Artemis II Nikon Z9 Photos Yield New Solar Corona Insights
Researchers at Tokyo City University published a study in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, analyzing images captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby. This study focused on a total solar eclipse event, when the Moon completely obscured the Sun. The investigation, led by Kohji Tsumura and Ko Arimatsu, utilized stellar calibration techniques to assess the F-corona, revealing greater emission density along the ecliptic plane and an unexpectedly vast F-corona compared to the ZodiSURF model. The crew included Commander Reid Wiseman and Pilots Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. The study is titled 'Large-scale Morphology of the Optical F-corona.'
Key facts
- Tokyo City University researchers published a paper in The Astrophysical Journal Letters using Artemis II photos.
- The photos were taken with a Nikon Z9 during a total solar eclipse from lunar orbit.
- The Moon fully occulted the Sun, providing a rare view of the F-corona.
- Researchers used stellar calibration to correct for the camera's lack of photometric calibration.
- The F-corona is caused by dust scattering sunlight and includes Fraunhofer absorption lines.
- Results showed a stronger emission concentration toward the ecliptic plane.
- The F-corona was more extended than predicted by the ZodiSURF model.
- The study proves the viability of consumer cameras for scientific research in space.
Entities
Artists
- Kohji Tsumura
- Ko Arimatsu
- Reid Wiseman
- Victor Glover
- Christina Koch
- Jeremy Hansen
- Hiroyuki Ikegami
Institutions
- Tokyo City University
- NASA
- Nikon
- University of St. Andrews
- European Space Agency
- PetaPixel
Locations
- Tokyo
- Japan
- St. Andrews
- United Kingdom
- Moon
- Earth