A total solar eclipse is 12 weeks away! Another kind of occultation is happening this year, when the Moon occults the Sun creating a solar eclipse. On April 8, 2024, an estimated 635 million people will be able to watch the Moon cover at least part of the Sun. Find out more about what The Planetary Society is doing to celebrate and share this very special cosmic event. Pictured: A map of the 2024 solar eclipse. Image credit: The Eclipse Company.
Want to ask Bill Nye questions about the Cosmos and our place within it? Well, now is your chance! You could be the lucky science enthusiast who joins Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye on an exclusive virtual video call. When you enter for your chance to win, you’ll also automatically be in the running to win a trip to meet Bill in person at The Planetary Society’s Eclipse-O-Rama festival this April in Fredericksburg, Texas for a VIP experience. Enter today! Each entry supports our mission to advance discovery in our Solar System and beyond.
Kids can enjoy eclipses too! We’ve prepared instructions for a simple and fun eclipse activity you can do with kids. Plus, our chief scientist Dr. Bruce Betts has just released a book, in partnership with Lerner Publishing Group, all about eclipses for kids. Aimed at reading levels for grades 2 through 4, “Casting Shadows: Solar and Lunar Eclipses with The Planetary Society” introduces kids to the different kinds of eclipses, when they happen, how to watch them, and cool things to look out for during an eclipse.
What lies in the hearts of planets? Sabine Stanley, professor of planetary physics at Johns Hopkins University and author of the new book “What’s Hidden Inside Planets?” joins this week’s Planetary Radio to discuss some of the amazing things that we know are beneath the surfaces of the worlds in our Solar System.