Planet Comicon 2015 happens March 13, 14, and 15 at Bartle Hall in Kansas City, Missouri. // Planet Comicon
I guess me announcing that I’ll be speaking about the August 21, 2017, total solar eclipse that will cross the United States isn’t really news anymore. After all, I now have presented more than half a dozen such talks. But this one is different. I won’t be addressing an astronomy club, or a Rotary Club, or a chamber of commerce. Instead, I’ll be speaking at a pop culture event in Kansas City called Planet Comicon. To youth! To non-scientists! Oh, yeah.
Planet Comicon runs Friday through Sunday, March 13, 14, and 15 at Bartle Hall, the huge convention center in Kansas City. I’ll be speaking on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. I’ve titled my talk, “The Greatest Sight You’ll Ever See.” I hope the brief description (the convention organizers intelligently limited my word count) that I wrote is tantalizing enough:
Where will you be August 21, 2017? Thousands of Americans already have taken that day off and thousands outside the U.S. have booked trips here. On that date, people along a narrow path from Oregon to South Carolina will experience a spectacle even greater than Galactus arriving at Earth: a total eclipse of the Sun. If you’re thinking, “What’s the big deal?” then this entertaining and informative talk is for you. You’ll learn why eclipses are cool, how to safely observe the spectacle, all about a terrific event happening really close to Kansas City, and why you should get involved. This will be the biggest sky event in history — real science that feels like science fiction! Get ready to experience darkness in a daytime sky.
Anyway, if you’re in the area and were going to drop by Planet Comicon to pick up the latest Doctor Who Blu-ray disk, Star Wars plush toy, or a run of The Amazing Spider-Man comics, feel free to take a break in room 2504 starting at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. I’ll be talking about darkness, worlds aligning, and shadows — all in the name of science.