News & Events

The total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, was a great opportunity for the team of HAO, NSO, and NOAA scientists and collaborators to travel to a location on the totality path with the goal of running unique science experiments. Using additional telescopes, binoculars, and outreach materials, we were able to capture the eclipse throughout its phases and share our passion with a very excited local crowd.

HAO plans to observe the Sun’s corona from Mauna Loa Solar Solar Observatory (MLSO) during the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, despite the destruction of the access road and power lines to the site. These were destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mauna Loa on Nov 27, 2022. A generator, 80 solar panels, 24 battery packs, 3 inverters, and associated materials have been helicoptered to the site, which is located at 11,200 feet on Mauna Loa. Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation with work led by NCAR facilities and HAO site manager Ben Berkey.

The Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024 offers ideal conditions for eclipse science, unique opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaborations, and an excellent occasion for public engagement. HAO is leading the effort through the Whole Heliosphere and Planetary Interactions (WHPI) initiative to support the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse by providing a platform for gathering information on ongoing eclipse activities. Please contact us at whpi_help@hao.ucar.edu if you have any questions or would like to be included.

The Mauna Loa Solar Observatory Upgraded Coronal Multi-Channel Polarimeter (UCoMP) coronagraph science data (version 1.0.1) have now been released to the community via the Mauna Loa web page.