Nothing Like the Sun

PUBLISHED: 1 AUGUST 2017 | VOLUME: 1 | ARTICLE NUMBER: 0203 editorial Nothing like the Sun

On 21 August, for those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, nothing will happen for a few blissful minutes, and it will mean everything.

A total solar eclipse occurs every 18 months along with scientist Hugh Mortimer and or so somewhere on Earth, but this month’s educator Rachel Evans. event will span the United States from Other successful forms of outreach coast to coast — the first in 99 years to do include music, photography, film and books. so. Twelve million people live within the For example, Garik Israelian started the 100–110 km-wide path of totality, where it Starmus Festival in Tenerife, Spain, and the will be safe to view the wisps of the corona latest one took place in Trondheim, Norway, with the naked eye for a few minutes featuring a clutch of Nobel laureates, (pictured), and millions more are within a astronauts and musicians. And for years, the few hours’ drive. In fact, more than half the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, has hosted population of the US lives within 650 km the Insight Astronomy Photographer of the of the path of totality; all will have at least Year competition, which gets more difficult a partial eclipse, weather permitting. And to judge every year as more entries come in. if the sky is clear, the experience will be Last year’s winning image was of a series of unforgettable — not just a visible corona PHOTO STOCK GMBH / ALAMY WESTEND61 Baily’s beads shot during a total solar eclipse in a dark sky but a concomitant drop in by Yu Jun (http://go.nature.com/2va4HMH). temperature accompanied by creature and Betty Moore Foundation). And for Additionally, there is a renewed interest of silence (Frank Close describes the feeling those who cannot be ‘in the zone’, the film and TV producers looking to tap into the in Eclipse: Journeys to the Dark Side of the eclipse will be live-streamed by multiple public’s curiosity for science, presenting it in Moon; article no. 0045). It is an outreach sources — including from weather balloons a more rigorous way than in the past. In the opportunity on a silver platter. at 30,000 metres on NASA TV as well as filmThe Martian, for instance, NASA and the And indeed NASA has been busy. Their local and national TV stations. Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are on centre dedicated website, https://eclipse2017.nasa. But besides the pure spectacle of enjoying stage, and a Martian Day organized at JPL gov, includes information on safe viewing the beauty of the Sun’s corona, scientists was attended by tens of thousands of people. as well as the science behind eclipses and have been planning detailed observations Despite some inaccuracies, the public got doing science during eclipses. They even to characterize the corona and its dynamics a pretty accurate sense of near-Earth space list several citizen science programs that the throughout the 11-year solar cycle. For it is physics. And we surely owe thanks to the public can participate in “at every level from only during a solar eclipse that such studies TV show The Big Bang Theory for practically the most basic observations to publishable are possible. In this issue, Jay Pasachoff normalizing the concept of the physics nerd. research opportunities in partnership with reviews the advances in heliophysics The show has covered everything from the NASA and university scientists”. And they made during eclipses in the past ten years Mars rover to graphene to the most esoteric don’t stop with the solar eclipse. There are (article no. 0190). He emphasizes the aspects of string theory. All of these efforts also studies of solar physics, the Moon and importance of ground-based observations: helped create a ready audience when CERN eclipses in other stellar systems in which “no current space coronagraph can observe announced the Higgs particle measurement. they invite amateurs to participate. the inner or middle corona (nor can views And the media circus that formed was only Not to be outdone, the American from ground-based coronagraphs match the too happy to move on to LIGO’s observation Astronomical Society has put together its quality of eclipse imaging)”. Thus, although of gravitational waves three years later. eclipse website, https://eclipse.aas.org, with eclipses over the South Pacific have their Scientists, funding bodies, educators the tagline “Sun… Moon… You!” Besides distinct advantages, in terms of setting up and the media alike need to carry this plenty of resources that you would expect, equipment, the path of the 2017 eclipse could momentum forward. We live in a particular it even has information for people who hardly be closer to ideal for solar physicists. historic moment where this thirst for accurate need to book accommodation. They have From previous solar eclipses around the science and fascination for astronomical also awarded 31 grants up to US$5,000 to world, we know that the public interest in events clashes with a strong movement fund eclipse outreach activities, particularly the 2017 eclipse will be huge. The concerted rooted in scepticism towards scientists and those focusing on women/girls, ethnic effort of astronomers and institutions across research, from climate change to vaccines. minorities, and people with physical and/or North America will help inspire a new When budgets get squeezed, it is all too easy mental disabilities. generation of children to take an interest to cut funding for outreach, but where are There are countless other online in the natural world. You don’t need to be the scientists of tomorrow going to come resources (including from the a scientist to appreciate the wonders of from, and how can we tilt the public balance International Astronomical Union; astronomy. Take choreographer Alexander towards a more positive view of science? http://www.eclipses.info) for supporting Whitley, for instance, whose dance company Spectacular shows that nature gives us for scientists, teachers and the public at large, performs 8 Minutes, the time it takes light free, like the upcoming solar eclipse, are the and over 2 million pairs of free eclipse- from the Sun to reach our planet (article no. perfect opportunity for this purpose, and viewing glasses will be distributed by 0196). He discusses his interest in the Sun we must welcome and support any initiative public libraries (courtesy of the Gordon and astronomy in a Q&A (article no. 0160) promoting them. ❐