In 2014 the American Astronomical Society (AAS) — the major organization of professional astronomers in North America — created the AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force (SETF) to help coordinate national preparations for the “Great American Eclipse” of August 21, 2017. The task force, meant to function as a think tank, coordinating body, and communication gateway/hub, was composed of professional and amateur astronomers, formal and informal educators, eclipse chasers, science writers, and outreach specialists.
With funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the AAS, the SETF carried out three main activities: (1) built this website with basic information about solar eclipses, safe viewing practices, and eclipse imaging and video, along with resources for educators and the media; (2) managed a mini-grants program to support eclipse-related education and public outreach to under-represented groups; and (3) organized a series of multidisciplinary workshops to prepare communities for the eclipse and to facilitate collaboration between astronomers, meteorologists, school administrators, and transportation and emergency-management professionals. The safety advice we developed in collaboration with eye doctors was widely endorsed, and our efforts to keep the public safe during the eclipse were successful.
Two more major solar eclipses are coming to North America. On October 14, 2023, an annular ("ring") eclipse sweeps from Oregon to Texas. Just six months later, on April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse darkens a swath from Texas to Maine. In both cases all of North America will have at least a partial solar eclipse.
Charter
The charter of the AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force has been renewed through 2024 to help prepare citizens of, and visitors to, the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to safely experience and enjoy the upcoming solar eclipses. Its responsibilities include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Identify and involve appropriate astronomy- and eclipse-related organizations, groups, and individuals, and coordinate their efforts to maximize reach/impact and minimize redundancy;
- Collect existing ideas and generate new ones for eclipse-related education, public outreach, and public engagement, as well as for eclipse-related citizen-science projects;
- Support/encourage frequent and effective communication and idea sharing among stakeholders;
- Support/encourage the creation and widespread distribution of good/reliable information about partial, annular, and total solar eclipses, especially how to experience and record them safely;
- Support/encourage the creation and widespread distribution of good/reliable information about weather prospects, eclipse circumstances, logistics, and other factors relevant to choosing a site from which to view an eclipse;
- Support/encourage the debunking and quashing of bad/unreliable (mis)information;
- Work with solar-filter manufacturers, resellers, and online marketplaces to ensure that the public has access to eclipse viewers that meet ISO standards and to instructions for their safe use, and to thwart the sale of filters that do not meet such standards, as occurred in 2017;
- Enlist the cooperation and assistance/support of the medical and optometric communities;
- Enlist the cooperation and assistance of the media and broadcast meteorologists, formal and informal educators, artists, musicians, and other messengers/communicators;
- Enlist the cooperation and assistance of local, state, and federal government officials as well as school administrators and transportation and emergency-management professionals;
- Enlist the cooperation and assistance of the corporate sector, including (but not limited to) astronomy-related businesses and industries;
- Encourage as many people as possible to get themselves into the path of annularity on October 14, 2023, and/or into the path of totality on April 8, 2024.
Task Force Members
- Bob Baer (Southern Illinois University, Carbondale)
- Michael Bakich (Astronomy, retired)
- Kelly Clark (AAS Chief Financial & Operating Officer)
- Rick Fienberg (AAS Press Officer), Project Manager
- Andrew Fraknoi (Univ. of San Francisco & San Francisco State Univ.)
- Pamela Gay (Planetary Science Institute)
- Diana Hannikainen (Sky & Telescope)
- Mario Motta (American Medical Association)
- Tyler Nordgren (Space Art Travel Bureau)
- Laura Peticolas (Sonoma State University)
- Laurel Radow (U.S. Dept. of Transportation, retired)
- Claire Raftery (National Solar Observatory), Co-Chair
- Shannon Reed (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
- Kate Russo (BeingInTheShadow.com)
- Dennis Schatz (Pacific Science Center)
- Angela Speck (University of Texas, San Antonio), Co-Chair
- Trae Winter (Advanced Research In STEAM Accessibility [ARISA] Lab)
- Alex Young (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
- Michael Zeiler (GreatAmericanEclipse.com)
Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) Liaisons
- Greg Schultz (ASP Senior Scientist and Educator)
- Vivian White (ASP Director of Free Choice Learning)
International Astronomical Union (IAU) Liaison
- Jay Pasachoff (Williams College & IAU Working Group on Solar Eclipses)
National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) Liaisons
- Gloria Delgado-Inglada (UNAM)
- Aida Kirichenko (UNAM)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Liaison
- Elsayed Talaat (NOAA Office of Projects, Planning, and Analysis)
National Science Foundation (NSF) Liaison
- Carrie Black (NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences)
Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) Liaison
- Randy Attwood (Chair, RASC 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Task Force)
Society of Physics Students (SPS) Liaison
- Brad Conrad (American Institute of Physics)
Task Force Working Groups
In order to ensure coordination with local, state, regional, and national eclipse planners across the continent, the AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force is forming a number of working groups and inviting people interested in collaborating with us to join one or more of them. Each working group is chaired by a task force member, has its own Slack channel, and will hold virtual meetings on a schedule agreed upon by its chair and members.
If you're involved in planning for the 2023 and/or 2024 solar eclipses, joining one or more of our working groups will help you align your efforts with the national one and with those of other communities like yours. For more information and a link to sign up, see our Working Groups page.