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Title: New Observations of the IR Emission Corona from the 2019 July 2 Eclipse Flight of the Airborne Infrared Spectrometer
Abstract The Airborne Infrared Spectrometer (AIR-Spec) was commissioned during the 2017 total solar eclipse, when it observed five infrared coronal emission lines from a Gulfstream V research jet owned by the National Science Foundation and operated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The second AIR-Spec research flight took place during the 2019 July 2 total solar eclipse across the south Pacific. The 2019 eclipse flight resulted in seven minutes of observations, during which the instrument measured all four of its target emission lines: Sxi1.393μm, Six1.431μm, Sxi1.921μm, and Feix2.853μm. The 1.393μm Sxiline was detected for the first time, and probable first detections were made of Sixi1.934μm and Fex1.947μm. The 2017 AIR-Spec detection of Feixwas confirmed and the first observations were made of the Feixline intensity as a function of solar radius. Telluric absorption features were used to calibrate the wavelength mapping, instrumental broadening, and throughput of the instrument. AIR-Spec underwent significant upgrades in preparation for the 2019 eclipse observation. The thermal background was reduced by a factor of 30, providing a 5.5× improvement in signal-to-noise ratio, and the postprocessed pointing stability was improved by a factor of 5 to <10″ rms. In addition, two imaging artifacts were identified and resolved, improving the spectral resolution and making the 2019 data easier to interpret.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1850750
PAR ID:
10368533
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
DOI PREFIX: 10.3847
Date Published:
Journal Name:
The Astrophysical Journal
Volume:
933
Issue:
1
ISSN:
0004-637X
Format(s):
Medium: X Size: Article No. 82
Size(s):
Article No. 82
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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