Southern Illinois University Carbondale faculty, staff and students will be on the scene later this month for a total solar eclipse in Australia.
It's a practice run for the 2024 total solar eclipse on April 8 of next year in this region.
The research team and student study abroad teams will leave for Australia next week in preparation for the solar eclipse there on April 20.
The Australia trip may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for some students, who also will receive hands-on training and knowledge about observational astronomy along the way.
The experience will allow them to take part in coronal data collection during the total solar eclipse that will hit southern Illinois next year.
