Preparing for the April 8, 2024, Total Solar Eclipse: Lessons Learned
Kevin Williams, Mark Percy (Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium Buffalo State University, Williamsville Space Lab Planetarium)
Preparing for the April 8, 2024, Total Solar Eclipse: Lessons Learned
Kevin Williams, Mark Percy (Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium Buffalo State University, Williamsville Space Lab Planetarium)
Presentation theme: PR for planetariums
Buffalo, New York, USA, is along the centerline of the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse. Prior to the »Great American Eclipse« in 2017, several stakeholders in the area formed the Buffalo Eclipse Consortium to prepare for what would be a partial eclipse in 2017 and to start planning and collaboration for the 2024 eclipse. As we approach April 8th , the number of stakeholders involved has increased greatly. Because planetariums are one of the first locations people seek out for information about eclipses, both of our planetariums have been leaders in efforts to educate others about what to expect during a total solar eclipse. We and our colleagues in the Buffalo Eclipse Consortium have also been encouraging local governments, school districts, and other groups the importance of preparing – to varying degrees of success. We will present what to expect and lessons learned from our experiences to help planetariums in future paths of totality.
Image © Arena Berlin
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Kevin Williams, Mark Percy (Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium Buffalo State University, Williamsville Space Lab Planetarium) | 12 min