Irish-Italian Eclipse Flight CONFIRMED: Researchers to Observe Rare 2026 Solar Eclipse from Flying Observatory
Taking to the skies off Ireland’s west coast, scientists will transform an aircraft into a flying observatory to study one of nature’s most spectacular phenomena.
On 12 August a team of scientists from Ireland and Italy will take to the skies off Ireland’s west coast to observe one of nature’s most spectacular phenomena: a total solar eclipse. The mission will provide a rare opportunity to examine the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, and gain new insights into how the Sun’s magnetic field shapes and influences it.
Researchers from the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), the Irish Air Corps, and Italy’s National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) will fly an advanced solar telescope (E-CorMag) aboard an Irish Air Corps Airbus C295 aircraft to study the Sun’s atmosphere during the total solar eclipse. The eclipse’s path of totality will pass approximately 350km west of Ireland.
At the heart of the expedition is a new telescope called E-CorMag. Developed by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, the instrument has been built using spare flight components from two European Space Agency solar missions – Proba-3 and Solar Orbiter.
Although it sits far above the visible surface of the Sun, the corona can reach temperatures of around two million degrees Celsius: hundreds of times hotter than the surface below. Scientists still do not fully understand why this happens.
E-CorMag has been designed to help answer that question by measuring the magnetic field of the corona. These magnetic fields are thought to play a major role in shaping the Sun’s atmosphere and releasing huge amounts of energy into space.
During a total solar eclipse, the Moon blocks out the Sun’s bright disc, briefly revealing the faint, glowing corona around it. For just a few precious minutes, scientists get a natural window into a part of the Sun that is usually hidden from view.
During the observation, the aircraft’s bubble window will be opened, giving the telescope a clear view of the eclipsed Sun. This means the instrument can observe without looking through standard aircraft windows, which can blur or distort the images.
Flying also gives the science team a major advantage: the aircraft can be positioned to spend as much time as possible in the Moon’s shadow, while also reducing the risk of clouds blocking the view from the ground.
The Air Corps eclipse expedition will complement measurements from space missions, including Solar Orbiter and Proba-3, providing an additional perspective on the Sun’s dynamic atmosphere. Together, these observations will contribute to a more complete understanding of the magnetic processes that govern the solar atmosphere and influence the space environment throughout the Solar System.
The Irish-Italian eclipse team includes:
- INAF: Lucia Abbo, Gerardo Capobianco, Hervé Haudemand
- TU Dublin: Ciarán O’Callaghan
- TCD: Joe McCauley
- DIAS: Peter Gallagher, Laura Hayes
- Irish Air Corps
Media Contacts:
- Professor Peter Gallagher, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies and Trinity College Dublin, peter.gallagher@dias.ie
- Professor Laura Hayes, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, laura.hayes@dias.ie
- Irish Air Corps, aircorpspress@military.ie
2015 Eclipse
During the solar eclipse in 2015, Professor Peter Gallagher, then at Trinity College, and now Director of Dunsink Observatory, took to the skies on an Irish Air Corps Maritime Patrol Aircraft to capture high-resolution imagery of the eclipse.
The aircraft performed a regular maritime patrol but Professor Gallagher and the team were able to collect imagery at the same time. In doing so, he spearheaded a truly international collaboration of solar researchers investigating the eclipse.
As you might expect, the view from above the clouds – far out over the Atlantic Ocean was much, much better.
Scientists from Trinity, Aberystwyth University and Hawaii set out aboard an Air Corps CASA plane this morning to document the rare phenomenon.
During the flight, the team were able to fly out over the Atlantic Ocean to the path of totality, to view the total solar eclipse. They then flew along the path of totality to allow them to collect more data. While an eclipse viewed from the ground typically only lasts for a few minutes, the flight team were able to view the total solar eclipse for much longer by following the path of totality.
Following the flight, Gallagher and the team were able to analyse the data and combine the data from the flight with records from other solar instruments at the same time, to piece together an image of all of the solar activity during the eclipse.
