Eclipse 2028 practical guide
Citizen Science During the 2028 Eclipse
A useful observation records the method, instrument, and time, including ordinary measurements before and after maximum—not just an unusual moment during totality.
Choose a narrow question
Examples include how shaded air temperature changes, how ambient-light readings change, when crescent shadows appear, or whether a repeated sound count changes. Describe animal behaviour rather than interpreting it: record species if known, action, direction and time without claiming the eclipse caused it.
Write the method first
Fix sensor height, shade, interval and units. Record device model and whether readings are manual or logged. For sound or behaviour, define a fixed observation period. A changing method can produce a dramatic graph that is not a comparable sequence.
Collect baseline and recovery
Begin well before maximum and continue after light returns. Note cloud, wind, relocation, people shading the sensor and missed readings. Keep UTC or an explicit local timezone beside every timestamp. Do not merge measurements from different sites as though conditions match.
Protect the observer
A sensor does not make direct solar viewing safe. Keep suitable viewers available, filter optics correctly and assign time calls separately. Never point an unfiltered camera or optical sensor at the Sun unless designed and configured for that use.
Share data with limits
Publish the raw table, method, appropriately precise location and interruptions. If submitting to a formal project, follow that project’s protocol. A modest reproducible series is more useful than an unsupported claim.
Before the event, run the method at the same time of day on an ordinary day. That rehearsal exposes battery, shade, timestamp and note-taking problems while they are still easy to fix.
Choose a protocol another observer can repeat
A useful submission states the question before the result. For temperature, record the sensor model, sampling interval, mounting height, shade, wind exposure and radiant shielding. For light, record range, orientation, integration time and saturation. Smartphone automatic exposure is not a stable measurement unless its settings and limitations are documented.
Use a log with timestamp, value, unit, instrument state, cloud, wind and interruption. Keep the original file as well as a cleaned chart. Do not silently delete a surprising reading: mark whether a person crossed the sensor, a cloud arrived, or the device changed mode. A modest reproducible series is more useful than a dramatic but uninterpretable graph.
Use formal projects as protocols
NASA's citizen-science catalogue contains projects with their own eligibility, data formats and submission windows. Read the current project's published instructions carefully before designing a local variant. An independent family or classroom observation can still be valuable, but it should not be presented as part of a named project unless it follows that project's rules.
Low-cost instrument setups worth testing beforehand
A basic shaded-thermometer or digital-probe temperature log needs only a fixed mount out of direct sun and rain, at a consistent height, logged at a regular interval such as every one or two minutes. A simple lux meter or even a phone light-sensor app can log ambient brightness on the same schedule, though phone auto-exposure and auto-brightness features should be disabled or documented, since they otherwise contaminate the reading. A wide-angle, unfiltered camera fixed on a tripod and pointed at the horizon rather than the Sun can record the changing quality of light throughout the event without any risk to the observer or the equipment.
Whichever instrument is used, run it once on an ordinary day at the same time as the eclipse to catch mounting, logging or battery problems in advance. A rehearsal reading also gives a same-day-of-week comparison baseline, which is more useful than an average from a different season.
Multiple observers at different sites strengthen a citizen-science submission far more than one very precise instrument at a single site, because it separates a genuine eclipse-linked pattern from local noise such as a passing cloud, a shaded sensor, or a nearby vehicle engine. If coordinating with several other households, standardise the instrument type, mounting height, and logging interval in advance rather than reconciling incompatible logs afterward.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need scientific equipment to contribute anything useful?
No. A shaded thermometer read at a fixed interval, or a written log of animal behaviour with timestamps, is a legitimate observation as long as the method is fixed and recorded honestly.
Can I submit my observation to a formal NASA citizen-science project?
Only if you follow that project's own published protocol, data format, and submission window. An independent observation that doesn't follow those rules shouldn't be presented as part of the named project.
Found an error? See the correction policy.
Prepare your instrument
Confirm your exact coordinates on the interactive map before fixing a sensor position, review eye safety if pairing observation with any optical viewing, see how eclipses work for the geometry behind what you're measuring, and pair this with the classroom pack if running it with a class.