Citizen C.A.T.E. Experiment coming to Eastern Idaho
Fifteen physics and geology students from Westminster College in Salt Lake City will be atop the south Menan Butte to study the solar eclipse and the geology of the area. But they will be part of a bigger scientific experiment going on all across the United States during the darkness.
KIDK Eyewitness News 3 anchor Todd Kunz was able to spend some time with their professor as she set up her telescope for a test run.
It’s called the Citizen C.A.T.E. experiment, Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse.
“Sixty-eight telescopes all set up along the United States and everyone has the same equipment and the same procedure to follow,” said Julia Kamenetzky, assistant professor of physics at Westminster College in Salt Lake City.
They will all be aiming at the sun during the totality of the solar eclipse.
“Here are two of the filters,” said Kamenetzky, holding two colored circle in her hand.
“And some of them aren’t even professional astronomers. Some of them are amateurs. Some of them are teachers, high school groups,” said Kamenetzky.
The project originates from the National Solar Observatory in Tucson, Arizona.
“Loosen this and let’s see what we get,” said Kamenetzky, adjusting her telescope. “We got really close. The sun was right down in the corner if you want to come down and see,” she said pointing to her laptop screen on the ground.
The overall goal of the project is to make a 90-minute movie of the solar corona, which is the outer atmosphere of the sun that you can only see safely during a total solar eclipse.
“So for every one person, we only have about two minutes that we could take a video, but we are going to stitch them all together to make the 90 minutes,” said Kamenetzky.
Obviously, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity with the eclipse so rare in this area. Kamenetzky agrees and is happy with the timing to get her students and college involved.
“Also a little anxious about it. You want everything to go right. And there’s a deadline,” said Kamenetzky.
Homework comes due Monday. The closer to the center of the eclipse path, the more time in totality, which means more available data.
This project involves volunteers from more than 20 high schools, 20 universities, informal education groups, astronomy clubs, five national science research labs, and five corporate sponsors.
