Eclipse Box Activity Guide

Our Place in the Solar System —

Sun, Earth, Moon and Eclipses

Credit: Girl Scouts of Northern California

CREDITS FOR ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES —

The Eclipse Box and this Activity Guide were 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 the booklet of activities, with significant contribu-

tions 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. Additional funding was

provided by Aerojet Rocketdyne Foundation to support the distribution of Eclipse Boxes to Girl Scout councils across

the United States.

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 GUIDE NASA

HOW TO VIEW THE 2017 SOLAR ECLIPSE SAFELY

COMO VER 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

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

COMO VER EL EXLIPSE SOLAR DEL 2017 CON SEGURIDAD 39

NASA ECLIPSE WEBSITE RESOURCES 40

MORE RESOURCES 41

COMPLETE LIST OF MATERIALS 42

NOTES 43

D B J C S A

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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

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.

INTRODUCTION AND HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

ECLIPSE BASICS

Welcome to the Eclipse Box!

The Eclipse Box and this guide support activities for learning about the Sun, light, our solar system, and eclipses.

They draw upon hands-on, safe activities suitable for girls as well as adults. While these activities are designed to

help girls prepare for the total eclipse of the Sun in 2017, they can be used beyond the eclipse as part of your Girl

Scout programs. And, there is another total eclipse of the Sun crossing the US in 2024!

Activities: Although the activities are listed in two groups (see page 3), each activity is designed to stand alone so

you can pick and choose the most suitable things for your events, meetings, and camp programs. In the Eclipse Box,

you will find bagged resources identified by activity title and number. The plastic bags of resources also include a

Quick Start Guide for the activity. Although, the Quick Start Guide card are there to help you, it’s important to read

the activity in this guide to prepare. Some activities do not have materials in the Eclipse Box, and do not have Quick

Start Guide cards.

Girl Scout Levels: Each activity shows the recommended Girl Scout levels. The Table of Contents has a chart that

shows the same information. You know best what will be fun for your girls!

Materials List: Each activity includes a materials list of what is provided in the Eclipse Box, 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 Girl Scouts the

opportunity to use smartphones and digital cameras as sensors. The items provided in the Eclipse Box are less

common, or can be re-used many times. The one exception are the UV beads and chenille stems (Activity 3) that

will need to be restocked as they are used up. In addition, there are printed materials from NASA, and a storybook

about going to see a total eclipse of the Sun. These are to share as you wish.

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 NASA’s

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

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 above.) Only part of the Sun is covered during partial eclipse.

You need eye protection the entire time during the partial phases of an eclipse. (See back cover for a composite

photograph of partial and total solar eclipse phases.)

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’ shadow, it will

be slightly dimmer. 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 (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.

Sun

Moon’s

orbit

Earth’s orbit

penumbra

umbra

Total solar eclipse

Sun

Moon’s

orbit

Earth’s orbit

penumbra

umbra

Total lunar eclipse

Credit: E. DeVore, SETI Institute

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 toward north when put on a smooth metal plate. Later

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

Materials —

Small compasses and magnets (from Eclipse Box)

Paper, tape, pen or pencil (you provide)

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 arrow head pointing toward the north.

• 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

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 Girl Scouts’

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 from the box 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

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.

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 —

• UV beads and chenille stems (from the Eclipse Box)

• Materials that may filter ultraviolet light (you provide)

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 Girl Scout a chenille stem and 3 to 5 beads

to make a bracelet, ring or belt hanger.

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

• Ask the girls 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 girls say about how sunlight effects 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

Going Farther — Test for UV blockers

Girls 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: Girls can apply sunscreen to their UV beads before going outside, and see how well it works!

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

regular eyeglasses?

• Other tests: Girls 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

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 “in-

frared 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 Experi-

ment, 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 ther-

mometer 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 & 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 under-

standing 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

To Do —

Your smartphone or digital camera takes pictures and videos electronically. They have imaging chips that de-

tect 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 the blinking light from your remote control, you have just used an infrared

detector to “see” invisible light!

*Hints: 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 at visible light? Use your remote control, 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

4. LET’S SEE LIGHT IN A NEW WAY —

DIFFRACTION SPECTRA

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 and 15.

Materials —

• 10 spectroscopes (from Eclipse Box) that Girl Scouts can share

• Light sources (see next page)

• White paper to reflect sunlight (you provide)

Credit: NASA Space Place

Credit: E. DeVore, SETI Institute

diffraction

grating

white light

Credit: E. DeVore,

SETI Institute

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.

• 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—the 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.

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 invent-

ed 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

Credit: Mark Tiele Westra

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 every-

thing 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 astronomi-

cal 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 on 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.

Making your

CEREALBOX SPECTROSCOPE

G ti

Cereal Box

top

Cereal Box

Gti

Cereal Box

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

the flaps. Place a diffraction grating on this

end and outline it with the sharpie. This will

be referred to as the front of your

“Spectroscope”.

2. Open the flaps and cut a hole

smaller than the size of

our outline

in the cereal box.

4. Tape the cereal box flaps closed. Arran

our

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.

5. 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.

Cereal Box

6. Cut alon

the mark

ust made, makin

very, very narrow slit in the box.

Cereal Box

7. Close and tape the flaps on the

back of your box.

You’re done!! Look

through the grating in

your spectroscope to

see the li

ht spectrum!

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

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

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 online 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

Fluorescent ceiling lamp seen

through cookie box spectrometer.

Cookie box spectrometer

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 (in Eclipse Box)

• Cardboard pizza box (or similar box with an at-

tached 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 space-

craft 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

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 the 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 the 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 marsh-

mallow.

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!

Credit including illustrations NASA Climate Kids http://climatekids.nasa.gov

flap

lid

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. Eventual-

ly 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 —

• Solar pizza (in Eclipse Box)

• 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 girl 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 all the girls

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

• Were the girls’ 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 girl hold the cardboard Sun —

the “solar pizza.”

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

pizza and hand it to another girl.

• 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.”

Be sure to return the solar pizza and the

tiny Earth to the plastic bag in the box

so that they can be reused.

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 20 meters

(about 65 feet). 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 an

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

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 (in Eclipse Box)

• Marker

• Outdoor area up 6/10

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.)

Mercury

Venus

Earth

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Pluto

Credit: E. DeVore, SETI Institute

Scaled Sun and planets

Sun

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 hun-

dred 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 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 girls. 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 girls 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? Then,

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 plan-

etary space probes like Cassini, Curiosity, Dawn,

Juno, New Horizons and many others.

Juno at Jupiter.

Credit: NASA/JPL

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 check back a second time. Did the shadow move as you

expected?

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 Girl Scouts 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

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 —

• 20 Moon balls (in Eclipse Box)

• 20 pencils, skewers or other short sticks (you

provide)

• The Sun 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 girl holds the

flashlight, and is the Sun.

• Give each girl a Moon ball, and pencil, skewer or

stick. Mount the ball on the pencil, and form a

circle around the lamp.

• Each girl’s head is the Earth, and each girl holds

up her Moon ball at arm’s-length.

Phases of the Moon

Credit: NASA/ Bill Dunford

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

To Do — Phases of the Moon

• Always the Moon ball at arm’s-length 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 you 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?

Two Girl Scouts

with Moon balls.

Credit: E. DeVore, SETI Institute

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 in 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 1/400

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 does do eclipses work?

Materials — (in Eclipse Box)

• Folding yardsticks

• Binder clips

• 1-inch balls

• 1/4-inch beads

• Long wooden toothpicks

• Index cards (optional)

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

Get Ready —

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 in the kit 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.

Assembled yardstick model Moon bead casting shadow

on Earth ball.

To Do:

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

another Girl Scout.

• 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 your Girl Scout partner 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 Girl Scout partner, and let her make eclipses.

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

Yardstick Eclipse used with permission of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

Photo credits: Astronomical Society of the Pacific and E. DeVore, SETI Institute

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 (sorry, Hawaii).

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 —

• Smartphone

• Google Science Journal Application (free down-

load), or other light-level app for smartphones

• Digital thermometer (in Eclipse Box)

• 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: US maps for the path of totality

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

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 ex-

periment 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 measure-

ment during totality! More is better!

• Graph the results: time vs. temperature.

Analyze Your Data —

• Review your results with other Girl Scouts

• 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 day by

measuring the change in temperature and light

level 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

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 tak-

ing 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 Obser-

vatory, Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory and

the Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Colander Leaves

Crossed fingers

Credit: Public domain (top)

and R.T.Fienberg (bottom)

Build the Box Projector —

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

image of the Sun. These instructions are for a card-

board 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 it 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.

Sunlight

enters

here.

Cut-away to show

path of sunlight only.

This side is closed up

when in use.

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

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!

Images above—

Credit: J. Henricks, Girl Scouts of Northern California

Space Science Tie-In —

Until the advent of sophisticated and

highly specialized ground and space-

based solar telescopes, the only

opportunity anyone had to observe

the Sun’s corona was during a to-

tal solar eclipse. Eclipse photogra-

phy was not in use until about 1860.

Before that, astronomers would

sketch what they saw at the eye-

piece of their telescopes.

Sketch of 1860 total solar eclipse by

G. Temple showing a coronal mass

ejection. Credit: G. Temple

First photograph of a solar eclipse

by Charles A. Young, July 18, 1860.

Credit: C. Young

Credit: NASA

For More Eclipse Information and Images —

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

NASA: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov

NASA ECLIPSE GUIDE —

MAKE YOUR OWN ECLIPSE PROJECTOR

You can make this simple eclipse projector with some cardboard, paper,

tape, a pin, and foil.

The longer the distance from the

pinhole to the screen, the larger

the image of the Sun will be.

Cut-away to

show path of

sunlight only.

This side is

closed up when in use.

View through

opening.

Sunlight enters

through

pinhole in foil.

Small image

of partially

eclipsed Sun.

Thisdocumentdoesnotconstitutemedicaladvice.Readerswithquestionsshouldcontactaqualifiedeye-careprofessional. v.160824

HowtoViewthe2017SolarEclipseSafely



AsolareclipseoccurswhentheMoonblocksanypartoftheSun.OnMonday,August21,2017,asolareclipsewillbe

visible(weatherpermitting)acrossallofNorthAmerica.Thewholecontinentwillexperienceapartialeclipselasting2to

3hours.Halfwaythroughtheevent,anyonewithina60-to70-mile-widepathfromOregontoSouthCarolina

(http://bit.ly/1xuYxSu)willexperienceabrieftotaleclipse,whentheMooncompletelyblockstheSun’sbrightfaceforup

to2minutes40seconds,turningdayintonightandmakingvisibletheotherwisehiddensolarcorona—theSun’souter

atmosphere—oneofnature’smostawesomesights.Brightstarsandplanetswillbecomevisibleaswell.

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(http://bit.ly/1xuYxSu).



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.Todatethreemanufacturershavecertifiedthattheireclipse

glassesandhand-heldsolarviewersmeettheISO12312-2internationalstandardforsuch

products:RainbowSymphony,AmericanPaperOptics,andThousandOaksOptical.



• 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

glancing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.



• Ifyouarewithinthepathoftotality(http://bit.ly/1xuYxSu),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glanceatthe

remainingpartialphases.



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.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.



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

HOW TO VIEW THE 2017 SOLAR ECLIPSE SAFELY



Estedocumentonocontieneconsejomédico.Personasconpreguntasdeberíanconsularunprofesionaldecuidadodeojos. v.160824e

ComoVerelEclipseSolardel2017conSeguridad

UneclipsesolarsucedecuandolaLunacubreunapartedelSol.Ellunes,21deAgostode2017,uneclipsesolarserávisible,sílo

permiteelclima,atravésdetodaNorteamérica.Elcontinenteenterovaapresenciaruneclipseparcialqueduraráentre2y3

horas.Alamitaddelevento,cualquierpersonadentrodeunatrayectoriade60a70millasdeanchodeOregónaCarolinadel

Sur(http://bit.ly/1xuYxSu)vaaverunbreveeclipsetotaldelSol,cuandolaLunacompletamentecubralabrillantecaradelSol

porhasta2minutosy40segundos.Estoconvertiráeldíaenlanocheyharávisiblelacoronasolar,laatmósferaexteriordelSol,

lacualusualmenteestacubiertayesunodelosfenómenosnaturalesmásasombrosos.Lasestrellasbrillantesylosplanetas

tambiénseharánvisibles.



VeralSoldirectamentenoesseguroexceptodurantelabrevefasetotaldeuneclipsesolar(“totalidad”),cuandolaLunacubre

porcompletolacarabrillantedelSol.Estosolosucederádentrodelcaminodeleclipsetotal(http://bit.ly/1xuYxSu).



LaúnicaformasegurademiraralSoldirectamenteduranteuneclipseparcialesusandofiltros

depropósitoespecial,como“lentesdeeclipse”(ejemplodemostradoalaizquierda)oconun

visorsolardemano.Filtroshechosencasaolentesdesolordinarios,aunqueseanmuy

oscuros,nosonsegurosparamiraralSol.Alafecha,tresfabricanteshancertificadoquesus

lentesdeeclipseyvisorsolardemanocumplenconlosrequisitosinternacionalesimpuestos

porelISO12312-2:RainbowSymphony,AmericanPaperOptics,yThousandOaksOptical.



• Siempreinspeccionesufiltrosolarantesdeusarlo.Síestarayadoodañado,descártelo.Leaysigalasinstrucciones

impresasenelpaqueteconelfiltro.Siempresupervisealosniñosusandofiltrossolares.



• EstarsequietoycubrasusojosconsuslentesdeeclipseovisorsolarantesdemirarhaciaarribaalSolbrillante.Después

deobservaralSol,deselavueltayquítesesufiltro—noseloquitemientrasesteviendoalSol.



• NomirealSol,aunqueesteparcialmentecubierto,atravésdeunacámara,telescopio,binoculares,uotrodispositivo

ópticosinfiltro.Deigualmanera,noveaalSolatravésdeunacámara,telescopio,binoculares,uotrodispositivoóptico

mientrasestausandosuslentesdeeclipseosuvisorsolar—losrayosconcentradosdelSoldañaranelfiltroyentrarana

suojo(oojos),causandounaheridagrave.Soliciteasesoramientodeastrónomos

expertosantesdeusarunfiltrosolarconunacámara,telescopio,binoculares,uotro

dispositivoóptico.



• Síestadentrodelcaminodeleclipsetotal(http://bit.ly/1xuYxSu),remuevasusfiltros

solaressolocuandolaLunacompletamentecubralacarabrillantedelSolyde

repentesehagaoscuro.Luegodepresenciareleclipseensutotalidad,reemplacesu

visorsolarencuantoelSolbrillanteempieceaaparecerparaverlasfasesparcialesquerestan.



UnmétodoalternativoparaveralSolparcialmenteeclipsadoesconunaproyeccióndelagujerodealfiler.Porejemplo,cruce

losdedosestiradosyligeramenteentreabiertosdeunamanoconlosdedosestiradosyligeramenteentreabiertosdelaotra

mano.ConsuespaldaalSol,observelasombradesusmanosenelsuelo.Lospequeñasespaciosentresusdedosproyectarán

unacuadrículadepequeñasimágenesenelsuelo,enseñandoelSolcomouncrecientedurantelasfasesparcialesdeleclipse.



Uneclipsesolaresunodelosespectáculosmásgrandiososdelanaturaleza.Alseguirestassimplesreglas,ustedpuede

disfrutarconseguridadyserrecompensadoconmemoriasqueleduraránunavida.Paramásinformación:



eclipse.aas.orgeclipse2017.nasa.gov

COMO VER EL EXLIPSE SOLAR DEL 2017 CON SEGURIDAD

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/safety

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

August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse.

http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/observations

Visit the NASA Science website to nd 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 MegaCast, which will provide unique broadcast

coverage across multiple locations.

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

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

from family-friendly activities to sophisticated science projects. Explore activities

and nd 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 in a Box–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/toolkit

NASA ECLIPSE WEBSITE RESOURCES

EXPERIENCE

THE

2017 ECLIPSE

ACROSS AMERICA

http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov

www.nasa.gov

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NP-2016-10-510-GSFC

THROUGH THE EYES OF NASA

NASA ECLIPSE WEBSITE RESOURCES —

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.” Buy American-made eclipse glasses to be safe.

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 USA (except Hawaii, which is outside the

eclipse path). 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: M. Zeiler, GreatAmericanEclipse.com

COMPLETE LIST OF MATERIALS —

ACTIVITY OR RESOURCE PAGES MATERIALS IN THE ECLIPSE BOX 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—INFRA-

RED 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 (han-

dles 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

NOTES

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.