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The Planetary Report • December Solstice 2017
The Year in Pictures
On the Cover: For those lucky enough to have seen it, the North American Eclipse on August 21, 2017 was a life-changing moment—especially for those viewing a total solar eclipse for the first time. Screams of delight, tears, and cheers erupted across the United States as the eclipse followed its path of totality across the continent. Science was done, people came together, and everyone—even those seeing a partial eclipse—had fun watching Earth’s Moon pass in front of its star. Planetary Society Web Editor Tanya Harrison photographed the eclipse from an altitude of 11.6 kilometers (38,000 feet) on board special Alaska Airlines Flight “Solar 1.” Read Tanya’s account of her experience at <a href="http://planet.ly/chasingtotality">planet.ly/chasingtotality</a>.
Features
2 Make a Gift for Free? Richard Chute shares new and exciting ways to support The Planetary Society's work.
6 The Year in Pictures: Emily Lakdawalla highlights some of 2017's most significant space images.
13 Is There Anybody Out There? Read an excerpt from Jason Davis' three-part history on SETI.
18 There Goes the Sun: An eclipse adventure diary from Whitney Pratz.
20 Closeout! LightSail2 is ready to ship. Bruce Betts describes the latest steps toward launch.
22 The More Things Seem to Change...Casey Dreier reports on a Star Wars solution for rogue asteroids.
Departments
4 Your Place in Space Bill Nye celebrates our expanding reach and global engagement.
17 Volunteer Spotlight Our European volunteers are full of excitement.
21 What’s Up? More planets and a partial solar eclipse!
The Planetary Report • December Solstice 2017
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