NASA WB-57 aircraft to chase 12 August 2026 solar eclipse over Iceland
High-altitude flight will extend observation of the sun’s corona to nearly three minutes during totality
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
NASA WB-57 aircraft to chase 12 August 2026 solar eclipse over Iceland
Photograph: Forbes (embedded from source)
What this story says
- NASA’s WB-57 aircraft will fly at 50,000 feet on 12 August 2026 to observe the total solar eclipse, extending corona observation time to nearly three minutes.
- The mission will use the SCIFLI Multispectral Airborne Imager to capture high-resolution images of the solar corona in visible and infrared wavelengths.
- Student teams from U.S. universities will launch scientific balloons in Iceland and Spain to study atmospheric changes during the eclipse.
- No left-rated outlet carried the story, according to the reports printed below.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 8 of the 14 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
76/100
Craft
95/100
Hype
30/100
14 sources · methodology
On 12 August 2026, a total solar eclipse will pass over Greenland, Iceland, Spain and a small part of Portugal. NASA will deploy its WB-57 high-altitude research aircraft to observe the event from 50,000 feet above the North Atlantic, west of Iceland. The aircraft will carry the SCIFLI Multispectral Airborne Imager, a suite of cameras designed to record the solar corona at 20 frames per second in visible and infrared light.
The WB-57 will travel at about 460 miles per hour, allowing it to follow the moon’s shadow and extend the observation window for the corona from just over two minutes on the ground to nearly three minutes in the air. Scientists aim to study solar prominences, the corona’s million-degree temperatures and the development of the solar wind. The mission builds on data collected during the 2024 total solar eclipse, with adjustments to exposure times and data-processing software.
Alongside the aircraft mission, NASA is supporting the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project. Student teams from several U.S. universities will launch scientific balloons in Iceland and Spain before, during and after the eclipse. In Iceland, the balloons will study changes in Earth’s boundary layer, the part of the atmosphere that touches the ground. In Spain, balloons equipped with 360-degree cameras will image the eclipse shadow from above and measure ozone levels.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests mentioned the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project or the involvement of student teams launching scientific balloons in Iceland and Spain. The cost of the mission or the funding sources for the research were not reported in any of the digests or full reports. No left-rated outlet carried the story at all.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 9 Aug 2026, 21:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
4 rated outlets
- The three centre-rated reports led on the scientific objectives of the mission. Forbes and Phys.org both detailed the WB-57’s flight path, altitude and speed, and the use of the SCIFLI Multispectral Airborne Imager to capture high-resolution images of the corona. Forbes included the involvement of the Irish Air Corps, which will fly a C-295 aircraft with scientists from the European Space Agency and Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. Phys.org reported that the mission aims to improve understanding of solar prominences and the solar wind, and that the aircraft will fly above clouds to avoid atmospheric interference.
- Forbes quoted principal investigator Amir Caspi of the Southwest Research Institute: “The sun is always changing. Every eclipse is different. So we could see things we didn’t see before.” Phys.org quoted Kelly Korreck, NASA’s eclipse program manager: “The sun impacts our daily life, satellites and astronauts in space, and we can take advantage of this moment to advance our understanding of that influence.” Sky & Telescope’s digest mentioned the scientific campaigns planned for the eclipse but did not provide additional detail.
Right
2 rated outlets
- The two right-rated digests led on the mission’s technical aspects and the aircraft’s role. The News described the WB-57’s flight as a “chase” of the moon’s shadow over Iceland, while TV Azteca framed the mission as a “hunt” for the eclipse. Both digests mentioned the aircraft’s altitude and speed but did not include details about the scientific instruments or the broader atmospheric research planned for the event.
Read it at the source
14 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
4- WB-57 - JSC | NASA Airborne Science Program (opens NASA (Source) in a new tab)
NASA (Source) — is NASA (Source) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Science Campaigns Planned for the August 12th Total Solar Eclipse (opens Sky & Telescope in a new tab)
Sky & Telescope
- Why NASA Is About To Fly Into Iceland’s Total Solar Eclipse (opens Forbes in a new tab)
- NASA science soars during August total solar eclipse (opens Phys.org in a new tab)
Right
2Not rated
8- Chasing Solar Eclipses with NASA Supersonic Jet Pilots (opens friendsofnasa.org in a new tab)
friendsofnasa.org
- "As if a Hand Were Waved, the Shadow Falls" (opens Fréttir - mbl.is in a new tab)
Fréttir - mbl.is — is Fréttir - mbl.is biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Spectacular NASA Mission. An Airplane Will Follow the Shadow of the Moon to Observe the Total Eclipse Nearly Three Minutes (opens Stirile Pro TV in a new tab)
Stirile Pro TV — is Stirile Pro TV biased? Our profile of this outlet
- "You're Hit by a Sudden Wave of Darkness. NASA Sends a Plane at 15,000 Meters Altitude to Gather Information About the Sun During the Eclipse (opens Adevarul in a new tab)
- NASA science soars during August total solar eclipse (opens panasiabiz.com in a new tab)
panasiabiz.com
- NASA aircraft chases unique total solar eclipses (opens latination.com in a new tab)
latination.com
- Montana State students to help NASA science soar during 2026 total solar eclipse (opens montana.edu in a new tab)
montana.edu
- NASA will use the WB-57 aircraft to capture unprecedented images of the solar corona during the August 12 eclipse (opens noticiasambientales.com in a new tab)
noticiasambientales.com
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