Abstract
Texas will be uniquely situated as the nexus of the “X” where the
annular eclipse of October 14, 2023 and the total solar eclipse of April
8, 2024 cross. Everyone in the state of Texas will experience at least
84% solar coverage for one or both of these remarkable events, and over
8 million people will be within a 30 minute drive of totality, not
counting the dramatic influx of visitors expected because of the
favorable weather conditions. Texas is the fastest growing state, and
one with the highest fraction (25%) of children under 18. In addition,
it is one with a large population of ESL learners in the path of the
dark skies. Our goals are three: 1. To bring information to all regions
of the state so that every person has a safe experience of a partial
and/or annular eclipse; 2. To maximize the number of Texans (residents
and visitors) who can experience totality; and 3. To create a set of
activities for schools, for groups, and for citizen scientists to
collect data on the environment and on bird and animal behavior during
these events. We have created two websites for information about the
upcoming eclipses http://space.rice.edu/eclipse and
http://texaseclipse.net; we have a mailing list for people and educators
interested in eclipses http://eepurl.com/cv68Qj and we have seven
eclipse animations already created for planetariums and schools:
https://space.rice.edu/eclipse/eclipse_animations.html, plus a number
of diagrams. We are creating two more animations describing annular
eclipses which should be ready for the AGU meeting. We have developed a
set of Powerpoint slides and animations to be used for eclipse training,
and special “dome versions” using the fulldome animations, to be used
in fixed and portable planetariums. We have already done trainings in
South Texas (where the eclipses cross) and will work with AAS, NASA, and
other groups to ensure the widest possible dissemination of eclipse
information, particularly safety information. By the time of AGU we will
have already used these materials in teacher trainings at the CAST
conference and planetarium trainings for LIPS, and will post them for
download. Educational and safety materials will be provided in both
English and Spanish, and presentations for both flatscreen Powerpoint or
fulldome planetarium programs will be made freely available, thanks to
the NASA HEAT program.