Eclipse will last minutes, its impact a lifetime
The total solar eclipse taking place April 8 has incredible potential to spur excitement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, education and help shape the next generation, who will look to the stars and beyond. Events such as the upcoming total solar eclipse and professional expertise intersect in exciting ways.
A total solar eclipse results from an extraordinary coincidence: the moon and the sun appearing to be the same size in the sky due to the moon’s smaller size but closer proximity to Earth. The moon’s elliptical orbit around the Earth causes variations in its distance, affecting its apparent size. So when the moon is slightly farther away than usual, an annular eclipse can occur, as it did in October.
Although the moon orbits Earth monthly, the infrequency of total solar eclipses is due to the tilt of Earth’s axis and the alignment of the moon’s orbit, causing a total solar eclipse about once every 375 years at any given location on Earth.
Those are the key elements to understanding the eclipses San Antonio has been fortunate enough to experience within a single year. Explaining these facts offers a way to introduce the symphony of the spheres to an audience eager to understand by setting our place in this celestial masterpiece in context.
Though lasting mere minutes, a total solar eclipse has the potential to generate excitement in the sciences that could last a lifetime. Space exploration is on track to become a multibilliondollar industry that requires collaboration between government, industry and education, all of which are dependent on a multitude of professions.
NASA and the space industry employ scientists and engineers. They also employ nutritionists who design the food for astronauts in space, communication personnel who connect terra firma to space, and psychologists who study the impact of space travel.
We’ll not only enjoy and marvel at the April total solar eclipse but also use the event to inspire those around us. Today, when space travel seems closer and more tangible than ever, we are combining our efforts to help the city take a leading role in training the next generation’s workforce to advance humanity’s understanding and exploration of the universe.
For example, San Antonio District 4 Council Member Adriana Rocha Garcia is working with the University of Texas at San Antonio, Frost Bank, NASA Johnson Space Center’s Office of STEM Engagement, the U.S. Space Force, and Spurs Sports and Entertainment to make this once-in-a-lifetime experience accessible to students from school districts who are not on the path of totality.
More than 500 students in San Antonio will witness the total solar eclipse at an event on the city’s Northwest Side and participate in learning opportunities provided by several community organizations on April 8.
Soon, people of every age will have the opportunity to experience a unique astronomical event. This celestial masterpiece has the potential to spark a student’s interest in STEM, possibly nurturing a budding professional whose future will be as boundless as the stars.