On April 8, 2024, the United States will be treated to one of the rarest and most spectacular of celestial events: a total solar eclipse. The shadow of the Moon will fall along a narrow path across the US, including right through Richmond, which will enjoy almost four minutes of totality. During that time the sky will grow dark, the stars and planets will come out, birds will stop singing, crickets will chirp, and you’ll be able to see the Sun’s corona, its gorgeous atmosphere normally far too faint to see from Earth.

Phil Plait, astronomer and science communicator, will visit Indiana University East on February 27, 2024 at 7 p.m. to present everything you need to know to safely watch the literally out-of-this-world event, explain the science, and even debunk a misconception or two about eclipses.

The event at Vivian Auditorium is free and open to the public. A book signing with the author will follow the talk. Please register at go.iu.edu/4RyP

Plait has given public talks about astronomy and science education at educational institutions of all levels and community events throughout the US. His lively and humorous events have, in the past, included balancing eggs on stage and screening clips from blockbuster movies to point out particularly terrible science.

Plait, known as the ‘Bad Astronomer’ online because of his penchant for calling out misinformation, earned his doctorate in astronomy at the University of Virginia, and worked on the Hubble Space Telescope as a NASA contractor at the Goddard Space Flight Center. He is the author of the books ‘Bad Astronomy,’  ‘Death From The Skies,’ and ‘Under Alien Skies’ as well as  writes the thrice-weekly ‘Bad Astronomy’ newsletter that keeps subscribers apprised of the latest sky news. He was the head science writer for “Bill Nye Saves the World” on Netflix in 2017. He wrote and hosted “Crash Course Astronomy,” a 46-part educational web series that has over 85 million views.