During the total solar eclipse on 12 August, scientists from around the world will turn their eyes and instruments toward the sun while citizen science projects invite public participation. The event is being treated as both a public spectacle and a rare data-gathering window, with observers in the path of totality able to help collect information as the moon blocks the sun’s disc.
That matters because an eclipse like this one is visible from somewhere on Earth just once every 18 months approximately. People in Europe and the Arctic and Atlantic can see a total eclipse, while a partial eclipse will cover much of Europe, Canada, north-west Africa and parts of the US.
SunSketcher and Gaia4Sustainability
SunSketcher is one way non-scientists can join the research effort. The smartphone app takes carefully timed pictures during the eclipse and captures Baily’s Beads, also called the diamond ring effect. That gives scientists a way to use ordinary phones for timed observations rather than leaving the work only to professional instruments.
Gaia4Sustainability uses a small device with sensors to measure the brightness of the sky and other meteorological factors. Its goal is to measure light pollution, which makes the project useful beyond the eclipse itself because it turns a brief celestial event into a snapshot of sky conditions from many locations at once.
Shadow bands and totality
Another project focuses on shadow bands, the wavering lines that can billow across the ground in the moments before and after totality. The aim is to quantify how shadow bands differ based on altitude and distance from the centre of totality, so observers in different places are not just watching the sky but contributing comparable measurements.
People in the path of totality have the clearest role, because the most useful observations depend on the moments when the moon fully covers the sun. Even people who are not scientists are being asked to help with research during an event that is also a major public viewing spectacle, and that mix of participation and attention is what gives the 12 August eclipse its research value.
People in Europe and the US
People in Europe and the US who only see a partial eclipse can still follow the event as a comparison point for the wider observing campaign. The practical choice for viewers is simple: watch safely, and if they are in range of one of the projects, use the eclipse window to record images or readings in the exact format the project asks for.
For readers deciding whether to take part, the clearest next step is to match location and equipment to the project rather than treating the eclipse as a single uniform moment. SunSketcher depends on a smartphone, Gaia4Sustainability depends on a sensor device, and the shadow-bands project depends on careful observation around totality, which means the strongest contributions will come from people who know where they are standing when the sun disappears.
