NASA has released a new set of resources for educators to help students of all ages understand how to safely observe the annular solar eclipse of October 14, 2023 and the total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024.

In collaboration with the NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (NASA HEAT), My NASA Data has released a new set of resources on solar eclipses for educators. My NASA Data, 3-12. It enables students and teachers in classrooms to analyze and interpret NASA mission data. It also supports educators in integrating real data from Earth systems into their teaching.

My NASA Data eclipse resources include lesson plans, mini-lessons (shorter exercises for quick engagement), interactive web-based programs for students, and a longer “story map” that deepens exploration of the phenomenon over several lessons. Engage students in data collected from past eclipses, including maps and visualizations, and how the data is used to predict future eclipses. Students can analyze NASA mission data from the Sun-Earth Relations Observatory (STEREO), Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), and Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) missions.

The energy of the Sun interacts with all the systems of the Earth. The Sun creates a steady stream of particles called the solar wind that flows in all directions from the Sun, interacting with our planet and others to form the heliosphere that surrounds and protects our Solar System. Total solar eclipses give scientists a rare opportunity to observe the Solar corona (outer atmosphere) where the solar wind originates. These observations help scientists predict space weather events that could affect human and robotic space exploration, as well as influence technologies on Earth that humans rely on every day.

NASA conducts many experiments, including monitoring atmospheric conditions such as changes in air temperature and cloud cover during solar eclipses, and recording animal sounds. Students can collect their own cloud and temperature observation data for upcoming solar eclipses using the GLOBE Observer Eclipse tool. My NASA data is an important contribution to students and the public around the world to participate in the data collection and scientific process and to our understanding of an Earth system and the global environment.