2017 Total Solar Eclipse

Map of US Eclipses from 2017-2052

On 21 August 2017, a total solar eclipse caused the shadow of the moon to traverse the United States from Oregon to South Carolina in just over 90 minutes. Although the ionospheric effects of solar eclipses have been studied for over 50 years, many unanswered questions remain. HamSCI invited amateur radio operators to participate in a large-scale experiment which characterized the ionospheric response to the total solar eclipse and targeted open science questions.

Hundreds of ham radio operators helped out by getting on the air with the Solar Eclipse QSO Party, a contest-like operating event designed to generate data for studying the eclipse. Other HamSCI experiments included making HF Frequency Measurements, recording HF spectra, setting up a Reverse Beacon Network Receiver, participating in VLF/LF receiving experiments, and listening to AM broadcast stations. See our Eclipse Get Involved for more information.

Are you curious about how prior total solar eclipses affected the ionosphere? Read about radio experiments during the 1999 United Kingdom Total Solar Eclipse coordinated by the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.

Thanks for participating! Both science and SEQP results for 2017 are now available on the SEQP page. Stay tuned for future experiments pertaining to the October 14, 2023 annular solar eclipse and April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse!

SEQP

Get on the air with the Solar Eclipse QSO Party!

Get Involved!

How can hams and the general public get involved?

The Experiment

Details of the plan to study the 2017 solar eclipse.

Join the HamSCI-Eclipse Mailing List

HamSCI @ AGU 2024

Friday, November 29, 2024 - 16:42

Submitted 1 week 6 days ago by w2naf.

The week of December 9, 2024 many HamSCI members are presenting their research at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. The AGU Annual meeting is one of the largest professional geoscience meetings in the world, and consists of over 25,000 attendees from over 100 countries. The scientific program includes sessions pertaining to all areas of geophysics, including space weather, the solar wind, auroral activity, the ionosphere, and the neutral atmosphere. Below is a list of selected presentations and sessions being given by HamSCI members (and friends), or of general interest to ham radio operators. The complete scientific program is available here.

HamSCI Newsletter Volume 1, Number 1

Friday, November 15, 2024 - 07:38

Submitted 4 weeks 5 hours ago by w2naf.

The first issue of the new HamSCI newsletter is now available! Issues contain news about past and future HamSCI happenings, such as research projects, in-person meetings and on-air events. Many issues include HamSCI member profiles, stories on tools and techniques used in HamSCI's research work, plus general interest pieces. Reading the HamSCI Newsletter is a great way to learn about what, who, how and why HamSCI is making the connection between space physics and amateur radio! Special thanks to Ed Efchak WX2R for being the driving force behind this, Dr. Mary Lou West KC2NMC for editing and writing, and Vikki Lawhon for graphics design and layout. The HamSCI newsletter archive can be found at hamsci.org/newsletter.

2024 Workshop Program and Registration Links Announced

Tuesday, February 27, 2024 - 06:34

Submitted 9 months 2 weeks ago by af8a.

The agenda for the March 22-23, 2024 HamSCI workshop at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio has been published and can be viewed here! The workshop will focus on the theme of Alignments - between the Sun, Moon and Earth; between collegiate amateur radio recreation and STEM curriculum; between data collection and analysis; between professional and citizen science.

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