ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Astron. Space Sci.
Sec. Space Physics
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspas.2025.1601396
This article is part of the Research TopicHeliophysics Big Year: Education and Public Outreach ReportsView all articles
Eclipse-Induced Geomagnetic Signatures: The 2024 EZIE-Mag Citizen Science Campaign Contribution to the Heliophysics Big Year
Provisionally accepted
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, United States
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The April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse presented a unique opportunity to study ionospheric and magnetospheric responses to local changes in the solar illumination. As part of NASA's citizen science initiative, the EZIE-Mag Eclipse Measurement Campaign deployed ultra lowcost, science-grade magnetometer kits operated by trained citizen scientists across diverse geographic locations. This grassroots decentralized approach enabled the collection of highquality, distributed geomagnetic data. Observations from Muncie, Indiana, revealed a clear signal that is interpreted as being produced by eclipse-induced current system perturbations. This is an excellent example of complex electrodynamic coupling between the Sun, the solar wind, and the magnetosphere-ionosphere-atmosphere. The results not only contribute to advancing Heliophysics research but also demonstrate the value of citizen science in enhancing space weather awareness and public education. The campaign's inclusive approach in engaging participants from various backgrounds, underscores the potential for scalable, community-driven efforts to broaden participation and deepen public understanding of space weather phenomena.
Keywords: Space weather, citizen science, EZIE-Mag, Magnetometry, Ionospheric currents, eclipse, Heliophysics Big Year
Received: 28 Mar 2025; Accepted: 28 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Araujo de Mesquita, Barnes, Gjerloev, Eisape, Mosavi and Eidson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Rafael Luiz Araujo de Mesquita, Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, United States
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