On April 8, 2024 a total eclipse occurred stretching from Newfoundland to the east coast of Mexico. A total eclipse occurs when the moon passes in front of the earth and blocks out the sun. When such events occur between the earth and other bodies, these are called transits (for instance the transit of Venus). When a planet in another solar system passes between our view of its star, this is an occultation.
A number of amateur radio experiments were carried out to investigate the behaviour of the upper atmosphere on the propagation of radio signals and waves during the eclipse. The Radio Society of Great Britain has a Propagation Studies Committee that was very interested in this event. BBC articles are available at:
- https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68742516
- https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20231005-eclipses-do-odd-things-to-radio-waves-to-learn-more-an-army-of-american-amateurs-will-broadcast-during-the-next-ones
Radio Amateurs of Canada and a number of American universities were actively monitoring the effects of the eclipse on radio propagation.