On July 2nd, starting at 12:15 PM PDT | 3:15 PM EDT | 19:15UTC, Slooh will livestream a Total Solar Eclipse from observatory locations in Chile and Argentina, as it celebrates the launch of its new website, two years in the making with funding support from the National Science Foundation, and featuring new education products for students to learn to explore space via Slooh’s global network of online telescopes.
“Slooh is an inspiring way for schools to incorporate astronomy into a STEAM curriculum and teach scientific reasoning”, said Michael Paolucci, Founder and CEO of Slooh. “We made a game of learning to explore space for students of all ages, without the requisite equipment or expertise on staff.”
Of the many worthy periodic celestial events, casual observers and professional astronomers are unanimous that the brief minutes of solar totality surpasses everything else in terms of spectacle. Only at totality can prominences be seen leaping like geysers of pink nuclear flame from the solar limb with nakes eyes. Only then do the brighter stars and planets emerge from the inky black sky, while the Sun’s ultra-hot corona splays far across the sky, its tendrils of plasma channeled along the Sun’s vast magnetic field lines. The very shape of the solar corona appears different and distinctive for each eclipse, and largely depends on the stage of its sunspot cycle.
The 2019 South American Total Solar Eclipse is the first total solar eclipse since August 2017, where millions of Americans were able to witness these spectacular phenomena first hand during the Transcontinental Solar Eclipse that swept across the USA – and millions more around the world were able to watch the entire spectacle unfold live at Slooh.
Slooh will have full coverage of the South American Total Solar Eclipse hosted by Slooh Astrophysicist Dr Paige Godfrey, together with our team of astronomical experts and guests covering the science and phenomena of eclipses, alongside our team of cultural correspondents who will shed light on the history and spirituality of eclipses.
Dr. Godfrey said of the upcoming eclipse: “The July 2nd eclipse is the first total solar eclipse since the Transcontinental Total Solar Eclipse in summer of 2017. That was almost two years ago now, and people are still talking about it as the greatest celestial event of their lifetimes. That event has had a lasting effect that has heightened excitement for many of these to come.”
Slooh’s southern hemisphere observatory, located at the La Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC), isn’t under the path of totality, but Slooh will be working with our partner observatories and PUC staff to capture the event live to stream to our worldwide audience.
Slooh’s Chief Astronomical Officer, Paul Cox, said: “The 2019 South American solar eclipse is not an easy event to capture. Unlike the 2017 eclipse, the path of totality (the 90-mile wide path of the Moon’s umbral shadow) only makes landfall across a narrow stretch of Chile and Argentina, and a tiny uninhabited South Pacific island. Having raced across the Pacific Ocean at over 6,000mph, by the time the Moon’s shadow reaches the west coast of Chile, the Sun will be low to the horizon, with the partial eclipse phases occurring just as the Sun is setting.”
Viewers can use the hashtag #Slooh to ask questions during the show.
About Slooh
Announcing Slooh’s amazing new interface to space, featuring new educational products Classroom, Astronomy Club and Astrolab for students to learn to explore space via Slooh’s global network of online telescopes. Slooh’s flagship observatory is situated at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC), one of the finest observatory sites in the world. Slooh’s live coverage of celestial events including potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs), comets, transits, eclipses, and solar activity are syndicated to media outlets from its partner observatories worldwide. Slooh was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation and is supported by investment from Connecticut Innovations.
Event Details
Event Timing:
Live Stream starts: 12:15 PM PDT ¦ 3:15 PM EDT ¦ 19:15UTC
Live Stream ends: 2:50PM PDT ¦ 5:50PM EDT ¦ 21:50UTC
TO WATCH Slooh’s live coverage:
https://www.slooh.com/shows/video-viewer/623
