ULS Earth and Space Observatory prepares for the solar eclipse on July 2

eclipse

The objective is to be able to record the effects of the astronomical phenomenon on atmospheric and ionospheric dynamics.

Throughout the month of June, the Space and Earth Observatory: SEO-ULS of the Space Physics Group of the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the Faculty of Sciences, has been preparing for the solar eclipse on July 2, whose center will be the Coquimbo Region. This makes it relevant to have several detectors to record the effects of the eclipse on atmospheric and ionospheric dynamics from the thermal, geoelectrical, geomagnetic, ionic and electronic composition, as well as its wave dynamics point of view.

Among the works that were carried out, the preparation of the VLF antenna was developed to study the behavior of the D layer of the ionosphere, the preparation of the Cherenkov detector to study the effect of the eclipse on cosmic rays and the development of the workshop in the context of the collaborative project “Interuniversity Research Center for the Upper Atmosphere”, at the Juan Soldado Scientific Pole, an instance in which researchers and students from the Department of Geophysics of the University of Concepción, the Department of Electronics of the University participated Chillán Adventist and the Space Physics Group of the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of La Serena.

From the Space Physics Group, they indicated that these works will be very important for astronomical research. “From the point of view of Space Physics, taking measurements during a total or partial eclipse is essential to advance the understanding of the electrodynamics of the Sun-Earth interaction when it is subjected to perturbations of short duration,” they expressed.

All of these works aim to position the University's work in the field of research as a national benchmark in the development of scientific research in space sciences.

Written by Tomás Rodríguez, DirCom