NASA's WB-57F deployed from Houston to Iceland for the August 12 total solar eclipse. Flying at about 50,000 feet, the research aircraft followed the shadow's path while its sensor operator adjusted camera focus and exposure.
That altitude placed the instruments above much of the cloud, dust and water vapor that obstruct ground observations. It also opened access to infrared wavelengths strongly absorbed lower in the atmosphere.
NASA's August 26 account explains that months of coordination placed the aircraft where the science team needed it. The observations will support studies of the corona and the movement of energy and material around the Sun; the flight itself was data collection, not a completed scientific explanation.
Primary source: NASA airborne science report. Report published 2026-08-26; summary checked 2026-09-06.