When a total solar eclipse crosses your path, will you be ready for it?
Check out the activities below to find out what it'll look like in your neighborhood and how to prepare for viewing it safely with fun art activities.
Ways to View the Solar Eclipse Safely
- Place the eclipse glasses (with the arms folded in) at the center of the paper plate and then slide them down so that the top of the eclipse glasses are below the center line.
- Use the pencil to mark each outer edge of the glasses. Trace a line from the top edge to the bottom edge on both sides. This is where you will insert the arms of the eclipse glasses.
3. Remove the eclipse glasses. To make a cut-out area for the mask wearer's nose and mouth, take the ruler and measure and mark the following:
- 3 mm from the top of the lines you drew for the edge of the glasses (see photo to the left). Repeat on the other side. Use your ruler to connect these two points with a line. This marks the top of the area to be cut. Do not cut above this line.
- 5 mm from middle of the line you drew for the edge of the glasses. Repeat on the other side.
4. Use these markings to sketch out the area seen between the thick black lines in the photo to the left.
5. Use the exacto knife or scissors to cut slits for the arms of the eclipse glasses. Cut out the bottom part of the mask.
6. This is what your mask will look like after all of the cuts. Now you can decorate your mask any way you'd like!
7. When you're done decorating, finish assembling the mask by sliding the arms of the eclipse glasses into the slits you cut earlier. Make sure the glasses are snug against the paper plate.
Now you're ready for some safe, stylish solar eclipse viewing!
Get the following materials ready and follow along:
- Old greeting cards, calendars, or magazines with a picture you like. Anything that has thicker paper that can get poked through without tearing easily.
- Pointy pencil
- Chopsticks
- A couple of pieces of cardboard
- Tape
- A flashlight
Read about Eclipses with these Book Recommendations
- Dr. Merced was born in a small town in Puerto Rico, where at an early age she loved science.
- In her late teens, Dr. Merced started to slowly lose her vision, due to an extended illness. She had to adjust and adapt to studying and learning without seeing what was in front of her.
- While studying at the University of Puerto Rico, she lost her sight completely. She still pursued her studies in physics, and eventually achieved her degree after six years.
- One day, a classmate had her listen to the sound of a solar flare (which is a quick burst of energy from the Sun), and it changed everything. Wanda set her aspirations on a new goal: making science into sound.
- Dr. Merced later went on to achieve her doctorate in computer science at the University of Glasgow, Scotland in 2013.
- Dr. Merced is a pioneer in the field of studying science with sound. Her work is allowing scientists to get even more information out of data that is collected from space. It is also showing that science is for everyone, and should be accessible to all.
For grown-ups: To learn more about a project Dr. Merced worked on while doing research at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and to hear what data made into music sounds like, check out the Star Songs webpage!
Soar Together at Air and Space is made possible by the generous support of Northrop Grumman.
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