Tips from 2017

As I look back at https://www.nightwise.org/single-post/2017/08/27/measuring-darkness-during-totality, here are some items to consider:

Contact the State Sec’y of Education to propose a “Sol Day”, the equivalent of what we in the north would call a snow day.  Ask your political leaders to lead.  https://www.nightwise.org/single-post/2016/10/13/candidate-how-will-you-lead-on-aug-21

 

Order plain white eclipse shades that only have the requisite printed warning.  That allows kids to personalize their shades in advance of the event with crayons or markers.  They can also write the contact times on their shades for the respective location.  

 

Use a solar eclipse countdown app (see https://www.nightwise.org/single-post/2017/08/17/eclipse-countdown), which calls out timely waypoints in the event.  It’s equally helpful as the end of totality approaches so you can tell your audience, “Shields up."

 

Place white poster board on ground and look for shadow bands in the last minute or so before totality.  I noticed them only seconds before totality.

 

There are the leaves and the colander tricks to project partial eclipses (https://www.nightwise.org/single-post/2017/01/12/solar-eclipse-activities-at-sciencealive).  It can also be done afterward, when people tend to abandon the remainder of the eclipse that’s still underway.  

 

Make a solargraph (https://www.nightwise.org/solargraphs) using SunPrint paper instead of photographic paper.  I used a large hole (~5mm) instead of a pinhole, but experiment in advance.  Heck, black and white photographic paper may work with a big hole, but I haven’t tried it yet.  Here’s my result:  https://www.nightwise.org/single-post/2017/09/25/picture-of-the-day-2017-september-22

 

Make sure audience already has warm clothes on before totality so they (especially kids) are not distracted by the cold during totality.  

 

Set up a video camera facing the audience.  Others will have better video of the sun itself.

 

During totality, remind people to take shades off, tell them to look all around the horizon, point out planets, call out any measurements you make, point out features like asymmetry of corona, and note emerging stars as your eyes adapt to darkness. This is all obvious to you, but not to them.

 

Consider doing an experiment. As the blog post indicates, we measured darkness during totality despite our being slightly away from the eclipse centerline.  

 

Take advantage of a gathered audience, a new moon, and lots of telescope hardware—do a nighttime observing session the evening of April 8, 2024.  (https://www.nightwise.org/single-post/2017/08/09/night-of-the-solar-eclipse)

 

Prepare activities for a cloudy day.  Heck, prepare them for a sunny day.    https://www.nightwise.org/single-post/2017/01/12/solar-eclipse-activities-at-sciencealive

 

Anticipate people having heard about the upcoming eclipse without their having prepped better.   https://www.nightwise.org/single-post/2017/08/04/teaching-the-eclipse-at-the-last-minute

 

Make a Sun Funnel (https://www.nightwise.org/sun-funnel) in lieu of an eyepiece and solar film for a second telescope that can be a few people back from the front of the viewing line.  That way people can safely view the eclipse as totality approaches, it gives them something to do so they’re not impatient in line, and you’re within reach to adjust the scope when they bump it out of position.   Allow the visitors to move the scope with solargraph if it’s on a German equatorial mount, since they can slew through the one axis easy enough.