ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Do Scientists really know all they need to know about the solar eclipse?
"It turns out we don't understand the sun as well as you think" said Dr. John Mulcahey, an Astronomer and Carnegie Observatories Director on Total Information A.M. Wednesday.
With the Total Solar Eclipse coming Monday, it will give scientists to learn more about the sun compared to 2017.
"I think (Monday's Eclipse) will be particurlary unique because it's a long eclipse," said Mulcahey. "People may remember the 2017 one, which parts of St. Louis got to see in Totality. This particular eclipse will be twice as long in Totality, though St. Louis will be just outside the path."
Mulcahey says one part of the sun people like him will get a chance to further investigate during the eclipse is the sun atmosphere's or better known to them as the corona.
"This component is very hard to study from the earth," said Mulcahey. "Normally, the sun is kind of dominated by the surface of the sun(the bright portion we see). During an total solar eclipse, that surface is covered entirely if you're in the path of totality and that allows us to see this extended atmosphere and study it without worrying about the surface itself."
Mulcahey says that there will be a ton of experiments that will be taking place during the eclipse that will help them study the Corona.
"The corona is the component that kind of extends outward to the solar system," said Mulcahey. "Eventually it even extends outwards here to Earth too. When people hear about Solar Flares which we can know can impact us, the sun has been particularly active in 2024."
"Understanding the sun's surface and how the atmosphere work's together is very important because it can impact us right here on Earth so that's one thing we'll be studying when with this upcoming eclipse."
Mulcahey says the Total Solar Eclipse is an opportunity for even the most amateur of astronomers to participate in understanding the sun.
"We'll be collecting data from what we call citizen scientists, where people who will be taking images of the eclipse during totality will allow us to see how the corona changes as the eclipse kinds of go onwards," said Mulcahey. "So there will be people from Mexico all the way up to Canada who will get 3-4 minutes of totality, snap some images for us and we'll be able to see how it varies over time. It allows a lot of non-professionals to participate."