NJIT Grad Student Showcases 3D-Printed Innovation for Solar Eclipse Observations at AGU Meeting

NJIT physics graduate student Sam Granovsky presented groundbreaking findings on the solar corona during the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse at the Annual American Geophysical Union (AGU) Meeting in Washington, D.C., held December 9-13, 2024.

Using a custom-built, 3D-printed spectrograph of his own design, Granovsky observed high-temperature emissions from hot gases surrounding solar prominences—massive, magnetized structures filled with solar plasma that extend from the Sun into space. These findings provide new insights into the origins of these prominences, whose eruptions can disrupt Earth’s space environment and technological systems.

Granovsky’s innovative use of 3D printing offers a low-cost method for studying the radiation spectrum of the solar corona, paving the way for more accessible solar research.

The AGU Meeting, the largest annual gathering of Earth and space scientists, brought together over 28,000 participants from 135 countries this year.