Total Eclipse of the Sun in South America July 2; Future U.S. Eclipses

Tomorrow, July 2, there will be a total eclipse of the Sun visible in Chile and Argentina. A live webcast is planned at: https://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse

Another total eclipse will be visible from southern South America on Dec. 14, 2020.

Looking further ahead, an annual eclipse will be visible on a path that goes across the U.S. on Oct. 14, 2023.

And Apr. 8, 2024 another total eclipse will sweep across the U.S. from Texas to New England. For a clear map of this eclipse, see: https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/april-8-2024

(Shameless plug: Dennis Schatz and I have written a children's book all about eclipses, called "When the Sun Goes Dark," for the non-profit National Science Teachers' Association Press. See: https://www.nsta.org/store/product_detail.aspx… )

A free app about eclipses, called "Totality" is available from astronomer Jeff Bennett, at: https://www.bigkidscience.com/eclipse/

[Our photo is by astronomer Rick Fienberg and shows a sequence of images before, during, and after a total eclipse.]

Double Eclipse of the Sun; Eclipse Statistics

My favorite picture so far of the recent eclipse of the Sun is the one you see with this post. Photographer Simon Tang (who gave me permission to reproduce it here) took a sequence of photos from Huron, California, recording the International Space Station crossing the face of the Sun just as the Moon was eclipsing it.

Each of the images of the Space Station is less than 1/1000th of a second long, since the Station moved across the Sun in less than a second. The image is taken in H-alpha, a specific color of light emitted by hot hydrogen atoms in the Sun's lower atmosphere. You can see the Station close up in our second image.

NASA reports impressive statistics for the Aug. 21 eclipse: 90 million page views on NASA's two websites, 40 million views of the live broadcast, 3.6 billion users on social media, and the most popular Instagram image ever -- all of a celestial event with no politics, no national or religious affiliation. It was just nature, doing its thing, predictably, reliably, spectacularly.

In our own project, 2.1 million eclipse glasses were distributed to 7,100 libraries -- all to be given away free to the public. I was one of the astronomers leading the effort, and want to thank the Moore Foundation, Google, and NASA, for supporting the program to allow public libraries to help their patrons observe the eclipse safely. If only we could come together this well about other things!

Click on the images to see them bigger.

A Short Eclipse Mega-movie Already Available

A first 2.5-minute version of the Google Eclipse Megamovie is now out and can be viewed at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7BCzm4IGpY

This is actually version 2, which shows a map at the bottom right indicating where along the path of the total eclipse in the U.S. each image comes from. The team soon expects to have a much longer version with many more pictures taken during the 1 hour 37 minutes that the eclipse was over the continental U.S. stitched together.

So far over 6,000 images from the serious photographer volunteers, over 11,000 images via the online image upload from the public, and over 45,000 images via the App the team developed have been received, according to a message I got minutes ago from project leader Laura Peticolas of the University of California, Berkeley's Space Sciences Lab. What a nice example of citizen science!

I hope you all had good eclipse viewing Monday. I was in central Oregon with family and friends, and got a spectacular view of the total eclipse, with beautiful red prominences (great fountains of hot material being driven outwards from the surface of the Sun) visible through binoculars. The attached image above, from one member of our group, Dr. Cary Sneider, gives you a little taste of what we saw.

The other attached image, below, by Anna Rich, shows a car on the highway, on its way home from Oregon, expressing a sentiment many felt.

For anyone who missed the lead-up to the eclipse, a fun way to get caught up might be my conversation with veteran newscaster Gil Gross, at: http://fraknoisuniverse.libsyn.com/website

This eclipse special might be the first of a series of podcasts we will do on astronomical news and ideas, starting later in the fall. Stay tuned for more on what the producer's are calling "Fraknoi's Universe."

Eclipse of the Sun Coming in 2 Weeks! And Another in 7 Years!

The path from top left to bottom right is the Aug. 21, 2017 eclipse

The path from bottom left to top right is the Apr. 8, 2014 eclipse

In just two weeks, on August 21, all of North America will experience an eclipse of the Sun. The eclipse will be total on a narrow path going across the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina. The rest of the continents will see a partial eclipse, with a big bite taken out of the Sun by the disk of the Moon.

If you don't get to see this one, there will be another U.S. total eclipse in only seven years (on April 8, 2024.) If you missed out getting a hotel room or a campground in the zone of totality for August's eclipse, you have no excuse now for 2024! (See the attached map; click on it to see it bigger.)

I've had the opportunity to do quite a bit of media outreach for the eclipse; you can:
1. hear me as part of the eclipse special on the "Big Picture Science" radio show: http://www.bigpicturescience.org/…/eclipsing-all-other-shows
2. see me speaking on the eclipse at the SkeptiCAL convention sponsored by the Bay Area Skeptics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52k9TdQdPNc
3. read my comments as part of legendary science journalist David Perlman's last science article (David, who covered science news at the San Francisco Chronicle, is retiring at the age of 99! May we all have a career as long and respected as his.): http://www.sfchronicle.com/…/Total-solar-eclipse-to-create-…

This week many media and people are waking up to the coming of the eclipse at last. Our free 8-page booklet all about it and how to view it safely can be downloaded from the page: http://nsta.org/solarscience Do read through it to get hints about how best to see and explain this rare sky phenomenon.

A free app, called TOTALITY, can be downloaded from both the Apple and Android app stores, and it will tell you exactly when and how the eclipse will be visible in your location.

If you haven't yet gotten safe eclipse-viewing glasses, your first stop should be your local public library. (Thanks to the Moore Foundation and Google, our project to distribute 2.1 million eclipse glasses has gotten glasses to almost 7,000 public libraries nationwide.)

If your library doesn't have any, here is a page to tell you all the reliable sources of eclipse glasses that are certified to meet the standards for protecting your eyes set by eye-doctors: https://eclipse.aas.org/resources/solar-filters

And for kids, please forgive me if I mention our children's book, "When the Sun Goes Dark," now in its fourth printing. Copies have temporarily run out in some places, but the publisher has it at: http://nsta.org/eclipse

Here is wishing you clear skies for August 21.

Eclipse stamp issued by the US Postal Service

changes the picture you see when you touch it

Eclipse Talk on YouTube and New Kind of Eclipse Stamp

   

We are exactly two months away from the eclipse of the Sun that is coming to North America on August 21, 2017. I gave an illustrated, non-technical talk on the eclipse in the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture series, and it is now available on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Folgs58oI The talk has lots of information and visuals on where and how the eclipse will be visible, how to watch it safely, and how the U.S. is preparing for the huge crowds that are expected in the narrow zone where the eclipse will be total.

   Yesterday, the U.S. Postal Service issued its first ever "thermochromic" stamp in honor of the eclipse. That means when you touch the picture, it changes. Clearly this is a stamp every science nerd...er...fan will want to have. You can get them at your post office or by mail through: https://store.usps.com/store/

   If you have not planned for the eclipse yet, now is the time to start thinking about where you will be on Monday, Aug. 21 and how you and your family or colleagues will observe the eclipse. In the video, I explain what is happening and give suggestions for safe viewing techniques. (Remember, any time any part of the Sun is showing, it's not safe to look at with just your eyes or sunglasses.)

   Thanks to grants from the Moore Foundation and Google, three astronomy colleagues and I were able to distribute 2 million safe eclipse-viewing glasses to public libraries nationwide. Check with your library to see if they are participating. The free booklet for libraries can be downloaded by anyone at: http://www.starnetlibraries.org/EclipseGuide/ 

The 'All-American' Eclipse of th

Two Million Free Eclipse Glasses through Libraries (and a Free Booklet)

As you may know, there will be a rare eclipse of the Sun on August 21, 2017, and it will be visible throughout the United States. A spectacular TOTAL eclipse will be seen on a narrow path (about 70 miles wide) from Oregon to South Carolina. The rest of the U.S. and North America will see a PARTIAL eclipse, where only a part (but a substantial part) of the Sun is covered by the Moon. To look at the Sun when part of it is showing, special (but not expensive) glasses are required or you could damage the sensitive tissue in your eyes.

Millions of people will need glasses on August 21, and for the last year I have been grappling with the issue of how to get glasses to as many people as possible. Now, I am delighted to tell you that several astronomy colleagues and I have been able to get funding for glasses to be distributed through public libraries nationwide.

Thanks to the generosity of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation near San Francisco and Google, two million safe eclipse glasses will be made available through public libraries. Each library will get a supply of glasses to share free of charge and a booklet all about the eclipse and how to explain it to the public. The booklet, which I wrote with my colleague Dennis Schatz, is now ready and can be downloaded free at:

http://www.starnetlibraries.org/EclipseGuide/

The first part of the booklet explains all about eclipses, the August eclipse and when and how it will be visible in different parts of the country, and how to observe it safely. It's written for beginners in science, so we hope everyone can benefit from it. The second part consists of information to help librarians plan public programs around the eclipse.

You could do your city or town a big favor by taking the booklet or just its web address in to your local library and encouraging them to participate in the eclipse and the glasses giveaway. Libraries can register for the program (through the STARNet Library Network at the Space Science Institute) at the website: http://www.starnetlibraries.org/2017eclipse/

If, for some reason, your library can't participate in the program, there is information in the booklet on how to get eclipse glasses from the companies that manufacture the certified safe glasses that will protect you and your family's eyes. This spring is the time to make plans for where you will be and what you will do when the eclipse arrives on August 21.

Happy One Year Pre-Anniversary of the All-American Eclipse of the Sun

August 21 is exactly one year before the 2017 eclipse of the Sun which will sweep across one country and one country only -- the US. On a Monday morning (Aug. 21, 2017) this "All-American" eclipse (as it's being called) will begin on a beach in Oregon and cross the country diagonally to end in the afternoon on a beach in South Carolina.  See the map below.

The eclipse will be total (moon covering the Sun completely) only in a path about 60 miles wide and we expect huge crowds and traffic jams in that zone. The rest of North America (500 million people) will see a partial eclipse, with a big bite taken out of the Sun. Special eclipse glasses or ways of projecting an image of the Sun will be needed to see the partial eclipse safely.

The full story,in everyday language, with a map and times for major cities, and safe viewing guidance, can be found in a free 8-page excerpt from a book, called Solar Science, that Dennis Schatz and I wrote for teachers. It is at: http://bit.ly/2bkGSvA

There is a national committee that I serve on trying to arrange a good experience with the eclipse for as many people as possible. Wish us luck! Dennis and i are also working with science teachers, libraries, and science and nature museums to become centers of eclipse information for their communities.

I'll say more about preparations for the eclipse on this page as the year goes on. But for now, you may want to note the date and if you have friends or relatives in the total eclipse zone, be extra nice to them starting now.

And thanks to Prof. Tyler Nordgren of the University of the Redlands for permission to use his cool poster.

Map of the 2017 Total Eclipse Path

For those of you who are teachers, or who know a teacher, we will be doing a webinar on how to prepare yourself and your students for the eclipse.  For more see:

http://bit.ly/2bbAwfo

An "All-American" Eclipse of the Sun Next Year

On August 21, 2017, there will be a gorgeous total eclipse of the Sun visible from the U.S. (and only the US!) The path of what is being called the “All American” total eclipse is only about 60 miles wide and goes from a beach in Oregon to a beach in South Carolina, crossing the country diagonally. (None of our country's largest cities will see it, alas.) A less spectacular partial eclipse will be visible to 500 million people in the other parts of the US and North America.

Astronomers expect tremendous media and public interest in the eclipse and it is not too early to start thinking about how and where best to see it. Eclipse enthusiasts are already busy reserving lodging and viewing space in the narrow region where the total phase can be seen.

The non-profit National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is making available a popular-level introduction to help explain the eclipse and how to view it. The free 8-page booklet, which I helped write, is available at:http://www.nsta.org/…/f…/solarscience/SolarScienceInsert.pdf

Feel free to share this free booklet with anyone who might be interested.

The eclipse information comes from a new book for educators, entitled Solar Science, which I had the pleasure of writing with my long-time colleague and friend Dennis Schatz. It includes 45 hands-on learning experiences (and lots of background information) about the Sun, the Moon, the sky, the calendar, the seasons, and eclipses. You can see the full table of contents and some sample activities at:http://static.nsta.org/files/PB403Xweb.pdf

Shameless shopping hint: The book could be a wonderful gift for a teacher, a museum or nature center educator, a park ranger, or an amateur astronomer interested in public outreach. See:http://www.nsta.org/store/product_detail.aspx…

But quite separate from the book, please enjoy the free booklet, and, if you can, think about getting to the total eclipse path as part of your summer planning for next year. The image below, by French photographer Luc Viatour, gives you just a taste of how spectacular a total eclipse can be:

NASA is also planning activities and a national website for the eclipse, as is the American Astronomical Society, the main professional organization of astronomers.  I'll let people know when such other resources are available.  In the meantime, the free booklet from NSTA has an eclipse map and information about what will be visible when from many parts of the U.S.  At the end, there are links to sites where you can see very detailed maps of the eclipse path and even commentary about typical August weather at each place.

A Comet Passes by Mars; An Eclipse of the Sun

 

On Thursday afternoon, Oct. 23, there will be a partial eclipse of the Sun, visible from the U.S. Different amounts of the Sun's area will be covered by the Sun. (For example, 40% of the Sun will be covered from the San Francisco region.) I have put question-and-answer introductions to the eclipse at: http://www.astrosociety.org/society-news/2014-eclipse-fact-sheets/

You can consult the national sheet for the degree the Sun will be eclipsed in your area. Here's wishing everyone clear skies. And please remember, do NOT look at the Sun without proper protection. Follow the instructions on the sheets or go to an astronomy place (observatory, college, planetarium) near you to join an eclipse viewing session.

This Sunday, Oct. 19th, a comet will pass closer to Mars, than any comet has passed to the Earth in recorded history. Comet Siding Spring (named after the observatory where it was discovered) will pass within only 87,000 miles of Mars. An armada of telescopes near Mars and Earth will try to get a good glimpse of it. From its orbit, this appears to be what you might call a "virgin" comet, making its first entry to the inner solar system. It is coming from the distant reservoir of ancient "icy chunks" that surround our solar system in a giant cloud.

A comet is just such an icy chunk that comes close enough to the Sun so that the Sun's energy and wind begin to evaporate the ice and loosen the dust frozen inside it for billions of years. These comets thus contain some of the original material from which our solar system was formed some 5 billion years ago. 

To learn more about NASA's plans for observing this Mars visitor, see: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/09oct_cometprep/

For a while, NASA scientists worried that dust from the comet may damage some of the spacecraft around Mars, but recent calculations are showing that the path the comet is taking means that its dust is not likely to pose a serious threat.  But we'll see Sunday.  Perhaps there will be faint "shooting stars" (dust burning up in the thin atmosphere) on Mars.

Happy Fall Equinox on Monday and Other Sky Events

Monday morning (Sept. 22) is the "autumnal" or fall equinox for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. On that day, the length of the day and the night are roughly the same ("equinox" means equal night). We are moving from the summer, when the days were longer, toward the winter when our nights are longer -- and our parts of the planet have fewer hours to heat up from sunlight.

The equinox is sometimes called the official start of fall and throughout history there have been festivals and beginnings celebrated at the time. It so happens that Foothill College, where I teach, starts its fall quarter on the equinox this year, so I will be welcoming several hundred new students to my classes with a happy equinox greeting (and many who don't know the term will be looking at me as if I were a crazy person!)

The fall quarter will bring many interesting events to fans of astronomy. Tonight, Sunday, the MAVEN spacecraft will be inserted into orbit around Mars, so it can begin to study how little Mars, with its lower gravity, lost its atmosphere over the millennia, and how its remaining air layers interact with the radiation and wind from the Sun.

October 8th, we will have a total eclipse of the Moon (these are much more common than total eclipses of the Sun.) Alas, for those of us in North America, this will be a middle of the night eclipse! The full Moon will go dark as the Earth's shadow falls on it, but most of us will be in bed, deeply asleep, when it happens. For example, in San Francisco, the eclipse happens from about 2:30 am to 5:30 am, so only dedicated night owls will be watching it. (If you miss it, don't worry, there will be two lunar eclipses visible in 2015.)

On October 19th, a newly discovered comet will come closer to the planet Mars than any known comet has come to Earth, and so our robot "representatives" around Mars will be keeping their cameras out for that pass.

On October 23rd, in the afternoon, much of North America will witness a partial eclipse of the Sun in the afternoon. Many astronomy organizations will be planning eclipse parties, with safe viewing options. I will do a full post about the eclipse when we get closer to the time.

And, down on Earth, October 25th, the opening day of the 2014 Bay Area Science Festival, I will be giving a free public talk on Mt. Tamalpais about the "Top Tourist Sights of the Solar System: Where Bill Gates' Great-Granddaughter will go for Her Honeymoon." See: http://wonderfest.org/top-tourist-signs-of-the-solar-system/