National Aeronautics and Space Administration

www.nasa.gov

EXPERIENCE

2017ECLIPSE

ACROSS AMERICA

THROUGH THE EYES OF NASA

http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov THE

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol

Eclipse Activity Guide

Our Place in the Solar System— 

Sun, Earth, Moon and Eclipses
2

CREDITS FOR ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES 

This Activity Guide was developed by the Girl Scout Stars team at the SETI Institute, ARIES

Scientific, Inc., Girl Scouts of Northern California, Girl Scouts of the USA, University of Arizona , and the Astronomical 

Society of the Pacific. Louis Mayo and Edna DeVore co-authored this booklet of activities, with significant contributions by Pamela Harman, Larry Lebofsky, Vivian White, Theresa Summer, Jean Fahy, Jessica Henricks, Elspeth 

Kersh, and Wendy Chin. Further contributions were made by Joanne Berg, Cole Grissom, Amanda Hudson, Don 

McCarthy, and Wendy Friedman. The team was led by Edna DeVore, Principal Investigator of “Reaching for the Stars: 

NASA Science for Girl Scouts,” which is funded by NASA Cooperative Agreement #NNX16AB90A. 

ACTIVITY OR RESOURCE AUTHOR and SOURCES

LIVING IN A BUBBLE—PLAY WITH MAGNETS AND COMPASSES L. Mayo, and Multiverse—UC Berkeley Space Sciences Lab

SUNBURN—ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT DETECTORS L. Mayo, E. DeVore

SEEING THE INVISIBLE—INFRARED LIGHT DETECTORS L. Mayo, NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors

LET’S SEE LIGHT IN A NEW WAY—DIFFRACTION SPECTRA L. Mayo, E. DeVore

A LIGHT SNACK—COOKIE BOX SPECTROMETERS L. Mayo, E. DeVore, NASA: The Science of the sun

MAKE SUN S’MORES! NASA Climate Kids

HOW BIG IS BIG? SOLAR PIZZAS L. Mayo, NASA sun-Earth Day

EARTH AS A PEPPERCORN—SIZE AND SCALE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM Guy Ottwell, The Thousand Yard Model

SUN TRACKING J. Henricks, P. Allan and D. Schatz, Pacific Science Center

WAXING AND WANING—PHASES OF THE MOON AND ECLIPSES E. DeVore, L. Mayo

HOW DO ECLIPSES WORK? YARDSTICK ECLIPSE Astronomical Society of the Pacific

WHEN DAY TURNS TO NIGHT L. Mayo, P. Harman, E. DeVore

MAKE AN ECLIPSE VIEWER L. Mayo, J. Henricks E. DeVore

ECLIPSE CHALK ART J. Henricks, L. Mayo, E. DeVore

NASA ECLIPSE WEBSITE GUIDE NASA

HOW TO VIEW THE 2017 SOLAR ECLIPSE SAFELY

WEBSITE EL EXLIPSE SOLAR DEL 2017 CON SEGURIDAD

American Astronomical Society, American Academy of 

Opthalmology, NASA, American Academy of Optometry, NSF

NASA ECLIPSE RESOURCES NASA: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov

MORE RESOURCES Astronomical Society of the Pacific, SETI Institute

COMPLETE LIST OF MATERIALS E. DeVore
3

INTRODUCTION AND HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE 4

ECLIPSE BASICS 4

LEARN ABOUT THE SUN, LIGHT AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM

1. LIVING IN A BUBBLE 6

2. SUNBURN 8

3. SEEING THE INVISIBLE 10

4. LET’S SEE LIGHT IN A NEW WAY 12

5. A LIGHT SNACK 14

6. MAKE SUN S’MORES! 18

7. HOW BIG IS BIG? 20

8. EARTH AS A PEPPERCORN 22

9. SUN TRACKING 24

LEARN ABOUT ECLIPSES

10. WAXING AND WANING 26

11. HOW DO ECLIPSES WORK? 28

12. WHEN DAY TURNS TO NIGHT 30

13. MAKE AN ECLIPSE VIEWER 32

14. ECLIPSE CHALK ART 34

RESOURCES

NASA ECLIPSE GUIDE 36

HOW TO VIEW THE 2017 SOLAR ECLIPSE SAFELY 38

NASA ECLIPSE WEBSITE RESOURCES 40

MORE RESOURCES 41

COMPLETE LIST OF MATERIALS 42

NOTES 43

K-1 2-3 4-5 6-8 9-10 11-12

K-1 2-3 4-5 6-8 9-10 11-12

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The materials in the guide may be reproduced for personal and educational uses, but not for commercial purposes. 
4

What Are Eclipses? 

Eclipses are all about shadows. Eclipses occur when one astronomical object moves in front of another, or when an 

astronomical object moves into the shadow of another object. In the sun-Earth-moon system, eclipses occur when 

the sun, Earth and moon all line up. In astronomical terms, this is called syzygy, a word derived from Ancient Greek 

that means “yoked together.” 

Total Solar Eclipses: 

Eclipses of the sun occur when the new moon passes between the Earth and sun. When the moon covers the 

entire disk of the sun, we see a spectacular total eclipse of the sun with the corona glowing. During the eclipse, the 

moon’s shadow is cast upon the Earth and travels across the surface at more than 1,000 miles per hour. From start 

to finish, from when the moon first starts to cover the sun to when the sun is completely uncovered, a solar eclipse 

takes a couple of hours. During most of that time, the sky is bright because the sun continues to light the Earth. 

You need eye protection the entire time when only part of the sun is covered by the moon. When the sun is completely covered—during totality—darkness descends, and it’s safe to view the sun’s corona without eye protection 

for a short time. Totality lasts only a few minutes. The longest total solar eclipses last just over 7 minutes. The total 

eclipse of the sun on August 21, 2017 can last up to 2 minutes and 40 seconds, depending upon where you are.

Partial Solar Eclipses: 

People inside the shadow’s path see a partial solar eclipse if they are in the penumbra of the moon’s shadow, and 

a total solar eclipse if inside the umbra. (see diagram below.) Only part of the sun is covered during partial eclipse. 

You need eye protection the entire time during the partial phases of an eclipse. 

INTRODUCTION AND HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

ECLIPSE BASICS

Welcome to the Eclipse Activity Guide! 

This guide support activities for learning about the sun, light, our solar system, and eclipses. They draw upon handson, safe activities suitable for children as well as adults. While these activities are designed to help people prepare 

for the total eclipse of the sun in 2017, they can be used beyond the eclipse as part of your outreach programs. And, 

there is another total eclipse of the sun crossing the U.S. in 2024! 

Age Levels: Each activity shows the recommended age levels. 

Materials List: Each activity includes a materials list and what you need to obtain to do the activity. Mostly, the materials that you are asked to provide are the basics: paper, pens and pencils, cardboard boxes, aluminum foil, tape, 

etc. There are also activities that offer people the opportunity to use smartphones and digital cameras as sensors. 

2017 Total Eclipse of the Sun: NASA and others have created guides for safely observing the 2017 solar eclipse 

(pages 36-39.) You are welcome to copy these for distribution. You may also download the original files from: 

https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov. Have fun, and keep looking up! 
5

Annular Eclipses: 

The moon’s orbit is elliptical. On average, it is about 240,000 miles from Earth, but it can be as far as 251,900 miles 

(maximum distance), and as close as 225,300 (minimum distance). If the solar eclipse occurs when the moon is 

far from the Earth (near the maximum distance), the moon will not fully cover the disk of the sun, and an annular 

eclipse occurs. During an annular eclipse, we see a bright ring of sunlight around the moon. Eye protection is required at all times during annular eclipses.

Lunar Eclipses: 

Eclipses of the moon occur when the full moon passes through the shadow of the Earth. Everyone on the nighttime 

side of the Earth can view a lunar eclipse. If the moon passes through the penumbra of the Earth’s shadow, it will be 

slightly dimmer and redder. Penumbral eclipses are hard to detect. When the moon passes through the central part 

of the Earth’s shadow—the umbra—it will dim to a dark red color. Like red skies at Sunset, the Earth’s atmosphere 

bends the redder (longer wavelength) light into the Earth’s shadow. (The other colors are scattered by the atmosphere.) During lunar eclipses, the moon is illuminated with this red light. Lunar eclipses last for several hours as the 

moon moves through the Earth’s shadow. It is completely safe to view the moon during lunar eclipses because the 

moon is actually dimmer during the lunar eclipse than when it is full and outside Earth’s shadow. 

Why Don’t Eclipses Happen Every Month? 

Eclipses only happen when the sun, moon and Earth all line up, at syzygy. The moon’s orbit is tilted about 5 

degrees from the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the sun. The lunar orbit crosses the plane of Earth’s orbit in two 

places called nodes. Most months, the lunar orbit carries the new moon above or below the sun, and so there is no 

solar eclipse. The same is true for lunar eclipses: most months, the lunar orbit carries the moon above or below the 

shadow of the Earth, and there is no lunar eclipse. Solar eclipses happen when the new moon occurs near a node of 

the lunar orbit. Likewise, lunar eclipses happen when a full moon occurs near a node. 

Total Solar Eclipse Total Lunar Eclipse

Credit: E. DeVore, SETI Institute

Moon’s

Orbit 

Moon’s

Orbit 

Earth’s

Orbit 

Earth’s

Orbit 

Penumbra

Umbra

Umbra

Penumbra

Sun Sun

Moon’s

Orbit 

Moon’s

Orbit 

Earth’s

Orbit 

Earth’s

Orbit 

Penumbra

Umbra

Umbra

Penumbra

Sun Sun
6

What Is This About? 

Magnetic fields are all around us! You can’t see them or feel them, but they play an important role in 

supporting life on Earth. Though they are invisible, you can sense magnetic fields with a compass. You can 

use a compass to measure the direction of the Earth’s magnetic field and find north and south. Compasses 

have been used for hundreds of years to help sailors at sea find their way. The earliest compasses were 

invented by the Chinese about two thousand years ago. These used lodestones (naturally magnetized 

iron) made into the shape of a spoon. It pointed north/south when put on a smooth metal plate. Later 

compasses were made of magnetic needles floating in a bowl of water. 

Materials: (you provide)

• Small compasses and bar magnets

• Paper, tape, pen or pencil 

To Do: 

Use a bar magnet to make a model of Earth’s magnetic field and sketch the shape of a bar magnet’s magnetic 

field. 

• Tape the bar magnet to the middle of a piece of paper.

• Draw a dot somewhere near the magnet and place the center of a compass over the dot. 

• Draw another dot at the location of the arrow head (or tail) of the compass needle.

• Draw a line to connect the 2 dots and add an arrowhead at the north end. 

• Move the compass center directly over the second dot, and again draw a dot at the location of the 

compass needle head or tail. 

• Repeat these steps, marking the direction of the needle with dots and connecting them until the line meets 

the magnet or the edge of the paper. Go back to the first dot and repeat these steps 

until the other end of the line also meets the magnet or the paper edge. 

• When finished with the first line, pick another spot near the magnet and repeat the process to trace more 

field lines. 

1. LIVING IN A BUBBLE:

 PLAY WITH MAGNETS AND COMPASSES

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol
7

Space Science Tie-In:

We live in a magnetic field bubble around the Earth. The sun, Earth, and all the gas giant planets 

(Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) have their own magnetic fields generated by the movement of molten 

materials around their cores. Planets’ magnetic fields look like the field you sketched around the bar magnet. 

These fields are called “magnetospheres” except for the field around the sun, which is called a “heliosphere.” 

Earth’s magnetosphere protects the atmosphere from the solar wind, and helps to protect us from harmful 

radiation from space. 

What Do You See? 

• What shape is the magnetic field you sketched?

• What happens to the field lines when you get 

near the north or south pole of the 

magnet?

• Compare your sketch with other people’s 

sketches. Do they look similar? 

For More Fun:

• Add another magnet and sketch the resulting fields of the two magnets.

• Take one of the small compasses and set it in front of you on a table. Notice the 

direction it points. Can you confirm that the compass is pointing north? Now, slowly bring a magnet near 

the compass. The compass needle should move. Why? The magnetic field generated by the bar magnet is 

stronger than the Earth’s magnetic field.

Credit: Image used by permission of Peter Reid (peter.reid@ed.ac.uk)

Credit: Multiverse—University of California at Berkeley

Activity Credit: Multiverse—University of California at Berkeley
8

2. SUNBURN: 

 ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT DETECTORS

What Is This About? 

Our sun shines brightly in the daytime, warms our planet, and helps plants grow. But the sunlight we see with our 

eyes is only a very small part of the light the sun gives off. Most sunlight cannot be seen with just our eyes. One 

type of this invisible light is called “ultraviolet light,” also known as UV. This is the light that gives us suntans and 

sunburns. Bees see in UV, and it helps them to find flowers. Since we cannot see ultraviolet light with our eyes, 

we build and use instruments to detect UV. 

We have known about UV light for over 200 years. In 1801, a Polish physicist, Johann Wilhelm Ritter discovered a 

special kind of light just beyond the blue part of the visible spectrum. He called this light “chemical rays” because 

of its intense interaction with the chemical silver chloride. Later, it was renamed ultraviolet light.

Materials: (you provide)

• UV beads and chenille stems

• Materials that may filter ultraviolet light: Sunscreen,

sunglasses, regular glasses, paper, cloth, hats,

plastic, window glass, water

To Do:

Make a UV detector with chenille stems and UV beads. 

• Begin inside a building away from any sunlight. 

• Give each person a chenille stem and 3 to 5 beads 

to make a bracelet, ring or belt hanger. 

• What color are the beads? (White, indoors.)

• Ask participants to explore light sources (lamps, light through 

window glass) with the UV beads. Any changes?

• Now go outside on a sunny or partly sunny day. 

• What happens to the beads? 

• What can people say about how sunlight affects their UV beads?

*Note: UV beads react to ultraviolet light from the sun by changing color. 

 They go back to being white out of sunlight after a bit of time. 

Before exposure 

to sunlight

After exposure 

to sunlight

Credit: E. DeVore, SETI Institute

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol
9

Going Farther: Test for UV Blockers

Participants can test several things to find out what does or does not block UV. Begin the tests inside so that 

the UV beads are white. 

• Sunscreen: Participants can apply sunscreen to their UV beads before going outside, and see how well it 

works!

• Sunglasses: Participants can use sunglasses to block sunlight from UV beads. Do the glasses work? What 

about regular eyeglasses? 

• Other tests: Participants can test other things that might block UV: paper, cloth, plastic, glass, car 

windows, brims of caps, water, and differences between mid-day and evening. 

Space Science Tie-In: 

Although some UV light passes through our atmosphere to the ground, most UV light from the sun is filtered out 

by our atmosphere and never reaches the surface of Earth. To study UV light from the sun and other stars, scientists use high altitude balloons, suborbital rockets, or spacecraft to get above the atmosphere. All stars emit UV 

light, some more than others. The UV light emitted by planets tells us about their atmospheres.

 The sun photographed in visible light The sun photographed in UV light

Credit: NASA/European Space Agency: SOHO: Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
10

3. SEEING THE INVISIBLE: 

 INFRARED LIGHT DETECTORS

What Is This About?

Have you ever wondered how remote controls work? 

They send signals in a special type of light called 

“infrared light.” You can’t see infrared light (IR) with 

just your eyes, but smartphones and digital cameras can. 

Infrared light was discovered accidentally in 1800 by 

British scientist, Sir Frederick William Herschel. In 

what is now famously known as the Herschel Experiment, he attempted to measure how different colors 

of light change the temperature of a thermometer by 

passing sunlight through a prism. He placed one of 

his thermometers outside the red part of the visible 

spectrum, where no light appeared to be falling as 

a control unit. He expected the control thermometer 

to stay unchanged. To his surprise, the control thermometer got hotter than all the rest! He called this 

invisible radiation “calorific rays.” Today, it is known 

as infrared light.

Materials: (you provide)

• Smartphones or digital cameras

• TV remote controls Sir William Herschel and his famous 

IR light experiment

Credit: NASA/IPAC

Space Science Tie-In: 

Astronomers understand the universe by observing it in many types of light. Infrared light is important in 

understanding planets, stars, and galaxies because in IR light we can see things that are warm, but not hot enough 

to shine like stars. Most IR light is filtered out by water vapor in our atmosphere. So, scientists launch infrared 

telescopes into space or use infrared telescopes in high-altitude airplanes or balloons. They also use large 

ground-based telescopes on top of tall mountains, such as the Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii at 14,000 

feet elevation, which can see part of the IR spectrum.

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol
11

To Do:

Your smartphone or digital camera takes pictures and videos electronically. They have imaging chips that detect both visible and IR light. 

• Take a TV remote control that you know works. 

• Look at the end of the remote control that you point toward the TV and press any button. 

• Hold the button down. Can you see any light coming from the end of the remote control?

• Now, do the same thing, holding down any button on the remote control, but view the remote control 

through your smartphone or digital camera.* 

• What can you see? If you see a blinking light from your remote control, you have just used an infrared detector to “see” invisible light!

*Hint: With smartphones, switch to the screen-side camera if the other camera does not detect IR. Some 

 digital cameras do not detect IR because they include a filter that blocks IR. 

More to Explore:

Does infrared light pass through the same materials as visible light? Use the remote control and your smartphone 

or digital camera to experiment. Try paper, cellophane, plastic bags of various types, hard plastic, and glass. 

Does IR pass through Sunglasses or regular eyeglasses? 

 The constellation Orion in visible light and in infrared light 

Credits: NASA/SOFIA

Visible light image: Akira Fujii; Infrared image: Infrared Astronomical Satellite
12

What Is This About? 

Most of us take our sight for granted. We see the world around us in reflected light from the sun or artificial light 

sources. Today, we understand that light can be composed of many colors or “wavelengths.” Our eyes and brain 

work together to blend these wavelengths into a single color. Isaac Newton first used the word “spectrum” to 

describe these individual colors that can be seen when passing light through a prism. These are the familiar colors of rainbows. 

In this activity, you will explore various light sources using a “spectroscope.” The spectroscope is made with 

a transparent plastic film that has thousands of lines etched in it. When light passes through the etched film, 

it bends relative to its color or wavelength like it does through a prism. The diffraction grating spreads out the 

visible light, making it easy to see all the colors. For more information on the spectrum, see pages 14-15. 

Diffraction

Grating

White Light

White Light

Prism

Red

Orange

Yellow

Green

Blue

Violet

4. LET’S SEE LIGHT IN A NEW WAY:

DIFFRACTION SPECTRA

Credit: NASA Space Place Credit: E. DeVore, SETI Institute

Credit: E. DeVore, SETI Institute

Materials: (you provide)

• 10 spectroscopes that participants 

can share

• Light sources (see next page)

• White paper to reflect sunlight

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol
13

To Do:

• Look at your spectroscope. Read the safety label. DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN.

• Look at the ends of the spectroscope. 

• One end has a slit—that’s the front end that you point at light sources. The other end has a small opening 

with a transparent piece of diffraction grating mounted in it. See page 16.

• Be careful not to touch the diffraction grating. Your fingerprints will make it work poorly. 

• Look through the spectroscope at a lamp or ceiling light. What do you see? 

Are All Sources of Light the Same? Check These Out! 

• Incandescent (old fashioned) lamp 

• Compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) 

• Fluorescent lights (in the ceiling)

• A white piece of paper on the ground in sunlight. DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN.

• Brightly colored cars or flowers

• Neon signs

• Television and computer screens

• Stoplights

• LED lamps, flashlights, and holiday lights

• Bug lights

• Floodlights

• The moon

WARNING: DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN. 

DOING SO CAN DAMAGE YOUR EYES. 

Space Science Tie-In:

Today, scientists build sensitive instruments 

called spectrometers to study the light from 

distant objects: stars, galaxies, planets, dust 

and gas in space. Like people, each atom 

and molecule shows its own unique set of 

fingerprints—lines in the spectrum. By 

studying these fingeprints—the spectrum 

of an object—astronomers can tell what 

a star or planet is made of. The spectrum 

can also tell us about the temperature and 

pressure, motion, and ultimately, the 

formation and evolution of celestial objects.

Credit: N. Sharp, NOAO/AURA/NSF

The spectrum of the sun
14

5. A LIGHT SNACK:

COOKIE BOX SPECTROMETERS

What Is This About?

When you look at a rainbow, you are seeing the 

spectrum of white light from the sun. Tiny spherical 

raindrops refract (bend) and spread out white light 

into its component colors. In this activity, you will 

go deeper to explore the science and engineering of 

spectroscopy—the study of the spectrum and what 

it tells us about our world and the universe. 

In 1665, Isaac Newton demonstrated that a prism 

can break light into its component colors and that 

a second prism can re-assemble them back again 

into white light. He was the first to call this the 

“spectrum.” In 1814, Joseph Fraunhofer invented 

the spectroscope to study light, and discovered 

absorption lines in the spectrum of the sun. Helium 

was first discovered in the spectrum of the sun!

What Is Going On With Light? 

When atoms of different materials are excited by an 

electric current or another source of energy, they 

produce a unique spectrum. Atoms of different 

elements have different colors in their spectra. 

Each atom or molecule’s spectrum is unique to that 

element or compound, just as fingerprints are unique 

for every person. 

Dive deeper into spectra

with NASA:

 https://science.nasa.gov/ems

Diffraction

Grating

High Density

Hot Matter

Hot Gas

Cold Gas

Continuous Spectrum

Emission Spectrum

Absorption Spectrum

Credit: Mark Tiele Westra

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol
15

The Computers:

The first spectra of stars were made with a telescope, a prism and a photographic glass plate. Beginning in 

1870s, women were hired as “computers” at Harvard College Observatory to classify these stellar spectra. 

Space Science Tie-In: 

Astronomers study light of all types—the electromagnetic spectrum—to understand the universe and everything 

in it. From the spectrum of a star, we can discover its composition, temperature, motion through space and deduce its size, mass and age. All from just light. This is true for planets, comets, moons, asteroids, gas clouds, star 

clusters, galaxies—everything in the universe.

Astronomers build spectrometers to launch into space or to use with ground-based telescopes to observe the 

spectrum of distant objects. Launching a spectrometer above the atmosphere allows us to observe high energy 

light sources in UV, x-rays, or gamma rays that would normally be filtered out by our atmosphere. It also allows 

astronomers to inspect the full infrared spectrum, much of which is filtered out by atmospheric water vapor. 

Annie Jump Cannon studied the spectra of more than 225,000 stars as a “computer” at Harvard Observatory. 

She perfected the classification system we use today. She compiled the largest accumulation of astronomical information ever assembled by a single individual—the nine volume Henry Draper Catalog. She won many 

honors and awards in the United States and Europe during her lifetime. Today, the Annie Jump Cannon Award 

is presented each year by the American Astronomical Society to a North American female astronomer in the first 

five years after her doctorate.

Henrietta Swan Leavitt worked alongside of Cannon as a “computer.” Leavitt studied variable stars—stars that 

dim and brighten repeatedly. She discovered the “Cepheid Variables” that allow astronomers to accurately 

measure distances in our galaxy, and to other galaxies. Her discovery helped other astronomers discover that the 

universe is expanding. Leavitt was deaf most of her career. Lauren Gunderson’s play “Silent Sky” portrays these 

women at the dawn of modern astronomy. 

Credit: Harvard Astronomical Plate Collection

Harvard computers at work circa 1890:

Henrietta Swan Leavitt seated, third from 

the left, with magnifying glass, Annie 

Jump Cannon in center also with magnifying glass, and Williamina Fleming 

standing, in the center, and Antonia Maury, far right.
16

MAKING YOUR 

CEREAL BOX SPECTROSCOPE

You’re done!!

Look through the grating in your 

to see the light spectrum! 

spectroscope

1. Select one end of the cereal box, and close the 

flaps. Place a diffraction grating on this end and 

outline it with a sharpie. This will be referred to 

as the front of your “Spectroscope”. 

3. Tape the cereal box flaps closed. Arrange your 

diffraction grating right side up (so you can read 

the label), then tape it over the hole you just cut. 

Make sure you can look through the grating and 

see inside the box. 

4. Rotate the box around so you are now looking 

at the opposite end. (This will be the back of 

your “Spectroscope”). Close the two flaps and 

draw a line down the center (top to bottom, not 

side to side). The line should be directly 

opposite the diffraction grating, and centered.

5. Cut along the mark you just made, making a 

very, very narrow slit in the box.

6. Close and tape the flaps on the back of 

your box.

2. Open the flaps and cut a hole smaller than the 

size of your outline in the cereal box.

Cereal Box Front

Cereal Box Back

Cereal Box Front

Cereal Box Front Cereal Box Back

Cereal Box Back

Credit: NASA — The Science of the Sun—Solar Dynamics Observatory Education Unit

https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/assets/docs/UnitPlanSecondary.pdf
17

Materials: (you provide)

• Cereal or cookie boxes, one per spectroscope

• Tape

• Scissors

• Sharpie or other pen

• Diffraction gratings, one per spectroscope* 

• Black electrical tape (optional) 

*Diffraction gratings are readily available. 

 Search on line for “Diffraction Grating Slides.”

 Look for “single axis” or “linear” gratings with 500 to 1,000 lines per inch. 

 They cost about $1.00 each. 

Scope Out the Light—Use Your Spectroscope:

• You may need to troubleshoot your spectroscope.

• If you don’t see a broadband of colors, try rotating the diffraction grating 90° (1/4 turn). 

• If the slit is too wide, use pieces of black electrical tape to make it narrower and crisper. 

WARNING: DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN. 

DOING SO CAN DAMAGE YOUR EYES. 

Are All Sources of Light the Same? Check These Out! 

A white piece of paper on the ground in sunlight. DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN.

• Incandescent (old fashioned) lamp 

• Compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) 

• Fluorescent lights (in the ceiling)

• Brightly colored cars or flowers

• Neon signs

• Television and computer screens

• Stoplights

• LED lamps, flashlights, and holiday lights

• Bug lights

• Flood lights

• The moon

Credit: E. DeVore, SETI Institute

Credit: E. DeVore, SETI Institute

Fluorescent ceiling lamp seen

through cookie box spectrometer

Cookie box spectrometer
18

6. MAKE SUN S’MORES!

A Bit of History

For more than 2000 years, people have converted sunlight into different or more concentrated forms to stay 

warm and to cook. Many ancient cultures built their houses to have the most energy efficient sun exposures, 

facing their buildings towards the southern sky to get the most sun. Ancient Egyptians lined pools with black tiles 

that absorbed the sun’s energy during the day. The warmed pool water was then piped into palaces as a heating 

source. In this activity, you will build a solar oven that collects the sun’s rays to cook food.

Materials: (you provide)

• Oven thermometer

• Cardboard pizza box (or similar box with an attached lid that has flaps so that the box can be 

closed tightly. Box should be about 3 inches 

deep.)

• Box knife or scissors (with adult help, please!)

• Aluminum foil

• Tape

• Glue stick

• Plastic wrap

• Ruler or straight edge

• Stick or ruler—about 1 foot long to prop the lid

S’Mores Supplies: (you provide)

• Graham crackers

• Large marshmallows

• Plain chocolate bars (thin)

• Aluminum pie pan

• Napkins

Space Science Tie-In:

NASA uses solar energy to provide power for spacecraft in the solar system. Solar cells on Earth orbiting 

and deep space flyby missions, orbiters, and landers 

power spacecraft and their instruments. The most 

distant spacecraft to use solar cells is the JUNO 

mission, now orbiting Jupiter.

Completed solar oven in action 

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol
19

Make Sun S’mores in Your Solar Oven 

Set the oven in the direct sunlight with oven 

thermometer inside in view. Close the oven lid (the 

part with the plastic wrap on it) tightly, and prop up 

the flap to reflect sunlight into the box. You may need 

to tape the prop in place. 

Preheat the oven for at least 30 minutes and check 

the thermometer. It should be at least 125°.

Break graham crackers into squares. Place four 

squares in the pie pan with a marshmallow on each. 

Place the pan in the preheated solar oven.

IMPORTANT! Unlike most recipes, our s’mores have 

the marshmallow UNDER the chocolate. That’s 

because it takes the marshmallow longer to melt 

than the chocolate in the solar oven.

Depending on how hot the day is, and how directly 

sunlight shines on the oven, the marshmallows will 

take 30 to 60 minutes to get soft.

To Do:

HAVE AN ADULT CUT THE BOX!

#1 — Using the straight edge of the ruler as a guide, 

cut a three-sided flap in the top of the box, leaving at 

least a 1-inch border around the three sides. 

#2 — Cover the inside of the flap with aluminum foil, 

spreading a coat of glue from the glue stick onto the 

cardboard first and making the foil as smooth as 

possible. Line the inside of the box with aluminum 

foil, again gluing it down and making it as smooth as 

possible.

#3 — Tape two layers of plastic wrap across the 

opening you cut in the lid—one layer on the top and 

one layer on the bottom side of the opening in the lid.

Test the stick you will use to prop the lid up. You may 

have to use tape or figure another way to make the 

stick stay put.

Once the marshmallows are soft, open the oven lid 

and place a piece of chocolate (about half the size 

of the graham cracker square) on top of each marshmallow. 

Place another graham cracker square on top of the 

chocolate and press down gently to squash the 

marshmallow. 

Close the lid of the solar oven and let the sun heat it 

up for a few minutes to melt the chocolate. 

ENJOY!

#1

#3

#2

Credit including illustrations NASA Climate Kids:

http://climatekids.nasa.gov

flap

lid
20

7. HOW BIG IS BIG? 

SOLAR PIZZAS

What Is This About?

How big is the Earth? The sun? How far away is the sun? These questions puzzled people for a long time. Eventually they were answered using a little geometry and careful observations. This activity is about the relative size 

of the sun and Earth and the distance between them, which is called the “Astronomical Unit.”

Materials: (you provide)

• Solar pizza 

• 100-foot (or shorter) measuring tape 

To Do: Model the Earth and Sun 

How big is the sun in comparison to Earth?

• Go outside. 

• Have one person hold the cardboard sun—the 

solar pizza.

• Hold it up high so everyone can see it. 

• If the sun were as big as the solar pizza (about 

8-inches across), how big would the Earth be? 

• Everyone can show their guesses using their 

fingers, hands, or arms. 

• Turn the solar pizza over and show everyone the 

Earth, which is scaled to the size of the sun. 

• Were the participants’ guesses close to the actual scaled size? Surprises? 

• Fun Fact: The sun is 109 times the diameter of 

Earth.

How far apart are the sun and Earth? 

• Have one person hold the cardboard sun —

the “solar pizza.” 

• Pull out the Earth tab on the back of the solar 

pizza and hand it to another person. 

• Have the Earth and sun stand together. 

• Ask “If the sun is the size of this picture, how far 

away is the Earth?”

• Ask the person holding the Earth to slowly walk 

away from the sun. 

• Each person says “STOP” when she thinks it is 

the right distance. 

• The Earth keeps walking until everyone has had 

a vote. 

• Look on the back of the solar pizza for the 

correct answer. Measure that distance and have 

the Earth stand at that distance from the sun. 

• This distance is the “Astronomical Unit.”

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol
21

For More Fun with Numbers: 

Sun and Earth Facts:

 Diameter of sun: about 863,000 miles (1,490,000 km)

 Diameter of Earth: about 8,000 miles (13,000 km)

 You can fit 109 Earths across the sun’s diameter!

Solar Pizza —

• Cut out the images of the sun and Earth. 

• At this scale, the sun and Earth are separated by about 65 feet 

(about 20 meters). The actual distance between the sun and Earth 

is about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers). 

This image is scaled to the 

correct size in relation to the 

image of the sun. 

The distance from Earth to the sun is called the 

“Astronomical Unit.” How long would it take you 

to travel the distance to the sun in a car? In a 

jet airplane? The distance to the nearest star, 

Proxima Centauri, is about 25,000,000,000,000 miles. 

How long would it take you to go there in a car? An 

airplane? A spaceship?

Credit: NASA 

https://Sunearthday.nasa.gov

EARTH
22

8. EARTH AS A PEPPERCORN:

SIZE AND SCALE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

What Is This About?

Can you picture how big the solar system is? It’s really hard because the solar system is really big! You may have 

seen a picture of the solar system in a book or on the web. To get all the planets into the picture, they were all 

scrunched together. Or, you may have seen a picture of their orbits, and the planets were so tiny they were hard 

to find. In this activity, the sizes and distances use the same scale. 

Materials: (you provide)

• 9 index cards

• Marker

• Outdoor area up 6/10th mile in length

• Sun—any ball, diameter = 8 inches

• Mercury—a pinhead, diameter = 0.03 

inch

• Venus—a peppercorn, diameter = 0.08 

inch

• Earth—a peppercorn, diameter = 0.08 

inch

• Mars—a pinhead, diameter = 0.03 inch

• Jupiter—a chestnut or a pecan

diameter = 0.90 inch

• Saturn—a hazelnut or an acorn

diameter = 0.70 inch

• Uranus—a peanut or coffee bean

diameter = 0.30 inch

• Neptune—a peanut or coffee bean

diameter = 0.30 inch

• To include the dwarf planet, Pluto— 

a pinhead (or smaller, since Pluto is a 

dwarf planet.) Credit: E. DeVore, SETI Institute

Scaled sun and planets

Mercury

SUN

Venus

Earth

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Pluto

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol
23

To Do:

In this activity, you will make a scale model of the 

solar system and hike to the planets. The sizes and 

distances will be much smaller than they are in real 

life, but both will be to the same scale. What does 

this mean? 

Let’s start with the sun, which is 800,000 miles in 

diameter. An 8-inch diameter ball represents the sun. 

So, in our model, one inch represents one hundred 

thousand miles in reality. Our planet, Earth, is almost 

8,000 miles in diameter. That’s about 1/100th the diameter of the sun. In our scale model, that means 

Earth is the size of a peppercorn, about 0.08 inches 

across. 

The Planets: The list of materials has suggestions for 

objects to use, but you make substitutes. Or you can 

draw a dots or dots on the cards to represent the 

planets. It’s a good idea to glue or tape the objects to 

cards and write the name of the planet on the card.

First Step: There are 8 planets plus the dwarf planet, 

Pluto. Set them out on a table, and compare them 

with the sun. 

Second Step: How much space do we need to make 

our solar system? To arrive at the answer, we need to 

return to our scale. One inch equals 100,000 miles. 

This means that one yard (36 inches) represents 

3,600,000 miles. It’s 93,000,000 miles from the sun 

to the Earth. That’s 26 yards. 

So, it’s time to take a hike! Give the sun and planets 

to participants. You will need to find a place where 

you can hike about one thousand yards in something 

like a straight line. It’s good to be able to turn back 

and see the sun and other planets, but not essential.

Pick a route that will make a good story afterwards 

like “All the way from the flagpole to the Japanese 

garden!”

Place the sun where you can see it from a distance, 

and begin the hike. The participants can count out 

the yard-long paces. 

Fun Fact: At each planet, look back at the sun. It will 

appear the actual size that you would see from each 

planet. Can you still see the sun from Neptune?

OBJECT PACES 

TOTAL 

PACES 

FROM 

THE SUN

AVERAGE 

DISTANCE 

(MILLIONS 

OF MILES)

Sun 0 0 0

Mercury 10 10 36 

Venus 9 19 67 

Earth 7 26 93 

Mars 14 40 142

Jupiter 95 135 484 

Saturn 112 247 887 

Uranus 249 496 1,784 

Neptune 281 777 2,794 

Pluto 242 1,019 3,675

You have marched more than half a mile! The 

distance in the model adds up to 1,019 1-yard paces. 

A mile is 1,760 yards.

Look back toward the sun ball. Can you see it? Look 

at the pinhead representing Pluto. The solar system 

is REALLY BIG!

On this scale, the nearest star, Proxima Centauri 

is about 4,000 miles away! How far is that? It’s the 

distance between Miami, Florida and Anchorage, 

Alaska!

Space Science Tie-In:

Today, we can measure accurate distances to the 

planets by bouncing radio waves off their surfaces. 

Space scientists use these measurements along 

with observations of the motion of the planets and a 

knowledge of physics to accurately target planetary 

space probes like Cassini, Curiosity, Dawn, Juno, 

New Horizons and many others. 

Juno at Jupiter

Credit: NASA/JPL Credit: Adapted from “The Thousand Yard Model” Guy Ottwell
24

9. SUN TRACKING

What Is This About?

Long before humans kept track of time with mechanical clocks, atomic radiation, or computer chips, they used 

the sun to tell time. As the Earth spins around like a top, the sun appears to move across our sky. This movement 

causes shadows to move and change over the course of a sunny day.

The simplest sun tracker is called a gnomon, pronounced “no min.” A gnomon casts a shadow, and can be as 

simple as a vertical pole. It can be used to track time on its own, or to measure time in hours and minutes as part 

of a sundial. 

Materials: (you provide)

• Vertical pole, stick (straight branch, stake, pencil)

• Open location on a sunny day

• Rocks or other markers, 3 or more

To Do:

If you are installing your own stick as a temporary gnomon:

• Find a clear, sunny space with soft dirt

• Press the stick straight down into the ground until it stands up on its own

• Find your gnomon’s shadow and mark the shadow’s end with a rock

• Decide when you can return to your gnomon, at least 30 minutes later

• Estimate where the gnomon’s shadow will be at this future time 

• Place a second rock at the location of your guess. 

• Groups can make multiple guesses with more rocks 

• Return to your gnomon after the planned amount of time

Check your guess. Is the rock close to the shadow? Did the shadow move more, less, or differently than you 

expected? Based on this movement, where do you hypothesize the shadow might be if you waited the same 

amount of time again? If you have time, guess again and check back a second time. Did the shadow move as 

you expected?

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol
25

Make a Pocket Sun Clock:

Make a simple pocket sun clock. Pick the pattern for your location, and 

print on heavy paper or glue onto cardstock. Cut out the sun clock, and 

carefully cut the short notch at each end. Fold along the dotted line, with 

the print on the inside. Take about 7 inches (20 centimeters) of string, 

and place the ends through the notches. Tape one end to the back of the 

clock. Make the string tight when the two parts of the clock are at a 90 

degree angle. Tape the second end of the string to the back of the clock.

Take the pocket sun clocks outside on a sunny day. Ask the participants 

to place the clocks on a flat surface and experiment with them until they 

tell the right time. Which way are the clocks facing? Is there only one 

correct position? If possible mark the position on the ground, and return 

about an hour later to experiment again. Any changes?

Use this sun clock if you live in: 

So. CA, So. NV, AZ, NM, A, TX, AL, 

LA, TN, MS, AL, GA, FL, NC or SC 

Use this sun clock if you live in: 

No. CA, No. NV, UT, CO, So. WY, 

NE, KS, IA, MO, IL, IN, OH, KY, VA, 

WV, MD, DE, NJ, PA, So. NY, MA, 

CT, or RI

Use this sun clock if you live in: 

WA, OR, ID, MT, ND, SD, No. WY, 

MN, WI, MI, No. NY, VT, NH, ME, So. 

Canada

Credit: Paul Allen and Dennis Schatz, AstroAdventures, Sun Watching, Lesson 4: Making a Sun Clock, © Pacific Science Center
26

10. WAXING AND WANING:

PHASES OF THE MOON AND ECLIPSES

A Bit of History:

People have watched the moon go through its predictable phases from full to new and back again for tens of 

thousands of years. We don’t know who first understood and described the reasons for the phases of the moon. 

We do have evidence that people followed and recorded the phases of the moon as much as 30,000 years ago 

through lunar calendars where notches and holes were carved into sticks, reindeer bones and mammoth tusks. 

In this activity, you will create a model of the sun—Earth—moon system and demonstrate the changing phases 

of the moon.

Materials: (you provide)

• 20 moon balls

• 20 pencils, skewers or other short sticks

• The sun as a single light bulb in a lamp without 

a shade (or a bright flashlight)

• Darkened room

• Masking or duct tape to tape down the lamp 

cord (safety)

Get Ready:

• Set up the lamp in the middle of the room. This 

is the sun. Tape the cord to the floor to avoid 

tripping hazard. Alternative: One person holds a 

flashlight, and is the sun. 

• Give each person a moon ball, and pencil, 

skewer or stick. Mount the ball on the pencil, 

and form a circle around the lamp. 

• Each person’s head is the Earth, and each 

person holds up the moon ball at arm’s-length. 

Phases of the moon 

Credit: NASA/Bill Dunford

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/galleries/phases-of-the-moon

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol
27

To Do: Phases of the Moon

• Always hold the moon ball at arm’s-length in front of you as you do this activity. 

• First, hold the moon in the direction of the light source. Where is the light on the ball? Since the light is 

shining on the other side of the moon, you (the Earth) should see a dark moon in front of you. This is the 

new moon. 

• Turn to the left and watch the moon. What’s happening? When you see a little of the moon illuminated, 

it’s called a waxing crescent. 

• When you’ve turned one-quarter of the way around the circle, how much of the moon is lit up? 

This is called a first quarter moon.

• Keep turning, and you will see more of the moon illuminated as it becomes a waxing gibbous moon.

• Next, turn so that your back is to the sun. Make sure to hold the moon high enough that your head does 

not block the light from the sun. What do you see now? How much of the moon is illuminated? 

This is the full moon. 

• Keep turning, and you will notice that less of the moon is illuminated. This is the waning gibbous moon. 

• Continue until half of the side facing you is illuminated. This is the third or last quarter moon. 

• Finally, turn back through the waning crescent moon to the new moon. 

• The full cycle of lunar phases from new moon to new moon takes 29.5 days. 

• Waxing and waning: As the moon goes from new moon to full moon, we say that the moon is “waxing.”

And, when the moon goes from full moon to new moon, we say it is “waning.” 

To Do: Eclipses of the Sun and Moon

• Eclipses are all about shadows. 

• Cover up the sun with your moon ball. What is the phase of the moon? (new moon) 

• This is a solar eclipse. Look at a friend’s face—you will see the shadow of the moon on her face. To see a 

total eclipse of the sun, you have to be inside the central part of the moon’s shadow, called the umbra. If 

you are on the daytime side of the Earth, but outside the umbra, you may see a partial eclipse in the part of 

the moon’s shadow called the penumbra. 

• To make a lunar eclipse, turn around with the moon held out at arm’s-length until it goes into the shadow of 

the Earth (your head). What is the phase of the moon? (full) Everyone on the dark side of the Earth can see 

a lunar eclipse. 

• Eclipses only happen when the sun, Earth and moon all line up.

Try This:

Go outside at the same time on 3-5 successive days—daytime or nighttime—when you can see the moon. Each 

time, note the location of the moon and its phase. Draw the image of the moon you see on a sheet of paper. What 

do you see happening? Is it like the model you created?
28

11. HOW DO ECLIPSES WORK?

THE YARDSTICK ECLIPSE

What Is This About?

The moon and sun each appear to be about 1/2 degree across the sky. That is about the width of your pinky 

finger when held at arm’s-length. Earth is unique in all the solar system having a moon that appears to be almost 

exactly the same size as the sun. 

How is this possible when our moon is only 1/400th the size of the sun? It is because the moon is also 400 times 

closer! This wonderful coincidence coupled with the fact that the moon orbits in about the same plane as the 

Earth allows us to see total solar eclipses every year or two. But how, exactly do eclipses work?

Materials: (you provide)

• Folding yardsticks

• Binder clips

• 1-inch balls

• 1/4-inch beads

• Long wooden toothpicks

• Index cards (optional) 

Get Ready:

Space Science Tie-In: 

Total solar eclipses are more than just beautiful natural displays. They also help astronomers who study the 

sun (called heliophysicists) learn about the sun’s extended atmosphere called the corona. Many spacecraft that 

observe the sun create an artificial eclipse by putting a mask over the bright solar surface (the photosphere) to 

study the much dimmer corona. These masks usually cover more than just the photosphere of the sun, so the 

spacecraft only observe the outer part of the corona. A natural solar eclipse allows astronomers to study the 

lower corona, much closer to the surface of the sun. (See diagram of the sun on page 35).

For More Eclipse Information and Images:

American Astronomical Society — https://eclipse.aas.org 

NASA — https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol
29

You are making a model of the Earth, moon, and sun to demonstrate how they align to produce eclipses. What is 

a model? It’s a simulation that shows how the real Earth, moon, and sun line up, but at a scale you can play with.

• Unfold the yardstick so that it is straight. 

• Put the Earth ball on the end of a long toothpick. Clamp the other end of the tooth pick to the yard stick near 

one end (at the 2 or 3-inch mark). How large is the real Earth? It’s almost 8,000 miles in diameter. The Earth 

ball is one inch in diameter. That means that one inch = 8,000 miles in our model. 

• How large is the real moon? It’s just over 2,000 miles in diameter, about 1/4 the diameter of Earth. So, the 

moon is the 1/4-inch bead in our model. Attach the 1/4-inch bead moon bead to the end of another toothpick. 

• How far away is the moon? The actual moon is about 240,000 miles away from Earth. That’s 30 Earth 

diameters away. So, in our model, each inch on the yardstick represents one Earth diameter. Clamp the moon 

toothpick to the yardstick, 30 Earth diameters away from the Earth ball. You now have a scale model of the 

Earth—moon system. 

 

 

To Do: 

• We need the sun* to make our model work! On a sunny day, take the eclipse yardstick model outside with 

another person

• Turn your back to the sun—you are using the real sun in this model—to play with the shadows of Earth and 

moon.

• Hold the yardstick model up with the Earth ball closest to you (but out of your shadow).

• Have the other person hold her hand or an index card behind the moon so that you can find the shadow of 

the moon as a tiny dot.

• Can you make an eclipse of the moon? Move the yardstick model until the moon bead is covered by the 

shadow of the Earth ball. That’s a lunar eclipse!

• Can you make an eclipse of the sun? That happens when the moon is between the sun and Earth, and the 

moon casts its shadow on the Earth. 

• Turn the yardstick model around so the moon bead is closest to you. Slowly adjust the position of the 

moon until its shadow falls on the Earth ball. You have just created a total solar eclipse! 

• Trade places with your partner and let her make eclipses. 

*A bright flashlight in a darkened room can substitute for doing this outside with the real sun. 

Assembled yardstick model Moon bead casting 

shadow on Earth ball

Credit: Yardstick Model: Astronomical Society of the Pacific
30

12. WHEN DAY TURNS TO NIGHT: 

MEASURING LIGHT LEVELS AND TEMPERATURE

What Is This About?

One of the eeriest sensations you will experience during a total solar eclipse is the rapid drop in light levels 

around you. Though the sky has been getting slowly darker for a while, the jump from a sliver of partiality to total 

produces a huge drop in brightness. As darkness falls during totality, both animals and plants prepare for actual 

night time. Crickets chirp, birds and squirrels nest, cows start to return to their barns, and roosters crow. It has 

even been reported that fish are more likely to bite. Animals that are normally active at night come out to prowl 

or hunt. In this activity, you will measure this drop in sky brightness.

Space Science Tie-In:

Total solar eclipses are more than just beautiful natural displays. They also help astronomers who study the 

sun (called heliophysicists) learn about the sun’s extended atmosphere called the corona. Many spacecraft that 

observe the sun create an artificial eclipse by putting an mask over the bright solar surface (the photosphere) to 

study the much dimmer corona. These masks usually cover more than just the photosphere of the sun, so the 

spacecraft only observe the outer part of the corona. A natural solar eclipse allows astronomers to study the 

lower corona, much closer to the surface of the sun.

Solar Eclipse at Your Location:

Everyone on the continental United States will be 

able to see the August 2017 eclipse. Most people 

will see a partial eclipse where the moon covers only 

a part of the sun. To see the total eclipse, you need 

to be along the central path of the moon’s shadow. 

NASA provides maps and tools to help you find out 

about the eclipse for you.

Materials: (you provide)

• Smartphone

• Google Science Journal Application (free download) or other light-level app for smartphones 

• Digital thermometer

• Tape and string to make a hanger for the digital 

thermometer

• Paper or notebook and pencil or pen

• Outdoor location

Get Ready: Before the Day of the Eclipse

• Download an application: you may need an adult’s 

help or permission to download a smartphone 

application that measures light levels. 

• For Android smartphones: 

search for “Google Science Journal”.

• For IOS smartphones: 

search for “light meter” select an application. 

• Note: the IOS version of Google Science Journal 

is anticipated in summer of 2017.

NASA Eyes: an interactive animation of the 

eclipse you can set for your location. 

https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/nasas-eyes

Eclipse Maps: U.S. maps for the path of totality 

https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/maps-cartography

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol
31

Be a Scientist: Sample Light Levels 

• Start taking 10 second samples of the ambient 

light an hour before the eclipse. Repeat every 10 

minutes until maximum eclipse has occurred. For 

each 10 second reading, record the lowest and 

highest reading value.

• On the path of totality: As the total eclipse time 

approaches, begin a continuous recording. Start 

one minute before totality and stop recording one 

minute after totality ends. Your total record will be 

about 4 to 5 minutes. 

• Off the path of totality: Do the same experiment. 

You may or may not detect changes in light level. 

It depends on how much of the sun is eclipsed.

Be a Scientist: Sample Temperatures

• Hang your digital thermometer from a tree limb 

or other object out of direct sunlight.

• Don’t touch the thermometer during the experiment as your body’s heat will change the temperature being measured.

• Record the temperature at 10 minute intervals 

starting an hour before maximum eclipse to an 

hour after. Be sure to get at least one measurement during totality! More is better!

• Graph the Results: time vs. temperature. 

Analyze Your Data: 

• Review your results with other people. 

• Did you all record the same readings? 

• Were there differences? Why? 

• How dramatic were the changing light levels? 

• How did the temperature change? 

• Did you notice the drop with just your eyes? 

To Do:

Figure out how to access and use the light level or light meter app on your smartphone. Your smartphone camera 

is used to measure light levels. Try putting your hand over your phone or pointing your phone at a bright light. Can 

you see the graph or meter go up and down as the light levels change? 

When you are comfortable with recording light levels, you will be ready to record the drop in light levels from the 

eclipse of the sun. The closer you are to the path of totality, the more dramatic the change in light levels will be. 

Farther off the path and you may not register any change, but try it! Right on the path, where the eclipse is total 

for a short time, the change should be dramatic! If you are using the Science Journal, your can record the light 

level changes with your smartphone through the eclipse! You can add photos and voice recordings as the light 

levels are being recorded. 

Going Farther: 

We all enjoy the beauty of sunrise and sunset. You 

can also be a scientist at these times of the day by 

measuring the change in light levels and temperatures at sunrise or sunset, using the same sampling 

method as for eclipses. Start an hour before sunset, 

or just as the sun rises. It’s a good way to practice if 

you are going to record data during the eclipse! 

Credit: P. Harman, SETI Institute

Make a 

hanger for 

the digital 

thermometer

Measuring light 

levels with 

Google

Science 

Journal

Credit: Google Science Journal
32

13. MAKE AN ECLIPSE VIEWER

Materials: (you provide)

• Cardboard box: carton, cereal box, shoe box.

The longer the box, the larger the image 

of the sun.

• Scissors or box knife

• Masking or transparent tape

• 1 piece of white paper

• Pin

• Duct (opaque) tape, as needed.

What Is This About?

It is not safe to look directly at the sun without taking precautions to protect your eyes. The sun is far 

too bright to view directly. But you can build a simple 

pinhole projector to help you see an image of the sun, 

safely.

“Pinhole cameras” were originally called “Camera 

Obscura.” This drawing by Leonardo da Vinci of a 

“Camera Obscura” shows the sun projected through 

a pinhole onto a wall. This is just like the projector you 

will make. Credit: Gemma Frisius, De Radio Astronomica et Geometrica, 1545.

Try These:

During an eclipse of the sun, any small hole will make 

an image of the sun. Here’s some other fun ways to 

project images of the sun during partial eclipses.

Space Science Tie-In:

Astronomers have observed the sun with ground 

based observatories for about 400 years. Galileo 

proved that the sun rotated by observing the motion 

of sunspots on its surface. Today, we observe the 

sun in many wavelengths from large ground-based 

observatories like the National Solar Observatory 

and from spacecraft: Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory and 

the Solar Dynamics Observatory.

 Colander Leaves

Crossed fingers

Credit: Public domain (top) and R.T. Fienberg (bottom) 

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol
33

Aluminum

foil with

pinhole

Sunlight

Opening in

box for

White paper viewing

screen taped

to inside end

of the box

Small image

of partially

eclipsed sun

Build the Box Projector:

Any box will work. The longer the box, the larger the 

image of the sun. These instructions are for a cardboard box. If using a box with open seams, seal up the 

box with opaque tape to make the inside dark. Only the 

pinhole in the foil should let in light when you are 

looking through the viewing opening.

To Do:

• Stand with the sun behind you. 

• Point the pinhole end of the box toward the sun. 

Move around until, looking through the viewing 

opening, you see an image of the sun projected 

inside the box. 

• An easy way to align with the sun is to make the 

shadow of the box and your head as small as 

possible. 

• Your pinhole projector will show a small image of 

the sun that is useful during a partial eclipse to 

see the “bite” the moon takes out of the sun. 

• The longer the box is, the larger the image of the 

sun will be. 

CAUTION: 

Never look at the sun 

without eye protection. 

It is safe to project the sun 

through small holes, and 

look at the projected image. 

Never look directly at the 

sun through pinholes 

in paper or foil.

Tape white paper 

inside on one end 

of box.

Cut or poke eye 

and sun holes. 

Tape aluminum foil

over sun hole.

Poke hole in foil 

with pin. 

Tape box shut to 

block light leaks. 

Graphics: Credit: Jessica Henricks, Girl Scouts of Northern California; Conor McQuaid
34

14. ECLIPSE CHALK ART

What Is This About?

Observing a total solar eclipse can be an exciting, once in a life time experience! Long before there were cameras 

or telescopes, eclipse watchers recorded what they saw in the sky in words, drawings, and paintings. You can 

have fun creating your own picture of a solar eclipse with chalk and paper!

Materials: (you provide)

• Paper, dark blue or black. Smooth cardstock paper works best 

(not construction paper). 

• White, non-toxic chalk 

• Pencil

• Scissors

• Masking tape

• Circle templates cut from cardstock, file folders or cereal boxes

• OPTIONAL: Brightly colored construction paper or foam sheets for 

cut-out horizon detail.

To Do: 

• Make circle templates on stiff paper. Trace around the masking tape roll 

with a pencil, and cut out the template. Make several for group activities.

• Place the template on a piece of dark paper. Secure with a loop of 

masking tape or simply hold down with one hand. 

• Draw a thick circle of chalk around the template.

Go around 2 or 3 times. It does not need to be neat. 

• Holding the template in place, smudge the chalk away from the 

center of the circle using a finger to create the corona of the sun. 

• When you are done smudging, remove the circle template. 

• Add words, pictures, or fun designs.

• You’ve made total solar eclipse art! 

Credit: J. Henricks, Girl Scouts of Northern 

California

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol
35

Space Science Tie-In:

Until the advent of sophisticated and 

highly specialized ground and spacebased solar telescopes, the only 

opportunity anyone had to observe the sun’s corona was during a 

total solar eclipse.

Eclipse photography was not use 

until about 1860. Before that, 

astronomers would sketch what 

they saw at the eyepiece of their 

telescopes. 

Sketch of 1860 total solar eclipse 

by G. Temple showing a coronal 

mass ejection

First photograph of a solar 

eclipse by Charles A. Young, 

July 18, 1860

Credit: NASA

Credit: G. Temple Credit: C. Young

For More Eclipse Information and Images:

American Astronomical Society: https://eclipse.aas.org 

NASA: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov

CORONA

The outermost layer of the solar atmosphere. The corona is 

made of a tenuous ionized gas called plasma, with temperatures up to many millions of degrees Fahrenheit. The corona 

is visible to the naked eye only during a total solar eclipse.

PROMINENCES

Structures in the corona made of 

relatively cool plasma supported 

by magnetic fields. Prominences 

are bright structures when seen 

over the solar limb, but appear 

dark when seen against the 

bright solar disk (where they're 

called filaments).

POLAR PLUMES

Bright structures of fast-flowing solar 

material coming from coronal holes, 

areas with magnetic field lines open 

to interplanetary space. Coronal 

holes are more common near, but not 

exclusive to, the poles.

CORONAL LOOPS

Found around sunspots and in 

active regions. These structures are 

associated with the closed magnetic field lines that connect magnetic 

regions on the solar surface.

HELMET 

STREAMERS

Large, caplike coronal 

structures with long 

pointed peaks that 

usually lie over sunspots 

and active regions. 

These often have a 

prominence or filament 

at their base. 

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol
36

NASA ECLIPSE GUIDE

TOTAL ECLIPSE

SUN

UMBRA

PENUMBRA

PARTIAL ECLIPSE

MOON’S

ORBIT EARTH’SORBIT

EARTH

MOON

Not to scale:

If drawn to scale, the moon would be 30 Earth diameters

away from Earth. The sun would be 400 times that distance.

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol

Credit: Rick Fienberg, TravelQuest International and Wilderness Travel

Credit: Marla Hladiuk

www.nasa.gov

Credit: International Space Station

Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio

This map shows the path of the moon’s umbral shadow—in which the sun will be completely 

obscured by the moon—during the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017. The lunar shadow 

enters the United States near Lincoln City, Oregon, at 9:05 a.m. PDT. Totality begins in Lincoln 

City, Oregon, at 10:16 a.m. PDT. The total eclipse will end in Charleston, South Carolina, at 

2:48 p.m. EDT. The lunar shadow leaves the United States at 4:09 p.m. EDT. Outside this 

path, a partial solar eclipse will be visible throughout the continental U.S., and this map 

shows the fraction of the sun’s area covered by the moon outside the path of totality.

This photo taken from the International Space Station shows the 

moon’s umbral, or inner, shadow during the total solar eclipse of 

March 29, 2006.

In this series of stills from 2013, the eclipse sequence runs from right to left. The center 

image shows totality; on either side are the 2nd contact (right) and 3rd contact (left) 

diamond rings that mark the beginning and end of totality respectively.

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE: Monday • August 21, 2017

This will be the first total solar eclipse visible in the continental United States in 38 years.

WHAT IS A SOLAR 

ECLIPSE?

A solar eclipse happens 

when the moon casts a 

shadow on Earth, fully 

or partially blocking the 

sun’s light in some areas. 

Observers within the 

path of totality will 

be able to see the 

sun’s corona (weather 

permitting), like in the 

images above and left. 

Observers outside this 

path will see a partial 

eclipse.

THE NEXT ECLIPSE

After the 2017 solar 

eclipse, the next total 

solar eclipse visible over 

the continental United 

States will be on

April 8, 2024.

MONDAY • AUGUST 21, 2017

EXPERIENCE

2017 ECLIPSE ACROSS AMERICA

THROUGH THE EYES OF NASA http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov THE

WHERE TO 

WATCH

Find a nice, clear 

spot with a good

view of the sky.

HOW TO WATCH

You can see the sun and the 

eclipse with special eclipse 

glasses. NEVER look 

directly at the sun without 

appropriate eyewear. 

Regular sunglasses are not 

safe to view the eclipse. 

More: http://eclipse2017.

nasa.gov/safety

HOW LONG WILL

IT LAST

The total eclipse, when the 

sun is completely blocked

by the moon, will last

up to 2 minutes

and 40 seconds,

depending on

your location.

EVERYONE IN NORTH AMERICA WILL BE 

ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THIS ECLIPSE.

EVERYONE

IN NORTH

AMERICA

WILL BE

ABLE TO

EXPERIENCE

THIS ECLIPSE.
37

Aluminum

foil with pinhole

Sunlight

Opening in box for viewing

White paper screen

taped to inside 

end of the box

Small

image of

partially

eclipsed

sun

SAFELY observing THE SUN

Sunlight from a partial eclipse funnels through tree leaves to 

project images of crescents on the ground.

STRANGE SHADOWS! ECLIPSE DETAILS FOR CITIES IN THE

PATH OF TOTALITY

MAKE YOUR OWN ECLIPSE PROJECTOR

You can make this simple eclipse projector with almost any 

cardboard box, paper, tape and foil.

The longer the distance from the pinhole to screen, the larger

the image of the sun will be.

MIRROR IN AN ENVELOPE

Slide a mirror into an envelope with a ragged 

hole about 5/8 inch (1.5 cm) cut into the front. 

Point the mirror toward the sun so that an image 

is reflected onto a screen about 15 feet (5 meters) 

away. The longer the distance, the larger the image.

DO NOT LOOK AT THE MIRROR,

ONLY AT THE SCREEN.

WARNING! Never look directly at the sun 

without proper eye protection. You can

seriously injure your eyes.

Check with local

science museums,

schools and astronomy

clubs for eclipse glasses—or

purchase an ISO 12312-2 compliant

pair of these special shades!

Copyright © Elisa J. Israel

FS-2016-10-508-GSFC (Rev 5/17)

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol

More on eclipses http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov

http://www.nasa.gov/eclipse

http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety

http://go.nasa.gov/2evRZBG More on safe viewing of eclipses

NEVER look directly at the sun without 

appropriate eyewear. 

YES! NO!

View the eclipse with 

special eclipse glasses.

Regular sunglasses are not 

safe to view the eclipse.

Inexpensive and easy to build, the sun funnel 

is a device that completely encloses the 

light coming from a telescope and projects a 

magnified image of the sun, large enough for 

many people to view at once.

http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/make-sun-funnel

SUN 

FUNNEL

Madras, OR 09:06:43 10:19:36 10:21:38 11:41:06 PDT

Idaho Falls, ID 10:15:10 11:33:04 11:34:48 12:58:05 MDT

Casper, WY 10:22:21 11:42:44 11:45:09 01:09:30 MDT

Lincoln, NE 11:37:16 01:02:40 01:03:48 02:29:46 CDT

Jefferson City, MO 11:46:07 01:13:07 01:15:38 02:41:05 CDT

Carbondale, IL 11:52:25 01:20:06 01:22:41 02:47:25 CDT

Paducah, KY 11:54:03 01:22:16 01:24:38 02:49:32 CDT

Nashville, TN 11:58:31 01:27:25 01:29:23 02:54:02 CDT

Clayton, GA 01:06:59 02:35:49 02:38:23 04:01:27 EDT

Columbia, SC 01:13:08 02:41:51 02:44:21 04:06:21 EDT

Eclipse

Begins

Eclipse

Ends

Totality

Begins

Totality

Ends

Seconds may vary depending on your location. View the interactive map for more information:

https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/interactive_map/index.html

Seconds may vary depending on your location. View the interactive map for more information:

https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/interactive_map/index.html
38

• Always inspect your solar filter before use; if scratched or damaged, discard it. Read and follow any instructions printed on 

or packaged with the filter.

• Always supervise children using solar filters.

• Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up at the bright sun. After looking at 

the sun, turn away and remove your filter — do not remove it while looking at the sun.

• Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical 

device.

• Similarly, do not look at the sun through a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while using your 

eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury.

• Seek expert advice from an astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device. Note that solar filters must be attached to the front of any telescope, binoculars, camera lens, or other optics.

• If you are within the path of totality (https://go.nasa.gov/2pC0lhe), remove your solar filter only when the moon completely 

covers the sun’s bright face and it suddenly gets quite dark. Experience totality, then, as soon as the bright sun begins to 

reappear, replace your solar viewer to look at the remaining partial phases.

• Outside the path of totality, you must always use a safe solar filter to view the sun directly.

• If you normally wear eyeglasses, keep them on. Put your eclipse glasses on over them, or hold your handheld viewer in 

front of them.

Note: If your eclipse glasses or viewers are compliant with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard, 

you may look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun through them for as long as you wish. 

Furthermore, if the filters aren’t scratched, punctured, or torn, you may reuse them indefinitely. 

Some glasses/viewers are printed with warnings stating that you shouldn’t look through them 

for more than 3 minutes at a time and that you should discard them if they are more than 3 

years old. Such warnings are outdated and do not apply to eclipse viewers compliant with the 

ISO 12312-2 standard adopted in 2015. To make sure you get (or got) your eclipse glasses/

viewers from a supplier of ISO-compliant products, see the American Astronomical Society 

(AAS) Reputable Vendors of Solar Filters & Viewers page.

An alternative method for safe viewing of the partially eclipsed sun is pinhole projection. For example, cross the outstretched, slightly 

open fingers of one hand over the outstretched, slightly open fingers of the other, creating a waffle pattern. With your back to the sun, 

look at your hands’ shadow on the ground. The little spaces between your fingers will project a grid of small images on the ground, 

showing the sun as a crescent during the partial phases of the eclipse. Or just look at the shadow of a leafy tree during the partial 

eclipse; you’ll see the ground dappled with crescent Suns projected by the tiny spaces between the leaves.

A solar eclipse is one of nature’s grandest spectacles. By following these simple rules, you can safely enjoy the view and be rewarded 

with memories to last a lifetime. More information:

eclipse.aas.org eclipse2017.nasa.gov

This document does not constitute medical advice. Readers with questions should contact a qualified eye-care professional. v.170702

Looking directly at the sun is unsafe except during the brief total phase of a solar eclipse (“totality”), when 

the moon entirely blocks the sun’s bright face, which will happen only within the narrow path of totality 

(https://go.nasa.gov/2pC0lhe).

The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special-purpose 

solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” (example shown at left) or hand-held solar viewers. Homemade filters 

or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun; they transmit thousands 

of times too much sunlight. Refer to the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Reputable Vendors of Solar 

Filters & Viewers page for a list of manufacturers and authorized dealers of eclipse glasses and handheld 

solar viewers verified to be compliant with the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard for such products.

How to View the 2017 Solar Eclipse SafelyCredit: Rick Fienberg, TravelQuest International and Wilderness Travel
39

Extreme heat safety

http://bit.ly/28LXx6e

Camping health and safety

http://bit.ly/2eg3dNl 

Car safety (Fact Sheet for State and Local Departments of Transportation)

http://bit.ly/2eZZstP 

Food and drink safety

http://bit.ly/1gh22Bu

Protection against distracted driving

http://bit.ly/2eBRdp0

Preparing for hazards

http://bit.ly/1K9LC2u

Safeguard against biological hazards

http://bit.ly/2eg2lYQ

Crowd safety

http://bit.ly/2eZXOZa 

Stay safe in the sun

http://bit.ly/1hz2dsF 

Tips for hikers

http://bit.ly/2eg14Bf 

Safety Tips for the 2017 Solar Eclipse

NP-2016-10-517-GSFC (Rev 8/17)

EXPERIENCE

2017ECLIPSE

ACROSS AMERICA

THROUGH THE EYES OF NASA

http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov THE

 National Aeronautics and Space Administration
40

 National Aeronautics and Space Administration

EXPERIENCE

2017ECLIPSE

ACROSS AMERICA

THROUGH THE EYES OF NASA

http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov THE

Learn all about the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse: when and where you 

can see it, viewing techniques and safety tips. 

http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-101

Find out which spacecraft, balloons and ground-based teams will observe the 

August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse. 

http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/events

Visit the NASA Science website to find celebrations, information and activities 

for researchers, citizen scientists, educators, teens and kids. 

http://science.nasa.gov

NASA’s Eyes on the 2017 Eclipse is an interactive, 3-D simulation of the 

August 21, 2017 total eclipse.

http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/nasas-eyes

NASA will host the Eclipse Live Stream, which will provide unique broadcast 

coverage across multiple locations. 

http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-live-stream 

Experience the 2017 solar eclipse in many fun, creative and challenging ways, 

from family-friendly activities to sophisticated science projects. Explore activities and find out about public engagement happenings in your community. 

http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/activities

Use the NASA toolkit to view videos and images, download a poster, or create 

Eclipse Kit — a portable eclipse demonstration kit. You can also make 

3-D pinhole projection cards and share your do-it-yourself ideas. 

http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/resources

NASA ECLIPSE WEBSITE RESOURCES

NP-2016-10-510-GSFC (Rev 4/17)
41

MORE RESOURCES

Eye Safety:

It is never safe to look directly at the sun without a special purpose filter. The only exception is during a total 

solar eclipse, and then only for a few minutes when the moon completely blocks the sun. Safe solar filters can be 

purchased from more than one vendor, but care must be taken to be sure that the filters meet the ISO 12312-2 

international standard. Eclipse glasses manufactured in the United States meet these standards, and can be found via the 

internet by searching on “eclipse glass manufacturers.” 

Eclipse Resource Guide:

A Resource Guide to Exploring Eclipses in General and the August 21, 2017 Total Eclipse of the Sun by Andrew Fraknoi, Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The Eclipse Resource Guide provides an extensive list of resources that includes books, articles about the sun, eclipses and the 2017 eclipse, useful websites, sources of safe eclipse glasses, interdisciplinary sites, and websites specifically about the 2017 eclipse. This is a treasure trove of information. 

Search for Eclipses at https://www.astrosociety.org

Night Sky Network:

The Night Sky Network is national network of more than 400 amateur astronomy clubs that conduct outreach 

activities for the public. Night Sky Network is sponsored by NASA and supported the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 

You can find out about star parties, club meetings and other astronomy-related events in your region online. There are 

search tools that use your zip code to find contact information, and display event calendars at the Night Sky Network 

website. https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/

American Astronomical Society:

The American Astronomical Society (AAS) is the professional organization of astronomers in the United States and beyond. For the upcoming eclipse, the AAS has a special website to prepare all Americans for the upcoming eclipse. There 

are many resources available to help you prepare to view the eclipse from any location in the U.S. https://eclipse.aas.org/

All-American Total Solar Eclipse:

Download this 8-page observing guide ideal for sharing with middle-school students and their families as 

well as with community leaders. It is adapted from the book Solar Science: Exploring Sunspots, Seasons, 

Eclipses, and More written by award-winning science educators Dennis Schatz and Andrew Fraknoi and published by the 

National Science Teachers Association. The guide summarizes where and when to see the eclipse across North America, 

how to observe it safely, and how to understand and explain what causes it. https://eclipse.aas.org/resources/downloads

Credit: Rick Fienberg, TravelQuest International and Wilderness Travel
42

COMPLETE LIST OF MATERIALS

ACTIVITY OR RESOURCE PAGES REUSABLE MATERIALS MATERIALS YOU PROVIDE

1. LIVING IN A BUBBLE: PLAY 

WITH MAGNETS AND 

COMPASSES

6-7 Magnets and compasses Paper, tape, pens or pencils

2. SUNBURN: ULTRAVIOLET 

LIGHT DETECTORS

8-9 500 UV beads and 100 chenille stems

(These will need to be restocked in the 

box.)

Sunscreen, sunglasses, regular glasses, 

paper, cloth, hats, plastic, window glass 

water

3. SEEING THE INVISIBLE: 

INFRARED LIGHT 

DETECTORS

10-11 NASA Lithograph: Infrared Astronomy: 

More Than Our Eyes Can See. 

Smartphones, digital cameras, remote 

controls for TV and other devices

4. LET’S SEE LIGHT IN A 

NEW WAY: DIFFRACTION 

SPECTRA

12-13 10 spectroscopes White paper, and various light sources

5. A LIGHT SNACK: COOKIE 

BOX SPECTROMETERS

14-17 None Boxes (cookie, cereal, shoe boxes), 

scissors, tape pens, black electrical tape 

(optional), and diffraction grating slides, 

light sources

6. MAKE SUN S’MORES! 18-19 12 oven thermometers Boxes with closable lids, box knives or 

scissors, aluminum foil, clear plastic wrap, 

ruler or straight edge, glue stick, tape, 

Sunny location, pie tin, large marshmallows, plain chocolate bars (thin) napkins

7. HOW BIG IS BIG? SOLAR 

PIZZAS

20-21 Solar pizza—cardboard sun and tiny Earth Measuring tape to measure up to 65 feet

8. EARTH AS A PEPPERCORN: 

SIZE AND SCALE OF THE 

SOLAR SYSTEM

22-23 Index cards Objects to represent planets

9. SUN TRACKING 24-25 None Pole or stick, sunny day outdoors, rocks 

or other markers. sun clocks: scissors, 

string and print copies of sun clocks on 

cardstock

10. WAXING AND WANING: 

PHASES OF THE MOON 

AND ECLIPSES

26-27 20 moon balls, 1.5” in diameter 20 pencils or skewers or short sticks 

(handles for moon balls), darkened room, 

single light bulb (clear and 40-60 Watts), 

tape to safely tape lamp cord to floor. 

11. HOW DO ECLIPSES 

WORK? YARDSTICK 

ECLIPSE

28-29 5 folding yardsticks, 20 small binder 

clips, 5 - 1” balls (Earths), 5 - 1/4” beads 

(moons), 10 large toothpicks

Index cards (as screens). Hands or other 

paper works too. 

12. WHEN DAY TURNS TO 

NIGHT: MEASURING 

LIGHT LEVELS AND 

TEMPERATURE

30-31 Digital thermometers Smartphones with downloaded apps to 

measure light levels, string and tape to 

make a holder for the thermometers, paper or notebook, pencils or pens, outdoor 

location

13. MAKE AN ECLIPSE VIEWER 32-33 None Cardboard boxes, opaque tape, aluminum 

foil, pin, white paper, scissors or box knife, 

outdoor location

14. ECLIPSE CHALK ART 34-35 None Smooth cardstock paper (dark color—blue 

or black), white chalk, pencil, scissors 

masking tape, file folders or cereal boxes 

to cut up for templates, construction 

paper or foam sheets for cut-out horizon 

details
43

NOTES
44

Credit: Rick Fienberg / TravelQuest International / Wilderness Travel

Multiple images combined show the progress of the total solar eclipse of November 14, 2012, as seen 

from aboard a cruise ship in the South Pacific. The lower right image of the sun was taken first and 

the upper left image was taken last. During the partial phases before and after totality, the camera lens 

was covered by a safe solar filter. No filter was used during totality, which is about as bright as the full 

moon and just as safe to look at. The background is an unfiltered view of the ocean and sky during 

totality, showing sunrise/sunset colors along the horizon.