Events

COFFIES is supporting the Heliophysics Big Year! NASA’s Heliophysics Big Year (HBY) is a global celebration of solar science and the Sun’s influence on Earth and the entire solar system. The HBY began in October 2023 with the annular eclipse and lasts until December 2024 with the PSP Perihelion! Each month of the big year has a particular outreach theme, which you can find listed in this article.

The theme for March is “Experiencing the Sun”!

It’s time to ask yourself “In what various ways can/do I experience the Sun?”

To say that the Sun is important to Earth would be one of the greatest understatements of all time. Its influence has shaped life on Earth and humans have taken notice. Every culture across history has developed traditions around the Sun: its size, color, brightness, and its diurnal and seasonal motions through the sky. In this talk I will review several kinds of traditions across many cultures: everything from names of the Sun and deities associated with it, to time keeping, music, and architectural influences. I encourage you to come with some of your favorite Sun traditions ready to share.

As a bonus, Dr. Upton also presented a public lecture for the West Port Astronomical Society.

Watch the recording.