NASA has released a computer game that teaches children about eclipses and transits. Players can capture images of the Sun in an album, and share the images as postcards. The game was released ahead of the total solar eclipse next month.
The Traveler has previously investigated black holes. (Image Credit: NASA).
NASA has launched a computer game for children older than seven, that provides an interactive environment to learn more about the Sun. Snap It! can be played through a browser, and players have to help an alien character known as The Traveler to capture images of the Sun. Players can create a photo album of their captures, and share the images as postcards with friends and family. There are two types of events available to capture, eclipses, where the disc of the Sun is covered, and transits, where an object passes in front of the Sun.
There are all kinds of transiting objects, including the International Space Station (ISS), flocks of birds, scientific balloons, asteroids and Sun-grazing comets. A photograph can be captured for the album at any point by pressing the spacebar. The cursor is used to find and centre objects, with the W and S keys for zooming into particular transiting objects. The A and S keys allows users to cycle through various filters for observing the Sun, similar to the filters used by the heliophysics observatories that NASA uses to study the Sun, and monitor our host star for energetic outbursts. There is additional information available on the captured objects as well.
The Snap It! game was released ahead of the 8 April 2024 total solar eclipse over North America, with the shadow of the Moon crossing over Canada, USA and Mexico. A total solar eclipse takes place when the Moon passes in front of the Sun as seen from the Earth. The Traveler comes from a planet where eclipses do not occur. Eclipses can only take place in worlds where the natural satellites are just the right distance from the planets to cover the face of the host star. The skies will suddenly darken in the middle of the day, as if it were dusk or dawn.
Shambhu Kumar is a science communicator, making complex scientific topics accessible to all. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
