Prepare for the 2023 and 2024 Solar Eclipses! School and Community Events and Fundraising

Can you name a science event that will engage 100 million people? I can: a total eclipse of the Sun. NASA surveys found that many people saw the 2017 Great American Eclipse, either in person or online. In 2023 and 2024, two solar eclipses will be visible throughout the US, and we have a great opportunity to enable students and others to enjoy a rare spectacle (Fig. 1). This article is to help you prepare yourself, students, friends, and neighbors for the upcoming eclipses. It debunks some of the most common misconceptions that I have seen during the 12 eclipses I’ve experienced. It also explains how you can make a profit for your school or organization, as my school has done. People will thank you for providing safe eclipse-watching glasses that they did not know to order in advance, and for information and guidance about how to watch an eclipse, things to look for, and how to take pictures with a phone. Phone images of the Sun and Moon can be the basis for educational activities; I’ll give one example.