Solar eclipses are a great way to bring space science to the ballpark through hands-on activities, demonstrations, and other interactive elements. Parts of the United States will experience a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, and partial solar eclipses will be visible across the entire contiguous United States and almost all of North America (check out NASA’s eclipse map!). We invite you to join us as we celebrate celestial events!

Feel free to adjust the suggested activities in whatever way makes sense for your team, or browse some of the included NASA resources to find other materials to support your event(s).

* Note: For specialty jerseys and advertising, it is important that you understand the rules of using the NASA logo. Please see NASA’s Regulations for Merchandising Requests for additional information.

Exploring the Solar System: Solar Eclipse
In this hands-on activity, fans will investigate the relative positions of the Moon, Earth, and Sun to create shadows and learn about solar eclipses. This activity is easy to do outdoors or indoors and requires few supplies. Note: You can use any type of sphere to represent the Moon and Earth (e.g., a baseball and a beach ball).

How to Make a Pinhole Camera
Fancy glasses or equipment are not required to watch a solar eclipse. With just a few simple supplies, you can make a pinhole camera that lets you watch a solar eclipse safely and easily from anywhere.

Build Your Own Lunar Lander
In this challenge, people will use what they know about gravity, motion, and forces to design and build a shock-absorbing system that will protect two “astronauts” when they land. Fans could be invited to compete in a contest at the ballpark, with points given for hitting the target and landing upright.
Note: This activity is also available in Spanish.

Kid Moon: Splat!
Set up a large open area in the concourse for fans to learn about the circles (the impact craters!) they can see on the Moon, using water balloons.

Making Impact Craters
Create your own impact craters using a few simple materials. When astronauts visit the Moon during future Artemis missions, they will be able to study craters that may contain water and ice. Analyzing these craters may help NASA determine how to best use water and other resources while on the lunar surface.

Loony Lunar Phases
Explore the Moon’s phases using sandwich cookies!

Go to Loony Lunar Phases project

Make a Moon Phases Calendar and Calculator
Have you ever wondered when the next full moon will be? How about the first quarter moon? Now you can have all the dates and times for all lunar phases for the year at your fingertips by building your own Moon phases calendar and calculator!
Note: This activity has a low-ink printout option.

Modeling the Earth-Moon System
This activity encourages people to confront their misconceptions about the size and distance of the Moon. Using balloons and string, have your fans create an Earth-Moon model to learn how the small Moon can cover the enormous Sun during a total solar eclipse.

Moon Leap
Discover out how high you could jump on the Moon. As an activity extension, you can also add other planets to the mix and could present this as a challenge or competition for your fans.

Solar System in My Ballpark
In this activity, your fans will create a scale model of the solar system. Rather than using a local neighborhood as described in the write-up, you can use your team’s ballpark instead.

Fun Science Talk
Invite a local scientist or scientists to share their expertise and enthusiasm with your fans. Some scientists could bring their own activities or props to share as well. If you need help finding local experts to attend your event, check out the Find A Partner section of this page.

Moon Trivia
Between innings, you could show Moon trivia on the jumbotron and have fans vote for what they think the correct answer is. For lunar-related trivia ideas, check out NASA’s Moon website.

Landing Humans on the Moon Educator Guide
Your ballpark could have copies of this educator guide, featuring NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon, available for parents and teachers to continue the discussion with their students after the game.

Water Bottle Rockets
Utilize part of the field as a launching area for water bottle rockets. Customize your rockets by attaching your team’s logo to the water bottle. Please make sure to provide safety glasses for participants. Note: You can also search for pre-made rocket kits online. *This activity pairs well with the video “To the Moon and Back: The Journey of Artemis I” (see the Gallery section).

Telescope Viewing
You can team up with local astronomy clubs or departments to help facilitate telescope viewing after the game (see the Find A Partner section). Discover what the Moon’s phase will be on the date of your event using NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio. Several lunar phases are particularly great to observe through a telescope – those that offer views of the “terminator,” or the line between night and day on the Moon, without the Moon itself being too bright – the crescent and quarter moons.

Full image and details

2024 Solar Eclipse: Map and Data
Check out this map which shows where the Moon’s shadow will cross the U.S. during the 2024 total solar eclipse, and where partial eclipses will be visible.

Solar Eclipse Glasses or Solar Viewers
If you don’t have eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer, you can use an indirect viewing method, which does not involve looking directly at the Sun. One way is to use a pinhole projector, which has a small opening (for example, a hole punched in an index card) and projects an image of the Sun onto a nearby surface. With the Sun at your back, you can then safely view the projected image. Do NOT look at the Sun through the pinhole!

LRO Eclipse Lithograph
Learn about eclipse observations enabled by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Moon Observation Journal
Set aside some time each day to look at the Moon. Record your observations in the log included here. The solar eclipse provides a rare opportunity to see a new moon – something fans won’t often be able to include in a Moon Observation Journal. We also have a general non-eclipse specific journal available as well.

Moon Photo Challenge Bingo
Challenge your fans to complete this Moon Photo Bingo sheet.

LRO Coloring Page
Color an outline of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft as it orbits the Moon.

Baseball Hits an Eclipse
Check out this video for an example NASA event at a minor league baseball game during the August 21, 2017, total solar eclipse.

A Tour of NASA’s 2024 Solar Eclipse Map
Watch a close-up tour of NASA’s 2024 solar eclipse map.

The Moon’s Role in a Solar Eclipse
This video explains how our Moon creates a solar eclipse, why it’s such a rare event to see, and how data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has enhanced our ability to map an eclipse’s path of totality.

Watching the Friendly Skies – Eclipse Safety Tutorial
Get ready to view a solar eclipse with these helpful safety tips. No one should ever look directly at the Sun, even during an eclipse. Many options for indirect viewing are outlined in this video.

What Determines When We Have an Eclipse?
Check out these animations to learn when we experience eclipses.

Goddard in the Galaxy
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center traverses the universe by having a hand in all aspects of space science. This music video showcases our exploration into the dark. *This is a great video to get your fans excited about space science.

Moonlight (Clair de Lune)
Set to Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” this visualization uses Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter data to show the stark beauty of evolving light and shadow near sunrise and sunset on the rugged lunar surface. *This video would be great to show on a jumbotron.

To the Moon and Back: The Journey of Artemis I
On November 16, 2022, NASA’s Artemis I mission began a new era of spaceflight, testing systems that will take humans back to the Moon and beyond! It takes a powerful system of engines and boosters to get this massive rocket off the launchpad and to propel the Orion spacecraft all the way to the Moon. This video explains the parts of Artemis I and their functions during the mission. Watch a play-by-play of actual launch footage and Artemis I’s journey to the Moon! *This video pairs well with the water bottle rocket activity.

We Go – Artemis Generation
We Go: To the Moon and on to Mars. Our generation, the Artemis generation, will explore farther than we’ve ever gone before. If you are searching for a hype video to show on the jumbotron, this video is a great option.

NASA Eclipse and Transit Images
Browse this collection of images for views of eclipses as well as transits.

What Happens During a Solar Eclipse?
Explore this series of images to learn what happens during a solar eclipse.

Contact a Local Astronomical Society or Club
Astronomy clubs can provide or help you find virtual or in-person speakers to present at your eclipse event, as well as recruit amateur astronomers.

Local Colleges and Universities
Local colleges and universities, particularly those with astronomy or planetary science programs, may have individuals (professors and/or students) who could talk to your audience about solar eclipses or help with your event in other ways.

Museum & Informal Education (MIE) Alliance
The Museum & Informal Education Alliance is an active community of practice that provides STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) services and programming to informal education organizations including museums, planetariums, libraries, and more. Find your nearest member!

NASA Speakers Bureau
The NASA Speakers Bureau is composed of scientists, engineers, and other professionals who represent NASA as speakers at events around the United States. You may request a speaker through this free service if you would like a NASA professional to come talk with your baseball fans.

NASA Solar System Ambassadors
NASA Solar System Ambassadors are space enthusiasts who volunteer to organize or attend community events where they talk about recent discoveries, upcoming milestones in space science, and future NASA missions. There are hundreds of Ambassadors, with representation in 50 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Guam.