You can do some really cool science during the total solar eclipse
As the moon passes in front of the sun on August 21, bringing the first total solar eclipse to the contiguous United States since 1979, people around the country are going to be treated to one of the biggest scientific moments of the year.
And everybody can take part.
Sure, anyone can put on some solar eclipse glasses and look to the skies to see the moon totally dominate our closest star, but where's the challenge in that?
Instead, why not try making some basic observations to make the most of your eclipse experience.
Most importantly, just observe the world around you
At most, totality will only last for about 2.5 minutes, so really, it's not like you're going to have a whole bunch of time to do much aside from marvel at the beauty of it all.
NASA's best advice is just to look at the world around you during this one-in-100-year event.
"If you are on the path of totality, notice how rapidly the light across the landscape fades as totality approaches," NASA said.
"Do you feel any difference in the way the wind blows, or whether it has gotten a bit chillier? How about animal life in the area, especially birds. Do you sense that they have changed their behavior?"
But hey, if you're feeling more ambitious, we have some other things you can check out as well.
Check out Baily's beads
Just before the moon fully covers the face of the sun during the eclipse, the natural satellite's valleys and mountains will carve jagged lines in the sun's light, allowing "beads" of light to shine through.
"Baily’s Beads are very short-lived, and may not last long enough to be noticeable to all observers of the total solar eclipse," NASA said.
It's still not safe to look at the eclipse with your naked eye during this phase of the eclipse, so just be sure to keep your eclipse glasses on until the sun is fully covered by the moon.
Keep an eye on the sun's atmosphere
One particularly cool observation you can make during totality is checking out the sun's corona, or outer atmosphere.
According to NASA, the corona should look like a "pearly white crown" around the blotted out star.
"The corona displays a variety of features including streamers, plumes, and loops," NASA said.
"These features change from eclipse to eclipse and the overall shape of the corona changes with the sunspot cycle. However, during the few fleeting minutes of totality few, if any, changes are seen in these coronal features."
Use a NASA app
NASA is facilitating citizen science around the United States during the solar eclipse through its Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) app.
Ahead of the eclipse, just download the app and follow some prompts to register yourself as a citizen scientist. Then, on August 21, use the app to send NASA data about your location.
The app will ask you for data on temperature and cloud cover in the area.
“No matter where you are in North America, whether it’s cloudy, clear or rainy, NASA wants as many people as possible to help with this citizen science project,” Kristen Weaver, deputy coordinator for the project, said in a statement.
“We want to inspire a million eclipse viewers to become eclipse scientists.”
Do some skywatching
All you really need to do during a total solar eclipse is look to the sky.
As the twilight of totality falls on your location try to look up and spot planets and stars standing out in the eerie gloom.
Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter should all be visible along with constellations usually only visible during the winter months in the Northern Hemisphere.
Miriam Kramer worked as a staff writer for Space.com for about 2.5 years before joining Mashable to cover all things outer space. She took a ride in weightlessness on a zero-gravity flight and watched rockets launch to space from places around the United States. Miriam received her Master's degree in science, health and environmental reporting from New York University in 2012, and she originally hails from Knoxville, Tennessee. Follow Miriam on Twitter at @mirikramer.
