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| Citizen CATE | |
|---|---|
| Name | Citizen CATE |
| Caption | Citizen CATE eclipse experiment setup |
| Established | 2017 |
| Type | Citizen science, solar physics, eclipse expedition |
| Participants | Amateur astronomers, students, educators |
| Affiliated | National Solar Observatory, Planetary Society, Astronomical League |
Citizen CATE Citizen CATE is a distributed citizen science campaign for observing the solar corona during total solar eclipses, organizing hundreds of teams to produce continuous, high-cadence imaging of the corona across the path of totality. The program links amateur astronomers, university researchers, science museums, and science organizations to study coronal dynamics, coronal mass ejections, and solar wind source regions by coordinating standardized instruments and data pipelines across many observing sites.
Citizen CATE unites volunteers from groups such as the Astronomical League, American Astronomical Society, Royal Astronomical Society, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Institute of Physics, American Association of Variable Star Observers, Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers, Planetary Society, and university departments at institutions like Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Colorado Boulder to capture contiguous minutes of the inner corona during totality. The project builds on heritage from initiatives such as the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, Solar Dynamics Observatory, Mauna Loa Solar Observatory, Kitt Peak National Observatory, Mount Wilson Observatory, and eclipse campaigns by organizations like NASA and European Space Agency. Citizen CATE’s goals intersect with missions including Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter, and STEREO to provide complementary ground-based perspective during eclipses.
Citizen CATE grew from pilot programs around the 2016 and 2017 total solar eclipses across North America, drawing volunteers recruited via networks including National Science Foundation-funded outreach, Smithsonian Institution affiliates, National Air and Space Museum, Science Museum Group, and local amateur clubs such as the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers. Early experiments coordinated volunteers linked to observatories like Lowell Observatory, McDonald Observatory, Lick Observatory, and Yerkes Observatory. Collaborations with researchers at the National Solar Observatory, High Altitude Observatory, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, and university teams at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Boston University refined hardware, software, and training materials. Following the 2017 campaign, the project expanded to international eclipses involving partners from Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Observatoire de Paris, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, and Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Citizen CATE standardizes on compact refracting telescopes, off-the-shelf DSLR or CMOS cameras, and mounts that are robust for field deployment; comparable components appear at institutions like PerkinElmer, Thorlabs, ZWO, Nikon Corporation, Canon Inc., and Sony Corporation. Optical designs draw lessons from instruments at Mauna Loa Solar Observatory, Kanzelhöhe Observatory, and Big Bear Solar Observatory. Filters and coronagraph techniques reference standards from SOHO instruments and coronagraph designs used by teams at Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. The design emphasizes portability seen in field experiments by NOAA researchers and educational kits used by Science Buddies and Citizen Science Association partners.
Field teams follow protocols similar to coordinated campaigns such as those by International Astronomical Union working groups and International Solar-Terrestrial Physics programs, using standardized training modules from Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and deployment strategies used by National Weather Service storm spotters and American Red Cross volunteers for logistics. Teams practice alignment, exposure bracketing, and timing against ephemerides from Jet Propulsion Laboratory and eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak’s work and institutions like NASA Eclipse offices. Site selection leverages climatological data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and local observatories such as Flagstaff Observatory or Kitt Peak National Observatory to maximize clear-sky probability.
Data workflows integrate open-source tools and image-processing techniques adopted from solar physics groups at Lockheed Martin, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, University of Michigan, University of Glasgow, and Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. Calibration uses flat-fielding and dark-frame subtraction techniques taught in courses at California Institute of Technology and Imperial College London; image registration follows algorithms developed by researchers at Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and University of Chicago. Time-series analysis connects to studies by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, and models from University of California, Los Angeles and Princeton University. Citizen CATE datasets have been archived and cross-referenced with databases such as those curated by Virtual Solar Observatory and Heliophysics Data Environment Alliance.
Citizen CATE produced contiguous, high-cadence movies of the inner corona revealing dynamic features like polar plumes, helmet streamers, and small-scale eruptive phenomena, complementing spaceborne observations by SDO, SOHO, Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter, and STEREO. Analyses have informed models developed at University of Arizona and University of California, Berkeley concerning coronal heating and solar wind acceleration, and contributed to studies published by teams at Cornell University, University of Colorado Boulder, Boston University, Northwestern University, and University of Oxford. The program’s multi-site approach has been cited in comparative campaigns led by NOAA, ESA, and multinational consortia organized through the International Astronomical Union.
Citizen CATE’s training materials and curricula have been adopted by museums and institutions including the Smithsonian Institution, American Museum of Natural History, Science Museum of Minnesota, Exploratorium, Ashmolean Museum, and science centers affiliated with universities such as Arizona State University and University of Washington. Volunteer coordination has engaged chapters of the Royal Astronomical Society, Astronomical Society of Australia, Indian Astronomical Society, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute outreach programs, and local schools partnered with UNESCO initiatives. The project’s citizen science model parallels efforts by Zooniverse, SETI@home, and outreach frameworks promoted by the National Science Teachers Association and European Southern Observatory.
Category:Citizen science projects Category:Solar astronomy Category:Solar eclipses