Free Astronomy Magazine May-June 2024

9 MAY-JUNE 2024 While all total solar eclipses range from impressive to life-changing, the timing of the April 8th eclipse was such that the views of totality might have also included easy sight- ings of Jupiter and Venus, both prominent and prominently placed in the southeastern and southwest- ern skies. Those with a low western horizon, additional planning, and perhaps some magnification could have added Mars and Saturn to that list. There was even the remote pos- sibility of observing the so-called “Devil Comet,” 12P/Pons-Brooks, near Jupiter during totality. While it might have been difficult for any- one to take their eyes off of the co- rona to observe anything other than the fully-obscured disc of the Sun, the sky contained may other well-placed visual delights, all still observable thanks to simple re- flected sunlight. NASA was a prominent force in pro- moting outreach for the eclipse, co- ordinating citizen science efforts during the eclipse, and addressing solar safety prior to the eclipse. The NASA Solar System Ambassador program, a volunteer effort that provides schools, libraries, and other interested parties with local technical astronomy and space sci- ence expertise, hosted 37 lectures specifically for the eclipse just within the author’s Central/Western New York area. The NASA Science Editorial Team reports that over 36,000 people provided over 60,000 observations and datapoints to multiple citizen science projects. For those with their smartphone at the E clipse watchers hold their hands up to the sky, hoping the clouds will part in Dunkirk, New York. [Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters] ready, the GLOBE Observer Project provided data about environmental changes during the eclipse, while the SunSketcher Project members took pictures of Bailey’s beads in ef- forts to better determine the size and shape of the Sun. To the cell- phone-focused GLOBE Observer and SunSketcher projects, several projects involving telescopes, DSLR cameras, and HAM radios were also NASA-sponsored, including Ham- SCI, Eclipse Soundscapes, the Eclipse Megamovie, CATE 2024, and the Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast Initia- tive. While a total eclipse provides great opportunity to promote such efforts to a wider audience, there are a multitude of citizen science programs currently awaiting in- volvement and contributions from the general public − you are en- couraged to consider contributing! More info: https://science.nasa.gov/ citizen-science/ !