Solar Eclipse Party Update

So the preparation for the August 21st Solar Eclipse Party is going splendidly! Some of the supplies have started arriving including the eclipse glasses.

I purchased them from this website: https://www.teachersource.com/  One very important thing to note is the inside writing that shows it meets the ISO 12312-2 requirement for solar viewing. Looking at the sun is dangerous for your sight. A lot of websites may be selling glasses that do not meet these requirements which could make prolonged viewing of the sun extremely hazardous. The solar eclipse is going to be magnificent but safety must come first.

I have found some things to make gift bags for kids who come to the party, all solar system or general science themed, though I haven't made that purchase yet.

We have several backyard games and I got a rocket because why not!

I'm pretty excited about the possibility of soaring up to 50'.

After researching several different citizen scientist projects I found the Eclipse Mega Movie project (https://eclipsemega.movie/ ) and keeping that in mind I bought some equipment. We haven't tested it yet but I bought a solar filter for Meghan's Cannon Rebel to catch photos leading up to Totality. Then she will be able to remove the filter to hopefully catch photos of the Corona (crown) around the sun during Totality and also the Diamond Ring Effect just before and just after Totality. This is when people report seeing a bright light that looks like a jewel in a diamond ring caused by sun light being concentrated through a crater on the moon surface.

http://www.weatherscapes.com/

Another piece of equipment I bought for her camera is the T-ring and adapter we needed to attach her camera to our telescope. Last night we hooked it up for the first time. Obviously there will be a learning process but here are the first photos we captured of the moon.

Finally I have a Go-Fund-Me page to help us raise money for the party. As I have said when I have shared it in the past on facebook and twitter I realize there are many more pressing and important causes on Go-Fund-Me but also I think we have a once in a lifetime event and chance here to bring some of our excitement about the Solar Eclipse to many people. It's hard to put into words but with each day  (there are 190 left until the Eclipse) I get more and more excited. Last night with the telescope trying to capture images of the moon I felt like a kid again.

We have different suggested donation amounts that come with various rewards. One of the rewards is a shout out here when the donation is made as well as in the blog post I will write after the event. Well we got a donation from a real good friend who donated anonymously so I won't mention my friend's name but still I want to acknowledge it here.

If anyone reading this could help me by spreading this page or donating that would be appreciated:  https://www.gofundme.com/2sjdtm6k

Also I am using the Go-Fund-Me to try and invite several celebrities who most certainly will not ever come but it would be awesome to get it to their attention and maybe at least get a "no thank you".  So any help again in spreading that would be cool.

Solar Eclipse 2017 Viewing party!

Alea iacta est!

As soon as we heard about the upcoming solar eclipse we began planning a party, we sent out invites and tried to request off from work- turns out we can't request a date that is over a year away. At some point while planning the party we began to discuss making a Go-Fund-Me page to help make this a super awesome party. We wanted to upgrade some night sky viewing equipment, which is not necessary for the party but would lead to a lot of fun for our guests and us.


Anyway we finally did it. It asks for money for several things like a new telescope, camera, and filter set. Also for the party we need #14 welder's glass. And we need a good amount because I want to make two viewing stations so that young children can safely view the whole event. Once the party is over I will definitely donate one of the view finders and possibly both to a local school or club.  And then other party supplies.

The main reason we did it was because in the final reward we semi-jokingly offered an invite to the party. I say semi-jokingly because for most people it is just a thank you pack but if you are actually Neil deGrasse Tyson, Steve Harvey, or Bill Nye then you were definitely invited!! Due to a limit on the description we could not include that Sheldon Cooper (the character-sorry Jim Parsons) would also be invited. I mean they have to watch it somewhere right? Why not try! Honestly if we don't get any donations it won't matter we are going to have the party no matter what but it would be awesome to get this invite all the way to Neil deGrasse Tyson. .  .seriously no donation needed but the invite still stands!

I don't know if anyone will donate. We have set rewards for certain amounts. Basically every donation will get a shout out here (for what that's worth). The next level was a personalized hand written thank you note from us. I don't know I just feel like the thank you is becoming a lost art and it is nice to receive them. And then there are different size pictures taken with the telescope and camera.

We will really appreciate anything people choose to give us. There are so many pages out there for serious needs and this is a fun and frivolous one. If you decide to donate thank you. If you don't want to then please consider sharing it.

https://www.gofundme.com/2sjdtm6k