Episode 2
Did you know the sun is about 396 times larger than the moon, or that the moon is about 396 times closer to Earth than the sun? Did you know that these two metrics are what make a total solar eclipse possible?
Joining us in the podcast studio this week is Chris Packham, a professor of astrophysics in the UTSA Department of Physics and Astronomy. Packham joins UTSA’s John Elizondo to share his excitement about the upcoming total solar eclipse and what people can expect from the cosmic phenomenon passing over San Antonio and the Texas Hill County on Monday, April 8. The UTSA researcher will also discuss an ongoing STEM outreach project aimed at educating local K-12 students about the eclipse and his work with the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a next-generation telescope.
The UTSA Office of University Strategic Communications demonstrates UTSA’s commitment to research, career readiness and economic development through compelling, multimedia storytelling. Its Planet UTSA podcast is one of several projects in the Eclipse 2024 initiative, which will include a UTSA Today news series about the impact of the eclipse and a weekly op-ed series featuring faculty experts running in the San Antonio Express-News leading up to the April 8 event. Both series will run on Mondays. Check out Sombrilla Magazine to learn more about how UTSA has emerged at the forefront of illuminating projects solving the grand challenges of space exploration.
