Front Row Seat for the Total Eclipse

For the eclipse on April 8, 2024, Texas will be one of 15 states in the United States that will be directly in the path of totality. This monumental event will not occur again in the US for another 20 years. So, I am curious, where will YOU be watching?

Image: View Finder at The Dallas Contemporary

Texas has several major cities in the direct path of totality including San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Fort Worth and Dallas. In other words, Texas has a front row seat.

In Dallas, there will be many, many events to watch the eclipse during the 3 minutes and 56 seconds of totality and wanted to share a few ideas with you.

• Solar Eclipse at The Trinity River - Hosted by Trinity Park Conservancy, the conservancy behind the much-anticipated Harold Simmons Park, is hosting a free event at the scenic Ron Kirk Bridge and Felix Lozada Gateway. This family-friendly event blends fun, festivity, education, and one of the best views of the eclipse in all of DFW. The event will include music from DJ K Sprinkles, hands-on STEAM activities, eclipse-themed games and prizes, interactive educational booths, and complimentary solar eclipse glasses for the first 3,000 people. STEAM educator Jennifer Stimpson, Ed.D., will guide attendees through the celestial marvel while emphasizing a STEAM education perspective.

• Sun, Moon, and You - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Science Foundation (NSF) have come together to bring you a one-of-a-kind solar eclipse viewing event and an unforgettable experience at the historic Cotton Bowl at Fair Park. Not only will you be able to witness history but also enjoy special guest Neil deGrasse Tyson, and speakers from NOAA, NASA and NSF plus educational entertainment from Ready, Jet, Go!

• Dallas Zoo - Step right into the excitement at the Dallas Zoo – the ideal spot to view the eclipse AND observe how our animals respond to this amazing natural phenomenon!

Here are some safety tips from NASA:

• View the Sun through eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer during the partial eclipse phases before and after totality. Tip: hold up a colander to see the crescent moon shadows projected on the ground.

• You can view the eclipse directly without proper eye protection only when the Moon completely obscures the Sun’s bright face – during the brief and spectacular period known as totality. (You’ll know it’s safe when you can no longer see any part of the Sun through eclipse glasses or a solar viewer.)

• As soon as you see even a little bit of the bright Sun reappear after totality, immediately put your eclipse glasses back on or use a handheld solar viewer to look at the Sun.
  

I recently had the chance to meet and speak with Leticia Ferrer who has personally seen 20 total solar eclipses around the world. She has written Texas Solar Eclipses and hosts the Totality Talks podcast. Ms. Ferrer also shared some tips on what to see in Texas. Baily’s Beads is named for astronomer Francis Baily who discovered the occurrence in 1836 near the point of totality where the mountains and valleys of the Moon allow light from the Sun to peek through, creating a ring of beads along the edge. Similarly, there is the Diamond Ring, which appears when only one or two beads are remaining. Texas may experience a rare Double Diamond Ring effect during the eclipse in 2024. Finally, don’t forget to look for planets visible during the eclipse. Venus and Jupiter should be bright and easily visible starting in the final minute before totality and you may even see Saturn and Mars, which will fainter than the other planets.

If you are in Dallas, there is a new short film View Finder by Texas artist Brian Fridge at The Dallas Contemporary. Mr. Fridge combines still and video images created in his studio to simulate deep space, complete with what appears to be galaxies, swirling celestial bodies and black holes over the six-minutes it takes for the Moon to eclipse the Sun in totality. Ad Astra!

Updated April 8, 2024

I wanted to share this picture with Neil deGrasse Tyson in Dallas. Unfortunately, Dr. Tyson could not attend the Sun, Moon and You event in person but I still like this picture of us together at the Cotton Bowl. Hopefully, I will catch up with Dr. Tyson when he returns to the Winspear Opera House in June 2024.

Thank you to NOAA, NASA, ESA, and NSF plus my new friends at Ready, Jet, Go! and Windancer Films. Thankfully, the clouds cleared out at the exact moment of totality.

This was my first total eclipse, but Leticia Ferrer said, once you experience totality, you are hooked. She was right! Let's do this again somewhere in Spain on August 12, 2026. Hope to see you there!

Updated June 19, 2024

For years I have been reading the many books of astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and have seen him speak now on three separate occasions. The first time was at age 7 when I brought my friend Ms. Donna Pierce who is affectionally known as the Star Lady. It has always been a personal dream to meet Dr. Tyson and last night my dream came true. I was so happy to meet Dr. Tyson before his talk on The Latest Discoveries in the Universe and even had a chance to ask a question in the post talk Q&A. Thank you for making dreams come true for future scientists inspired by your work.

I am also inspired by the words of Dr. Opal Lee the "Grandmother of Juneteenth", as we celebrate Juneteenth today.

“I have to tell you that none of us are free until we’re all free.”

— Opal Lee

Wishing everyone a happy Juneteenth!

#TexasEclipse #TrinityParkConservancy #FairParkDallas #NeildeGrasseTyson #TheDallasContemporary #ReadyJetGo #ATTPAC #OpalLee #Juneteenth

Homage to the Square

A couple years ago, I wrote about the Slow Art Movement, which you can read more about in Slow Down. I wondered, if given the opportunity to host a Slow Art Tour, what artist(s) or movement(s) would I choose to talk about during the discussion? Thank you to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, who provided me with the opportunity to host the inaugural Youth Scholar Slow Art Tour. I imagine you too are wondering what I chose to discuss during my Slow Art Tour? A hint to answer this question is included in the picture below.

I have always gravitated towards modern art but in particular abstract expressionism, color field, and minimalism. I have always admired the works of Anni and Josef Albers who are associated with the Bauhaus, abstraction, color field and Op art. I could write an entire article on the life and work of Josef Albers but thought I would simply include a video link to show you what you missed during the Slow Art Tour at the Fort Worth Modern. Please grab some popcorn and click the picture above to view the full video presentation. Enjoy the show!

#JosephAlbers #HomageToTheSquare #FWModern

It's All Relative

In 2021, I wrote about living skin that was actually printed from a 3D printer (see Pinch me! Am I Dreaming?) This made me wonder, are there any limits to things you could print with a 3D printer? Enter Relativity.

Relativity (noun): (1) [Physics] the dependence of various physical phenomena on relative motion of the observer and the observed objects, especially regarding the nature and behavior of light, space, time, and gravity. (2) an aerospace company that designs, develops, and builds 3D printed rockets. Wait a minute...what?

On March 22, Relativity launched Terran 1, a 33.5-meter-tall vehicle, from Launch Complex 16 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Base during its maiden flight aptly named Good Luck, Have Fun (GLHF). More importantly, this is the first 3D printed rocket with about 85% of the rocket 3D printed. The first stage or lower portion of the rocket operated nominally with its nine Aeon 1 engines. However, the single Aeon 1 vacuum engine on the second stage or upper portion did not perform as expected, so unfortunately the rocket did not reach orbit. Overall, this was a great accomplishment as most maiden rocket flights are not as successful.

I wanted to learn more about Relativity and had the chance to interview Tjepke Heeringa, Principal Engineer at Relativity Space.

Beckett: I really enjoy math and science. What did you most enjoy studying in school?

Tjepke: I think I enjoyed studying English and science most when I was in high school.

Beckett: How did you know that you wanted to be an engineer and as an engineer, did you always want to work specifically in the aerospace industry?

Tjepke: Since I was a kid I've been into aircraft and helicopters, so becoming an aerospace engineer always felt like a natural choice to me. I earned my degree from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

Beckett: Congratulations on the maiden flight of Terran 1, Good Luck Have Fun. I understand that you have been working on the next generation Terran R. What are some aspects of Terran R that you are most excited about including some of the payload capabilities?

Tjepke: We're designing Terran R to be able to lift about 50,000 lbs to low earth orbit and then to land the first stage on a barge in the ocean to be reused. I'm really excited to see how we can use 3D printing to make our rocket better than using more traditional manufacturing methods.

Clearly, there are no limits on what can be made with a 3D printer - skin, rockets and even buildings.

#RelativitySpace #3DPrinter #TerranR