As everyone knows, looking at the Sun is NEVER safe.  Indirect methods of observing a solar eclipse, such as pinhole projection, allow for safe solar viewing with no risk of eye damage. For direct viewing, solar filters can be used to protect the eyes during the partial phases, while during totality, the Moon blocks out the whole sun.

Eclipse chasers like me have been using solar eclipse glasses for decades. Those of us involved in planning over the years refer to the standardized, evidence-based guidance endorsed by leading international groups and found on eclipse.aas.org.  This easy-to-follow guidance highlights risks but also shows HOW to view safely and has allowed for a consistent message to be reinforced year after year.

The Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA) now has an Eclipse 2023 site, drawing from the above resources and providing Australian-based practical guidance on how to view safely.   Australia will be experiencing five total solar eclipses over the coming 15 years, so this is an authoritative website for this and future solar eclipses.

Gone are the days when people are advised to view a total solar eclipse by staying indoors, turning their backs, or watching on TV. Or so we thought!

Decision-makers for the Australian “Ningaloo Eclipse” are taking a safety-first approach for the total solar eclipse on April 20, 2023. Official eye safety guidance is provided via an external link from the website of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA). For the past year, this guidance has stated that there was no way to directly view a total solar eclipse safely and that solar eclipse glasses were unsafe and should not be used. The Chief Health Officer (CHO) advice drew from the ARPANSA viewpoint, and a recent ABC news article reinforced this message.

As an invited Solar Eclipse Reference Group member for this Australian solar eclipse on 20 April 2023, for the past year at every meeting, I have expressed my concerns at this messaging. I have provided information and links to evidence-based and internationally endorsed guidance. Beyond this forum, those involved in international standards, eclipse planning, and eye safety research have also attempted to challenge such out-of-date messaging.

Thankfully, there has been an important update.

This week’s joint press release from the Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA), the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO), and the Lions Eye Institute is significant and gives clarity regarding how to view safely and prevent eye damage.

Of particular note is the Position Statement from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO). As experts in eye health, this guidance is really very helpful and practical. I recommend everyone to view this position statement. This is an excellent document for parents who are guiding their children on viewing safely – something that has been lacking.

The following three takeaways from the Position Statement answer the most common questions people ask me:

• Solar eclipse glasses are safe, and should be used for direct viewing of the solar eclipse
• Those within the path of totality can remove their solar eclipse glasses and safely view totality with the naked eye
• Australian standard welding shields and goggles with a lens category higher than 12 may be used to safely view the eclipse.

I am delighted to see that ARPANSA has now updated its guidance for safe solar viewing and is no longer stating that solar eclipse glasses are not safe. This is a major milestone.

I just want to express my gratitude and acknowledge all those who have been working hard on this issue to finally get this change. Ultimately, the best way of ensuring a ‘safety-first’ approach is to provide consistent and evidence-based information on HOW to view a solar eclipse safely.  With only a fortnight to go, Australians now have this consistent information.

The post Important update about Safe Solar Viewing for Australians for 20 April, 2023 appeared first on Being in the Shadow.

We are now almost two years out from the biggest event in North and Central America for 2024 – the next total solar eclipse. This eclipse will be even bigger than the 2017 eclipse — I know this is very hard to imagine. The path of totality is much wider crossing over higher-population areas, and with FOMO from 2017, it really will be the event of the decade.

This time, over 3,000 communities are located within the path of totality in the US alone. This equates to tens of thousands of people who will be directly involved with eclipse planning over the coming two years.

Planning for something as major as a total eclipse needs to happen across organizations, and with local/state/national coordination. The American Astronomical Society (AAS) Solar Eclipse Task Force is doing a great job at coordinating efforts, and I enjoy being part of this team of highly motivated people who are guiding the way in preparations for 2024. Our next virtual planning workshop is only a few weeks away and is timed to coincide with the two-year countdown (and you can register here).

Every community within the path of totality will initially struggle to get started with their planning. Usually, they wait for direction from above and then realize over time that only they can figure out the eclipse planning strategy for their own community.

This is exactly where my White Paper on Community Eclipse Planning comes in.

Having been involved in community eclipse planning for a decade, I see this gap time and time again and have made it my mission to support communities to develop their strategic approach to planning for the eclipse. No one will do it for you. **SPOILER ALERT** For maximum benefit, the eclipse should not be seen as a one-off event, but as a focal point for your community development plans.

The first White Paper on Community Eclipse Planning was released in 2015, with the purpose of helping communities across the path of totality in the US to prepare for the ‘Great American Eclipse’ in 2017. Since then, I have used the thousands of hours of my free zoom consultations, repeated sessions, in-community visits, post-eclipse sessions with coordinators and Mayors, to effectively capture the key lessons from those coordinating the eclipse planning efforts in their communities. I use an evidence-based approach and do this voluntarily in my own time, so it is a slow process.

And so, after years of work behind the scenes sorting through all this material, the 2nd Edition is now ready for distribution.

This document is more detailed and focused on developing a community-based eclipse strategy for maximum benefit. Like last time, this document is free and can be found at the bottom of this page on my website. The document is large, so it is best shared via a link to my webpage rather than as an attachment.

This 2nd edition will have multiple versions tailored for each specific eclipse, up to 2030. An earlier version for the 2023 total eclipse visible from Australia/Timor-Leste was circulated to those involved last year. The version now available to download from my website is suitable for those planning for the total solar eclipse of 2024 in the US, Mexico and Canada — while also including details of the 2023 annular eclipse.

I am no longer in a position to offer free individual consults to communities. However, I will be offering planning masterclasses for eclipse coordinators, where each month a maximum of six coordinators can come together and we will deep-dive into various topics. I will only be making announcements about these to those communities who complete the form on my website, and the first one will be in May.

Remember – no community volunteers to be within the path of totality; the Universe chooses YOU! Use this opportunity wisely.

The post OUT NOW – 2nd Edition of White Paper on Community Eclipse Planning appeared first on Being in the Shadow.

I’ve been feeling a lot like Wile E. Coyote lately. Clever and creative in his planning to achieve his one goal – to get the bird – his plans would backfire spectacularly in the execution. I’d like to think my plans are a little sounder than Wile E’s plans. Unlike him, however, I’m facing one key obstacle that is stopping me from achieving my goal. My immigration visa is needed before I can get to the US, and it seems just out of my reach.

The need to immigrate

Australians and British citizens are able to visit the US for three months easily with a visa waiver. However, to work in the US you require a visa, and usually an employer willing to sponsor you. As ‘Eclipse Planning Consultant’ is not really a job that has an employer, I went down the route of immigration as an “Alien of Extraordinary Ability”. That is, I had to be a highly educated professional (three degrees – check!); an internationally recognized expert (author, researcher, and pretty much one of the only eclipse consultants around, who wrote the only guidance document on how to plan – check!); and to be engaging in activities that are of national interest (total solar eclipse for the first time in the US in almost 40 years, visible from 14 states with a partial across the whole continent – check!).

After submitting a two-volume opus of my life’s work as evidence, twice, I was judged to have met these criteria back in November. And what a happy day that was!

I was informed that there was a process that would take an additional two months or so. There remained additional steps in the meantime that I undertook as quickly as possible – police checks from two countries, listings of every single place I lived since the age of 18 years, and disclosures of all sorts of other personal information that are then used to judge you in ways you can’t really understand. More documents, submissions and explanations, along with payments at every step along the way. I am THIS close.

Things you can control…

In January I went ahead with an Expressions of Interest for my path of totality planning tour, which helped to determine what communities on the ground were looking for. From this, I identified:

• 31 communities expressed strong interest in being part of my tour
• 90 days of activities were requested
• 10 states were represented across the path of totality

I then started to make more detailed plans. However, as time was marching on my estimated leaving date was fast approaching – still with no visa interview date.

… versus things you cannot control

Then came some sudden changes to US immigration rules. Although my visa application is not directly affected, the indirect effect is that there are more demands on the work involved at the National Visa Centre, where my application still awaits, sitting on a desk somewhere and waiting for a final confirmation before it can be sent to London for the last remaining interviews.

In early February I made the decision to delay the start of the tour for a further month to allow for more time. This took a bit of revision, and compromised some of my activities, but I knew it would still be possible.

Unfortunately, further delays were announced last week now make my tour plans unviable. I have already requested permission to expedite my visa processing on grounds of national interest, and this has initially been unsuccessful. I am trying repeatedly, and will continue to do so, until I have my visa in my hand.

What this means in practice

After two years of planning, I have had to let my path of totality planning tour go. Anyone who knows me personally knows how long I have been talking and planning this, and how difficult this decision has been. Much like Wile E. Coyote does, I have gone back to the drawing board to come up with a new creative way of meeting needs on the ground in a much-reduced time frame.

I am frustrated that I have had to turn down requests to participate in community events, eclipse planning conferences, astronomy events, documentaries and other media. I have had to instead direct my energies towards overcoming the many visa hurdles by collating and documenting detailed evidence, completing forms, chasing up requests. In my years of being involved in eclipse planning, I have never faced barriers quite like this.

Despite this, I have been supporting many communities from afar as best I can, and I am still planning to be available for in-community support along the path of totality.

Although it is likely that I will arrive in May, currently I am not able to agree any events or activities for that month. I am, however, now confirming activities for June and beyond. The biggest changes:

• I will no longer be doing a LINEAR tour of the path of totality
• I will no longer be visiting all states within the path
• I will no longer be based in a fifth wheel camper, and instead will use hotels as my base

There are a few benefits from my new revised plan. I can be more flexible with my schedule, as I do not have to travel in a linear fashion. I also have been able to review my fee structure too. So if you are interested in bringing me to your community, or to have me as part of your event or conference or as a speaker, then get in touch.

When I eventually do make it to the US, I will do all I can to share my experiences, knowledge, research and expertise. My window to do this will be much smaller than I ever intended, however I am keen to reach as many people as possible.

I have seen 10 total solar eclipses all around the world, in my 18 year chasing career. Every one is special and unique, but there is nothing like experiencing totality within your home community. This happened for me in 2012, and is the reason why I am so passionate about helping communities prepare. I’m not giving up.

How can you help?

Many have already got in touch with offers of support, and some of you have already put something in writing to help expedite my case. If you are in a position where you feel I have already benefited you, or am about to benefit you, then please do consider putting something in an email to me that highlights this that I can send on. It can be short, like a testimonial, or longer – whatever you wish to write. These comments will be passed on in my requests to expedite my visa, and every little bit helps.

In the end, Wile E. Coyote did indeed catch the road runner. He is a lesson in perseverance and creativity. And I know my visa will come through too – it just can’t come soon enough.

The post Changing plans – lessons from Wile E. Coyote appeared first on Being in the Shadow.

It’s official. I am now taking ‘Expressions of Interest‘ from communities that would like to be included in my Being in the Shadow Path of Totality Tour.

The tour is expected to commence in April in South Carolina, and end in July in Oregon – final dates will be confirmed at the end of January. At the moment, I am still awaiting the final stages of my US visa process, and therefore I cannot confirm any dates. However, I can now start planning. Woohoo!!

We will be traveling in a fifth wheel camper, and staying at RV sites within each community in order to keep costs to a minimum whilst ensuring flexibility and a mobile workspace. From coast to coast, across the US, helping to prepare for the eclipse.

I will be ensuring the tour is high profile, and will engage in extensive media throughout, ensuring that all of the communities involved in the tour will greatly benefit from the extensive media exposure. The results of this can be considerable. For example, the PR value of the media from the 62 international media outlets that were reporting from the Faroe Islands in 2015, where I was the Eclipse Planning Consultant, was equivalent to US$22 million. Media interest across the US and the world is going to be considerably greater for the 2017 total eclipse. That’s big buckaroos.

I will, of course, be unable to visit each of the 1,000+ communities that are along the path of totality. Instead I will have to prioritise those communities that are keen to host me – that is, those that complete this form to let me know what their needs and wishes are.

I am recommending a stay of five days in each community to ensure that I can make a significant difference for each of the communities I visit.

Once you link to the form, you will see that each page has the range of events that I can offer, from planning consulting, workshops, community engagement, stakeholder engagement, book launch activities, public lectures etc. If you are an eclipse coordinator, please complete the form, ticking those events of interest.

I will then be able to collate this information, start plotting and planning a rough tour outline, and will then get back to you regarding an estimated cost based on your preferences, an estimated time frame, and more detailed information about confirming plans. It’s simple.

To make sure your region is included, complete the ‘Expressions of Interest’ Form by 27 January AT THE LATEST. I’ve been talking about doing this tour for years, literally, and I can’t believe we have now reached the time when I am about to start planning. Let me help to make it awesome for your community.

The post The Path of Totality Tour – Expressions of Interest appeared first on Being in the Shadow.