NASA Researchers Prepare For Solar Eclipse

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- One of nature's most spectacular shows is about to happen---too bad it's on the other side of the world.

But as Alex DeMetrick reports, a total eclipse of the sun is still worth a look.

There are currently 17 NASA spacecraft focused on the sun---some capable of creating their own total eclipse, revealing the incredible energy in the sun's corona.

"But here on earth, the best time to observe this outer atmosphere of the sun, the corona, happens right at the moment of eclipse," said Dr. Michelle Thaller, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

And at 8:38 p.m. EST, the moon will slip in front of the sun on the other side of the world, casting a 100 mile wide black dot on the earth.

NASA researchers from Maryland will be on a tiny island as it passes over in the form of a total solar eclipse, looking for what flares out.

"These are solar prominences of super-heated hot gas that are coming off the surface of the sun," Thaller said.

They're important to understand because they generate space weather, the highly charged particles that bombard earth.

If a solar prominence is big enough...

"It can impact our satellites and possibly impact our power grids," Thaller said.

NASA is also using this eclipse as a dress rehearsal for another total eclipse in August 2017, which is going to be a lot closer to home.

"For the first time in over 30 years, there's going to be a total eclipse of the sun over the central United States," Thaller said.

From Oregon to South Carolina, the moon's 100 mile wide shadow will turn day to night.

NASA will begin live-streaming the eclipse beginning at 8 p.m. You can see it on the NASA TV website.