Coronal Emission for the December 4, 2021 Total Solar Eclipse

EUV 171Å Emission
(AIA)
EUV 193Å Emission
(AIA)
EUV 211Å Emission
(AIA)
X-ray Emission
(XRT Ti-poly Filter)
Click on the images to see slideshow of larger versions

The images above show the predicted coronal emission during the eclipse. The four channels shown represent measurements taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Hinode Spacecraft, both of which continuously observe the Sun from space.

Plasma in the corona emits naturally at these wavelengths, and each channel is sensitive to different temperatures in the corona. The left three channels, SDO/AIA 171, 193, and 211 sample the corona from ~0.9 - 2.0 million degrees Kelvin, while the Hinode/XRT Ti-Poly channel has broad sensitivity for plasma above 2 million degrees Kelvin.

Here we show movies of predicted EUV and soft X-ray emission from our coronal model.


EUV 171Å Emission
(AIA)
EUV 193Å Emission
(AIA)
EUV 211Å Emission
(AIA)
X-ray Emission
(XRT Ti-poly Filter)

Comparison between Observed EUV Emission from SDO/AIA and Simulated Emission from Our Model
Click on the image to see the larger version

In the above figure we show a comparison of predicted emission from our model (bottom row) to calibrated SDO/AIA images taken one solar rotation before the eclipse (top row). We choose observations from this date and time because the magnetic observations used in our final simulation are closest to this date, and we will see the same part of the Sun during the eclipse. By comparing our simulation directly to observations, we are able to test and improve our computer model. Here we were most focused on reproducing the large-scale features and relative contrast between emission in the AIA 171, 193, and 211Å channels, which span the typical temperature range of plasma in the corona.


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