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Touching the Sun
Touching the Sun is a multi-platform PBS project exploring humanity's relationship with the Sun and quest to understand its mysteries. Touching the Sun probes our closest star – its mysterious origins, savage power, and lifeforce energy – and follows the people who uncover its scientific secrets and celebrate its symbolic meaning. It dives into the science of the Sun’s influence on the Earth and solar system and examines the current and historical cultural context of Sun watching and Sun worshiping across time and cultures. We meet researchers chasing the elusive corona in the Moon's shadow, NASA heliophysicists shedding light on the solar winds, Indigenous leaders sharing the Sun's spiritual symbolism, conservationists entreating us to steward our planet, and artists creating in search of human enlightenment. Touch the Sun – and experience the awe and wonder of its fiery secrets and life-sustaining force.
Touching the Sun provides a captivating dive into the mysteries of the Sun, blending scientific discovery with cultural storytelling. Project elements include:
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Documentary film capturing the 2024 total solar eclipse from Texas to Maine, exploring solar science and corona research, and celebrating Sun-watching in lore and ritual throughout many cultures
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Digital series with a deeper dive into the science of the Sun and total solar eclipses and their place in ancient, First Nations, and modern cultures
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Educational lesson plans for K-12 students in math, science, and social studies using documentary clips
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Outreach campaign with museums, cultural centers, schools, universities, and Indigenous communities, providing solar science education and cultural exchange
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Social impact initiative with key partners focused on stewardship of the Earth (climate, sustainability, outdoors, dark skies) and humanity (tolerance, altruism, compassion)
