The ionosphere is a constantly changing medium. From the sun to cosmic rays, the ionosphere proves to be a continually interesting area of study. The most notable change that occurs in the ionosphere is the day and night cycle. The ionosphere is not a singular medium, but rather made up of different sections. The day side of the ionosphere consists of a D, E, F1, and F2 layer. The night day of the ionosphere consists of an E and F layer. These layers all have different properties and characteristics associated with them. A notable interaction is how radio waves propagate through the ionosphere. A radio wave can either reflect, refract, or pass through a layer of the ionosphere depending on the frequency of the signal, among other sources of disturbance. The ability to have a radio wave reflected back downwards is a core principle of an ionosonde, which measures the height of the ionosphere. A solar eclipse presents a night side ionosphere condition during the day. The change in the ionosphere that the eclipse will cause is something not a lot of research has gone into. This thesis aims to elaborate on the design and development of an ionosonde along with eventual ionosphere readings during the August 2017 total solar eclipse. / Master of Science / The atmosphere that surrounds the earth is made up of various unique regions. The region of interest for this thesis is the ionosphere. The ionosphere plays an important role in wireless communication of radio waves. It follows that changes in the ionosphere are something of great interest and study. A notable change that the ionosphere undergoes on a daily basis is the shift from the day side to the night side. A solar eclipse serves not only as a spectacular sight, but also to bring a night side condition to the day side. This thesis aims to uncover the changes that will occur to the ionosphere during the August 2017 total solar eclipse.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/89951 |
| Date | 12 June 2019 |
| Creators | Lloyd, William Charles |
| Contributors | Electrical Engineering, McGwier, Robert W., Earle, Gregory D., Baker, Joseph B. H. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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