4 min read

Contribute to NASA Research on Eclipse Day – and Every Day

NASA is celebrating the Sun during the Heliophysics Big Year, which extends through the end of 2024. You can get involved to help us learn more about our star and its influence on our planet. With exciting experiments happening during the total solar eclipse that will cross North America on April 8, to widespread investigations going on throughout the year, keep reading to find a project that’s right for you.

The dark band that runs from Mexico into Texas and all the way to Maine and Maritime Canada shows the path of totality for the April 8, 2024, eclipse. This is the area where people on Earth can witness a total eclipse of the Sun. Outside of this path, observers may see a partial eclipse, with the amount of the Sun being blocked by the Moon decreasing with distance from the path.

NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio/Michala Garrison; Eclipse Calculations By Ernie Wright, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

What Is Citizen Science (Also Called Participatory Science)?

NASA defines citizen science as “a form of open collaboration in which individuals or organizations participate in the scientific process in various ways” from collecting and analyzing data to making discoveries and solving problems. ”Citizen” here refers to citizens of planet Earth, and these projects are open to everyone, regardless of country of birth or legal citizenship status.

NASA sponsors citizen science projects across all five areas of research that it pursues: Earth science, planetary science, astrophysics, biological and physical sciences, and heliophysics. And yes, there are a few projects that are focused on the April 8 solar eclipse!

What You Can Do

Depending which project you join, you might:

Observe and record in pictures or words natural phenomena like clouds, animal noises, or a solar eclipse.
Learn how to recognize or classify patterns in data or pictures of a comet or solar jet.
Learn how to build and use scientific equipment like radio telescopes or ham radios.

Your contribution may be a large or small piece of the picture, but what you do as part of a NASA citizen science project is essential to answering the research question or need that the project addresses. And while you’re contributing to science, you might also develop new skills and make friends. You can read about some project participants – and what motivates them – in these profiles.

The Projects

NASA citizen science projects related to the April 8, 2024, eclipse and solar science are presented in four groups below. You can see all NASA citizen science projects on this website.

Use the tables below to find the project for you! A few notes:

“Minimum time required” refers to how much time it would take you to get up to speed from the start.
“Where” refers to where you need to be in order to participate.

Are you an educator looking for ways to involve your formal or informal students in eclipse-related science? Check out this companion blog post for some tips for educators.

Eclipse Projects That Need You on April 8!

Quick-Start Projects That Require No Special Equipment

	Prerequisite knowledge	Preparation/ Training	Required equipment	Challenge level	Minimum time required	Where
Eclipse Soundscapes (Observer role)	none	online, minutes	printable form	easy	minutes	outside, in or near the path of totality
GLOBE Observer: Eclipse Protocol	none	in app, minutes	smartphone, air temperature thermometer	easy	minutes	outside, in or near the path of totality
SunSketcher	none	in app, minutes	smartphone (download app in advance)	easy	minutes	outside, in path of totality

More Demanding Projects That Require Special Equipment

	Prerequisite knowledge	Preparation/ Training	Required equipment	Challenge level	Minimum time required	Where
Eclipse Soundscapes (Data Collector role)	none	online, minutes	AudioMoth with micro-SD cards	easy	hours	outside, in or near the path of totality
Eclipse Megamovie 2024	how to use DSLR camera	online, minutes	DSLR camera and tracking mount	moderate	hours	outside, in path of totality
HamSCI	familiarity with ham radios	online, self-directed, hours	web-connected device and/or ham radio	moderate	days	inside
Radio JOVE	none	online, self-directed, days to weeks	web-connected device and/or radio telescope	moderate	weeks	outside and/or online
Citizen Continental-America Telescope Eclipse (CATE) 2024	none	in person, days	telescope, computer, cameras – provided to selected teams	high (application period closed)	days	outside, in path of totality
Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast (DEB) Initiative	none	online, hours	telescope – provided to selected teams	high (application period closed)	days	outside, in and off the path of totality

Heliophysics Projects That You Can Do Anytime

Quick-Start Projects, No Special Equipment Required

	Prerequisite knowledge	Preparation/ Training	Required equipment	Challenge level	Minimum time required	Where
HARP – Heliophysics Audified: Resonance in Plasmas	none	online, minutes	web-connected device	easy	minutes	online
Solar Jet Hunter	none	online, minutes	web-connected device	easy	minutes	online

More Demanding Projects That Require Special Equipment

	Prerequisite knowledge	Preparation/ Training	Required equipment	Challenge level	Minimum time required	Where
Aurorasaurus	none	online, minutes	web-connected device, camera optional	moderate	hours	outside, high latitudes
Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast (DEB) Initiative	none	online, hours	telescope – provided to selected teams	moderate	hours	outside
HamSCI	familiarity with ham radios	online, self-directed, hours	web-connected device and/or ham radio	moderate	weeks	indoors
Radio JOVE	familiarity with radio telescopes	online, self-directed, hours	web-connected device and/or radio telescope	moderate	weeks	outside and/or online
Spritacular	none	online, minutes	web-connected device and/or camera	moderate	minutes	outside and/or online
Sungrazer Project	none	online, hours	web-connected device	high	hours	online

Advanced Participation

Many NASA citizen science projects start out with a straightforward, structured task, but that doesn’t have to be where your contributions end. Some projects offer webinars or host regular video conference calls where enthusiastic volunteers can learn about and participate in the work that comes after data collection or classification. Hundreds of volunteers have become involved in deep ways. Over 450 volunteers have even been recognized for their contributions by being named as co-authors of scientific papers, which are the formal way in which scientists announce new discoveries and ideas.

By Sarah Kirn
Citizen Science Strategist, NASA, at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute