143 Observatories Reveal 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

Volunteers capture groundbreaking images of the Sun's corona through NASA's Eclipse Megamovie project.

Feb. 25, 2026 at 7:32am

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Volunteers participating in NASA's Eclipse Megamovie citizen science project captured over 52,000 photographs of the 2024 total solar eclipse from 143 unique mobile observatories across the United States. The resulting dataset, now publicly available, includes calibrated images that allow researchers to study the evolution of the Sun's corona in unprecedented detail.

Why it matters

This comprehensive dataset from the Eclipse Megamovie project provides an invaluable resource for solar researchers to analyze the dynamics of the Sun's outer atmosphere during a total solar eclipse. The high-quality, calibrated images will enable new discoveries about solar activity and the corona's structure.

The details

The Eclipse Megamovie team worked with hundreds of volunteers who traveled into the path of the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse to capture precise images of the event. The resulting dataset includes 52,469 total photographs from 143 unique "observatories" - volunteer-led mobile camera setups. Of these, 28 observatories were able to produce calibrated level 3 images suitable for in-depth scientific analysis. The data is now publicly available in the standard FITS astronomical format, allowing researchers around the world to study solar jets, plumes, and the evolution of the corona.

  • On April 8, 2024, volunteers participated in NASA's Eclipse Megamovie citizen science project.
  • The Eclipse Megamovie team began working together long before the 2024 eclipse to construct the database.

The players

Eclipse Megamovie

A citizen science project led by researchers at Sonoma State University, the University of California, Berkeley, and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to capture comprehensive observations of the 2024 total solar eclipse.

Jessi McKenna

An Eclipse Megamovie volunteer who expressed gratitude for the project's supportive community.

Troy Wilson

An EdEon STEM Learning programmer who collaborated with the Eclipse Megamovie team to construct the database.

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What they’re saying

“Thank you for all you do and have done for us. Everyone in the group has been amazingly supportive of each other. And those who are running things are always so obviously appreciative of everyone who has contributed to the project.”

— Jessi McKenna, Eclipse Megamovie volunteer

The takeaway

The Eclipse Megamovie project's comprehensive dataset of the 2024 total solar eclipse, captured by a network of dedicated volunteers, represents a significant advancement in solar research, enabling new discoveries about the Sun's corona and outer atmosphere.