A visible-light image of the Sun captured during the total eclipse by Southern 
Research Institute’s telescopes. The imagery was captured by two NASA high-altitude research aircraft as the total solar eclipse unfolded over the United States.
The goal of the eclipse mission, led by NASA and supported by Southern Research Institute, was to gather visible-light and infrared images of the solar corona and collect extensive data on the temperature of Mercury’s surface.
The stabilized telescopes with sensitive, high-speed, visible-light and infrared cameras flew aboard the NASA WB-57F research aircraft to observe the targets from 50,000 feet, providing a significant advantage over ground-based observations.
Birmingham, Alabama-based Southern Research built the Airborne Imaging and Recording Systems (AIRS) onboard and worked with the scientific team to retrofit its telescopes with solar filters and improved data recorders and operating software.
