This is a great opportunity for outreach for any of our club members who are interested. If you’re interested, apply immediately, as the eclipse is cominhg fast! There are no obligations on the day of the eclipse, so even if you’re traveling into the path of totaliy, you can still apply.
Dear Astronomy Club members,
NASA and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) are inviting amateur astronomers to become official Eclipse Ambassadors to prepare communities off the central paths for the upcoming solar eclipses crossing North America in October 2023 (annular) and April 2024 (total). As an Eclipse Ambassador, you will partner with a local undergraduate student to receive training, resources, and support to deliver effective community eclipse engagement prior to the eclipses, focusing on local audiences outside the central paths who will experience a partial eclipse - no need to stay home for the eclipse! We particularly want to focus on audiences who are under-represented in science and who have not already connected with a NASA program.
The project’s goal is to reach 500 communities across the country. We ask astronomy enthusiasts to join us to make connections, learn new skills, and share your enthusiasm about eclipses and science with the public! With any luck, your club will see an infusion of members from a new generation. You will receive a generous box of activities, handouts, and solar viewing glasses as well as an official badge designating you a NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassador.
The goals and expectations of the Eclipse Ambassador Program are:
- Amateur Astronomers partner with a local undergraduate student
- Partners train together via a virtual workshop (3 weeks, roughly 4 hours of work/week)
- Eclipse Ambassadors host one or more community events, with at least half focusing on underserved audiences. The aim is to reach at least 200 people in your community with engaging eclipse experiences (the program will provide materials and help identify partners as needed)
- Total commitment of approximately 15-20 hours, which includes training, planning, and outreach, between now and June 2024.
Interested Volunteers - Apply to the program at the link below. It is a rolling application, and partners are assigned as candidates apply, so don’t delay. The team can help match qualified candidates with local undergraduate students to become NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassadors.
Newsletter Editors - Publish this short article to include in your club’s newsletter:
Eclipse Ambassador Resources -
Find more resources such as flyers and letters to share with local astronomy professors here: