Today is the day! Many of us have been preparing for this day for years. Some of you participated in 2017 Eclipse citizen science and have returned for this year’s eclipse. Whatever your story is, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for working with us, and we wish you good luck!
With so much up in the air (the weather, even the sun and the moon themselves!) we understand what a difficult day this may turn out to be for many of you. Some of you made your hotel reservations years ago. You may be awake hours before the sun rises to begin your travel to your perfect eclipse spot.
Today may be full of challenges for each of us to face, but we will be there for each other, supporting one another, and working together during a mystical and powerful experience. The scientific work you do—for projects like Eclipse Megamovie, Sunsketcher, Citizen CATE 2024, Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast Initiative, Radio JOVE, HamSCI, Eclipse Soundscapes, Globe Observer Eclipse—is possible only because of you.
Virginia Woolf said it well in her description of her own eclipse experience in 1927:
“We had put off the little badges and signs of individuality. We were strung out against the sky in outline and had the look of statues standing prominent on the ridge of the world. We were very, very old; we were men and women of the primeval world come to salute the dawn.[1]”
Let us cast off our badges of individuality and become part of a whole. Let us salute the dawn, together. Wishing you clear skies and an incredible experience on this very special day!
P.S. Come join us online on April 9 from 2:00 PM EDT to 3:00 PM EDT and share your experience at a special Eclipse Debrief Event.
