NASA Readies High-Altitude Jet, Balloons for Aug. 12 Solar Eclipse
The rare high-altitude jet will observe the upcoming total solar eclipse and send back data for researchers, NASA said.
- On August 10, 2026, a NASA WB-57F Canberra research aircraft arrived at Keflavík Airport in Iceland. Flying as NASA926, the jet will shadow-track the total solar eclipse on August 12 to collect high-altitude scientific data.
- NASA employs the WB-57 for its ability to operate above 50,000 ft, bypassing atmospheric water vapor and turbulence. This altitude allows onboard sensors to capture clearer eclipse images and extend observation time by about 25 percent.
- While NASA maintains a fleet of three aircraft, only N926NA remains operational. The other two jets are grounded for maintenance: N927NA following a gear-up landing and N928NA undergoing inspection through January 2027.
- Scheduled for Wednesday, August 12, the aircraft will fly along the eclipse path across Greenland, Iceland, and northern Russia. Researchers rely on the jet to transmit high-altitude observations of the Sun's corona during the celestial event.
- NASA previously utilized WB-57 aircraft for solar eclipse research in 2017 and 2024. By using these established platforms, scientists can directly compare current mission data with prior datasets to build on proven methodologies for examining solar phenomena.
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"Scientists can study the solar crown in a way that can't be done anywhere else in the solar system," says NASA's eclipse program manager.
Copy of Total solar eclipse 2026 with NASA
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A special high-altitude NASA plane will chase the solar eclipse at 50,000 feet. Take a look.
A crew member prepares for takeoff in NASA's WB-57.NASANASA's WB-57 plane will take high-resolution images of the total solar eclipse on Wednesday.The high-altitude aircraft will chase the moon's shadow for a prolonged aerial view of totality.NASA also flew WB-57s during the 2024 total eclipse and in support of the Artemis II mission.NASA's WB-57 high-altitude aircraft will have one of the best views of Wednesday's total solar eclipse.A partial …
A NASA WB-57 prepares to take off from Keflavik, Iceland, to chase from above the total solar eclipse of August 12th. The search jet will fly over the clouds along the path of totality, while special high resolution cameras will resume the crown of the Sun, its external atmosphere, during the few minutes of obscuration. Flying at altitude will allow scientists to observe the phenomenon longer than possible from the ground and collect images and …
The solar eclipse of August 12 is a rare phenomenon that researchers do not want to miss. A plane of the Nasa will thus fly at high altitude in pursuit of the shade of the Moon to be able to observe the solar crown longer than from the Earth. Other scientific experiments are planned, such as an expedition at sea to observe the consequences on the marine ecosystems of a sudden disappearance of light. - A plane of the Nasa, French expedition at se…
Nasa jet to monitor solar eclipse from 50,000ft in the air in effort to uncover sun's secrets
Nasa is dispatching a specialised research aircraft to pursue the Moon's shadow as darkness sweeps across the northern hemisphere during today's solar eclipse.The WB-57 high-altitude jet will fly over Iceland, where totality will be visible at an altitude of 50,000ft, well above the clouds, water vapour and atmospheric turbulence that might otherwise compromise observations.Its target is the Sun's corona, the outer atmosphere stretching millions…
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