A series of three free posters from Space.com are yours to download, to use in preparation for the upcoming "Great American Eclipse."
The Aug. 21 total solar eclipse will be visible within a strip of land from Oregon to South Carolina. Inside this path, the moon will completely cover the face of the sun. The new 11 by 17 inch posters celebrate this rare occasion when the U.S. will be the only country from which the eclipse is visible.
Space.com is very excited to collaborate on these posters with professional astronomer, educator and artist Tyler Nordgren, whose cosmic-themed works are often done in the style reminiscent of the Works Progress Administration posters created in the 1930s and 1940s for the U.S. National Parks System.The main, decorative poster was designed by Nordgren; the two additional posters provide basic information about when and where to see the eclipse, and eclipse-viewing safety.
The high-resolution poster files are available for download through the following links:
- Nordgren's travel poster is here;
- the safe-viewing poster is here;
- and the map poster is here.
"I am a huge fan of simple, clean lines and colors in artwork," Nordgren told Space.com in an email. "I've always loved poster art from the 1930s to 1950s and the feeling they give of a simple yet exciting world (especially when it comes to travel) and try to reproduce that in my own work."
The safety and information posters were designed by members of Purch Studios, part of Space.com's parent company, Purch. One of the posters provides basic information about the location of the path of totality, within which 100 percent of the sun's disk will be covered by the moon. The map also shows the percentage of the sun that will be covered in regions outside the path of totality.
"We knew we wanted to commemorate this eclipse with a branded poster that celebrated the rare occurrence that would span through so many states," said Jef Castro, deputy photo director at Purch. "In our research, we came across Dr. Nordgren's eclipse illustrations and knew that his passion and tone were what we wanted to express."
You can learn more about Nordgren's work at his website: TylerNordgreen.com.
One of the posters created by Purch Studios provides an quick overview of basic safety guidelines for observing the sun; observers can choose to use solar-viewing glasses, a pinhole camera, a telescope or binoculars with a sun filter, or a sun funnel. Viewers should know that they need eye protection whenever any part of the sun's disk is visible, but viewers in the path of totality can remove their eye protection when the moon completely covers the sun's disk.
"Tyler's poster was the jumping-off point for the other two materials, as we used his color palette as the aesthetic through line," Castro said. "The color choices evoked the American flag and hints at the darkness of the totality."
"Ultimately, we hope that these materials are fun and useful," he said. "We want everyone to enjoy the eclipse together and properly protect their eyes in the process!"
Editor's note: Space.com has teamed up with Simulation Curriculum to offer this awesome Eclipse Safari app to help you enjoy your eclipse experience. The free app is available for Apple and Android, and you can view it on the web. If you take an amazing photo of the Aug. 21 solar eclipse, let us know! Send photos and comments to: spacephotos@space.com.
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