National Parks Posters

2012 Solar Eclipse

The Sun is the source of all light and heat for our world. The food we eat, the plants we chop down to build our homes and make our fires, all depend on the Sun for their energy to grow. We are all solar powered. But the Sun is also a star like the millions of stars visible in our national parks. Our Sun, our planet, and we ourselves were formed out of the same elements that fuel the stars. As the astronomer Carl Sagan said, "We are star stuff." To understand our Sun is to understand ourselves. On May 20, 2012, the Moon will pass in front of the Sun for a huge swath of the American southwest and the national parks and monuments it contains.

The following are posters created for U.S. national parks along the path of the May 2012 Annular Eclipse through the American Southwest. National park rangers are welcome to use these posters, free of charge, to advertise their eclipse programs. Should parks wish to sell these posters (or other merchandise bearing these desings) to the public, please have your affiliated association contact Tyler Nordgren by phone (909-215-8130) or email: Tyler_Nordgren@redlands.edu

Items for sale include 13x19 inch prints on heavy semi-gloss paper and 6x4.25 inch postcards in boxes of 500 or 1000. T-shirts and other items can be arranged. If you are a ranger who would like a design made for your national park for this event (or any upcoming event or program), please contact Tyler Nordgren at the above address or phone number.


Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Page, Arizona at the west end of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area sits directly along the midline of the eclipse and has many planned activities.

Grand Canyon National Park

The park expects to have telescopes set up for viewing of the eclipse.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon has scheduled their annual night sky festival to coincide with the eclipse.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park

People have been watching the Sun at Chaco for over a thousand years and will be doing so this May.

The inspiration for these designs comes from the Works Progress Administration Art program during the 1930s. For further information on astronomy in the national parks, see Dr. Nordgren's book Stars Above, Earth Below: A Guide to Astronomy in the National Parks, on sale now and available in many park bookstores.

Return to Dr. Nordgren's homepage.