In 2017, NASA released a ScienceCast video titled "The 2017 Total Solar Eclipse." The video highlights the significance of the total solar eclipse that occurred on August 21, 2017, and discusses the scientific opportunities it presented.
The ScienceCast explains that although solar eclipses are fairly common, this event was unique because it crossed a path of totality that stretched across the United States from coast to coast, allowing a large portion of the population to witness the phenomenon.
The video emphasizes the importance of eclipses as rare opportunities for scientists to study the sun's corona, the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere.
It discusses the efforts made by various research teams to capture data and images of the eclipse using specially designed equipment such as high-altitude aircraft and satellites.
The ScienceCast concludes by underlining the significant role that the 2017 total solar eclipse played in advancing solar science and inspiring public interest in astronomy.