAT