The ionosphere is one of the Earth’s atmospheric layers, stretching from 60 km to more than 950 km in altitude. Containing electrically charged plasma, its lower half, called the bottom-side ...

The sounding rockets will reach a maximum altitude of 260 miles during flight. During the 2023 annular eclipse, instruments on the rockets measured sharp, immediate changes in the ionosphere.

The spacecraft reached an altitude of 768.03 km, where it remained for 19 min ... increases the “scale height” of the ionosphere by as much as 271% (from a height of 77.0 km to a height of 208.9 km).

Experiments to study the ionosphere during the eclipse include high-altitude balloons and a citizen science endeavor that invites the participation of amateur radio operators. Operators in ...