Last updated: September 16, 2024
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A Stellar Partnership: National Park Service and NASA partner on 2024 Eclipse Programming through Earth to Sky
NASA/ Julie Hoover
Helping the public safely experience the awe of the April 8, 2024 total eclipse at National Park Service (NPS) Sites was a team effort! Earth to Sky—an organization that fosters collaboration between NASA and the National Park Service—supporting National Park Service sites in the eclipse path with resources to boost the impact and accessibility of eclipse programming.
Photo Credit: Earth to Sky / NASA
Our Earth to Sky partners, Cris White and Devon Camillieri (pictured second from right and right above), tell the story of this collaborative effort to make this natural phenomenon interesting and accessible to all visitors.
A Once In A Lifetime Experience
Articles by Cris White and Devon Camillieri (Earth to Sky)
The 2024 total solar eclipse provided a unique and powerful experience to connect with celestial movement in space. Eclipse chasers from Hot Springs, the greater Arkansas area, and all over the country had a special opportunity to interact with experts from Hot Springs National Park, NASA, NOAA, and the Earth to Sky Partnership, leaving experts and visitors alike in total awe.
When the Heavens Met the Springs
On April 8th, 2024, almost all of the continental United States witnessed at least a glimpse as the Sun, Moon and Earth came into perfect alignment. Wanting to experience the total solar eclipse in a location immersed in history, nature, and culture, thousands converged on one of only two national parks in the path of totality, Hot Springs National Park.
In the week leading up to this extraordinary event, the Earth to Sky Partnership convened a skillful group of facilitators and experts from NASA’s Earth Science Division, NASA’s Science Activation, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Office to help Hot Springs National Park staff with their ambitious eclipse engagement schedule. This powerhouse team rolled into town ready and excited to engage different members of the community at city events, public and private schools, libraries and parks to prepare visitors for the thrill of the upcoming eclipse.
Julie Hoover / NASA
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Countdown at Schools, Libraries, Community Events, And More
Members of the team from NASA, NOAA, and NPS visited public and private schools in the area over three days, educating over 3,700 students on NASA and eclipse science and safety. Elementary students found joy in demonstrating an eclipse with stuffed replicas of the Sun, Earth, and Moon, and learned about how solar viewers could keep their eyes safe while viewing the eclipse. The middle and high school students learned about NASA eclipse-focused research from the past and present, how to use their solar viewers, how they could seek out internships at NASA and NPS, and how they could participate in citizen science efforts on the day of an eclipse.
On the night of April 4th, a few days before the eclipse, the team took to the streets of Hot Springs at Bridge Street Live, the popular annual street fair. Throughout the night, the scientists offered talks on space weather, eclipse dynamics, and how eclipses impact Earth. All the while, the outreach staff greeted over 1,500 festival-goers with tabling activities and built excitement about the upcoming eclipse. While interacting with the experts, community members could take solar viewers and giveaways from the agencies.
In the course of the week, the team conducted four presentations at the local public library for almost 70 individuals. Two events were focused on adult audiences, and touched on eclipse safety and how they can use the GLOBE Observer App from NASA to conduct citizen science research during the eclipse. They also learned about space weather monitoring and scientific findings from past events, and how research would be conducted during the eclipse. Two of the library events catered to audiences with children, where they could build their own mock-satellites, participate in kinesthetic astronomy demonstrations, and learn about basic eclipse science.
Scientists also led events at the local Ouachita Baptist University and National Park College. The experts focused their presentations on eclipse science, space weather monitoring, and near-Earth communications for 225 students on Friday afternoon. At the same time, other members of the team visited a retirement community for a panel discussion on NASA and NOAA science projects and citizen science opportunities. Over 500 life-long learners attended. Some were so excited to meet the scientists that they researched each panelist beforehand!
Weekend evenings leading up to the eclipse were reserved for special events under the stars at Lake Ouachita State Park. One night, families were able to reserve spots for a stargazing activity where they learned about the current constellations and how to find them from NASA, NPS, and state park astronomy experts. At a following stargazing event, attendees heard from NASA and NOAA experts on eclipse science and space weather, near-Earth Communications, and a demonstration of how to use a star chart to find the current constellations. Over the span of both nights, 280 people concluded a night of stargazing by looking at the extraordinary views of deep space objects through the local astronomical society’s telescopes.
Photo credit: Julie Hoover / NASA
Eclipse Festivities: Launching Excitement
In the two days leading up to the total solar eclipse, Hot Springs National Park hosted the Eclipse Fest where the community, eclipse chasers, and scientists could share their excitement. Gathering on the historic Arlington Lawn of the National Park, over 8,600 people learned about NASA Earth Science, space weather, and important eclipse safety lessons, while participating in a plethora of hands-on activities. Children and adults alike were able to create an aurora, build a satellite, view the visible electromagnetic spectrum, use LightSound devices and tactile plates to make observations with their other senses, watch sunspots on the Sun in real time, and create ultraviolet-detecting bead bracelets. Over the two days, attendees marveled at the collaboration between the tables of NOAA, NASA, and NPS experts who came together to build enthusiasm about the eclipse in their community.
On Monday April 8th, the day of the total solar eclipse, Hot Springs National Park came alive with almost 4,000 eclipse chasers and enthusiasts. The National Park Service hosted three official viewing stations across the park, on Hot Springs Mountain, West Mountain, and Arlington Lawn. Each location offered different tabling activities. Spread throughout the park, facilitators helped the visitors view the Sun with solar telescopes and pinhole projectors. They tracked the changes in temperature throughout the event, hosted an accessible solar viewing tent, and made LightSound devices available so visitors could listen to the changing light levels. Some spots even had eclipse quizzes, coloring stations, and an opportunity to record their memory of the coronal activity after the totality had ended. Eclipse Junior Ranger books and activities were extremely popular.
Earth to Sky / NASA
Shining Light on Inclusivity
From the very beginning of planning, the three collaborating agencies made it a priority to plan all eclipse engagement efforts with inclusivity in mind. It was important to ensure that all visitors would feel cared for and comfortable so that they could focus on the celestial experience.
NASA, NOAA, and the National Park Service coordinated to create safe experiences for visitors. At each of the three park locations, there were solar film canopies that were tall enough for people to stand under. Any eclipse chasers using wheelchairs, or who had difficulty holding their solar viewers to their faces, could move under the tent and comfortably look up while protecting their vision. The canopies were wildly popular as many people used the solar film as a great opportunity to get a photo of the eclipse. For future eclipse efforts, the team recommends including signage into this inclusive space to explain its intended use.
At the center of it all, on the busy Arlington Lawn of Hot Springs National Park, the National Park Service set up a low sensory tent. This shaded area provided relief to all visitors, but was particularly useful to families and individuals in need of accommodation.
Throughout the week, the team demonstrated different tools to empower visitors with visual impairments to experience the eclipse. LightSound is a solar eclipse sonification tool created by Harvard University to help Blind and Low Vision communities hear the changing light levels during the eclipse. Each of the three viewing locations throughout the park had one of the devices set up with an external speaker. As the eclipse progressed, it was powerful to hear the way the pitch of sound shifted. Additionally, each site had a set of tactile plates that explained the eclipse using Braille. The plates demonstrated the alignment of the Sun, Moon, and Earth in space during the solar eclipse, different solar features such as prominences, loops and sunspots, the layers of the Sun from core to corona, and recreations of drawings of previous total solar eclipses. These tools enabled everyone to experience the eclipse.
Julie Hoover / NASA
"The Earth to Sky partnership would like to thank all their partners, other agencies, volunteers, and Hot Springs National Park for helping to create such a stellar event."
--Cris White and Devon Camillieri, Earth to Sky