In just three days, the moon will cross right in front of the sun, creating a total solar eclipse that will be visible from more than a dozen states.

Virginia isn’t one of those states, but in Fairfax County, an estimated 87.4% of the sun will still be blocked when the eclipse peaks around 3:20 p.m. — a bigger percentage than the 2017 event, according to the Fairfax County Park Authority.

The prospect of a total solar eclipse that scientists say could be even more exciting than the last one has sparked tourism booms in rural towns and states in the path of totality, which is home to about 31 million people. At least one projection suggests that as many as 3.7 million people will travel to see the total eclipse.

Splurging on a rare celestial event comes with risks, though, as forecasts currently indicate that storms may obscure the eclipse in the central U.S.

County residents who decide to stay local will have plenty of viewing options, including events at county parks, Reston Station and the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly. Students at Daniels Run Elementary School will take an “Eclipse Walk.”

We’re curious about how you’re preparing for the solar eclipse on Monday (April 8). Have you snagged a pair of the glasses needed to safely watch a partial eclipse, or are you opting for a pinhole projector? Is anyone traveling into the path of totality?

Photo via NASA/Gopalswamy

Fairfax County Public Library is giving away free solar eclipse viewing glasses in anticipation of next month’s event, but to snag a pair, you’ll have to move fast.

Each branch will have “a very limited allotment” of a few hundred glasses at most, FCPL Board of Trustees chair Brian Engler confirmed. Though some branches received shipments early, the glasses were expected to be ready for distribution at all locations today (Wednesday), according to FCPL Director Jessica Hudson.

“As they are available at the branch, they will be distributed on a first-come/first-served model,” Engler said.

A total solar eclipse is slated to cross over North America on April 8, traveling northeast from Mexico’s Pacific coast through Texas and the eastern side of the Midwest up to Maine and Newfoundland, Canada. The journey will last from 11:07 a.m. to around 5:16 p.m., according to NASA.

Though Fairfax County isn’t in that path of totality, a partial eclipse will be visible, similar to what the area experienced during the August 2017 eclipse. In that event’s peak, about 82% of the sun was blocked by the moon.

An annular or “ring of fire” eclipse also occurred last Oct. 14, but clouds and rain ultimately put a damper on the event in the D.C. area. Even if the weather had been clear, viewers would’ve seen the moon’s shadow covering only about 40% of the sun.

According to NASA, the 2024 eclipse will pass over more populated areas than the one in 2017 did, and the totality will last longer. In the D.C. area, more of the sun — about 87.4% — will be blocked, so the eclipse “will be noticeably darker,” Fairfax County Park Authority spokesperson Benjamin Boxer says.

Based on NASA’s projections, the eclipse will start around 2:04 p.m., peak at about 3:20 p.m. and end at 4:32 p.m.

“We may even see a slight temperature drop during the event,” Boxer said by email. “…Since, in Northern Virginia, we are not in totality it is not safe to view without special solar glasses or using a projection method.”

Volunteers with the Analemma Society will share tips on how and where to safely view the eclipse at the park authority’s upcoming preview on March 25 at Turner Farm Park’s Roll-Top Observatory (925 Springvale Road) in Great Falls.

Scheduled for 7:30-8:30 p.m., the event is already full after opening registration back on Jan. 30, but a waitlist is available for those hoping to potentially get a spot. The event has an $8 fee.

Celebrations on the day of the eclipse are planned at Turner Farm Park, Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly, Burke Lake Park and Historic Huntley Meadows. As of press time, seats remained available for all sessions.

The Ellanor C. Lawrence and Burke Lake celebrations are scheduled for 2-4 p.m. and will feature “related games, activities and demonstrations” before and after the eclipse, along with a limited availability of viewing glasses and sun spotting scopes.

The Historic Huntley and Turner Farm events will take place from 1:30-4:30 p.m. and focus on the science behind eclipses. Attendees will get a free pair of viewing glasses, according to the FCPA.

For those who aren’t able to obtain glasses or would prefer a less direct viewing method, the park authority has instructions for creating a pin-hole mirror or using a colander to see the crescents of light created by the partial eclipse. Cereal boxes were popular viewing tools during the 2017 event.

Next month’s solar eclipse will give scientists a rare opportunity to study the sun and its effects on nature and Earth’s atmosphere, according to the Washington Post. The continental U.S. isn’t projected to get another total solar eclipse until 2044.

A local teen who was recently named the “Top Young Scientist in America” got a round of applause this morning (Tuesday) from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

Heman Bekele, a ninth-grader at Woodson High School, won the annual 3M Young Scientist Challenge in October for developing a soap that could potentially be used to treat skin cancer. He beat out nine other finalists for the 2023 contest’s grand prize, which came with $25,000 and the aforementioned title.

The Board of Supervisors recognized Heman’s accomplishment with a unanimously approved resolution at its meeting today.

“This is a legitimate breakthrough that Heman discovered and produced,” said Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw. “Especially for those of us whose science experiments ended with our ability to glue a picture of a tree on a board, to see and read about what you have done here is really amazing.”

According to the resolution read by Chairman Jeff McKay, Heman was inspired to create his Skin Cancer Treating Soap (SCTS) by his background as an immigrant from Ethiopia, where cancer is a significant but underreported cause of death. Though he was only 4 when his family moved to the U.S., Heman has said that he remembers seeing people work long hours under the hot sun.

Now 14 years old, Heman wanted to come up with a more affordable treatment option, as costs for existing treatments for the most common cancer in the U.S. have climbed.

According to a Fairfax County Public Schools profile, Heman created the soap by experimenting with different chemical compounds like alicylic acid, glycolic acid and tretinoin that can reactivate dendritic cells, which are part of the body’s immune system.

The final product could be manufactured for just 50 cents a bar. The county board’s resolution lauded Heman for his “enthusiasm and dedication, including long hours of researching and testing in his family’s kitchen and basement.”

For the 16th annual 3M Young Scientist Challenge, Heman was paired with one of the company’s scientists and spent four months turning his concept into a prototype. He was named the competition’s winner at 3M’s global headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Oct. 9 and 10.

After the board approved its resolution, Heman thanked his parents — including his mother, who works as a special education teacher at Lynbrook Elementary School in Springfield — as well as the teachers who have supported him since he began attending FCPS as a kindergarten student.

“What I’m hoping to do is turn this passion project into more than that,” Heman told the board. “I’m hoping to turn it into more of a nonprofit organization where I can provide equitable and accessible skin cancer treatment to as many people as possible, so that’s the end goal, just to help people, see a real change and a positive impact on the world.”

As a “ring of fire” eclipse descends this Saturday (Oct. 14), Fairfax County is prepping with a series of events.

The annular eclipse occurs when the moon is at its furthest point from the Earth, appearing such that it is smaller than the sun. The result is that it leaves a ring of light around the edge of the moon.

But because of the county’s viewing angle, officials only expect to see about 40% of the sun covered by the moon’s shadow.

The image will look like “someone took a huge bite out of sun’s disc rather than the crescent shape we saw in 2017 and expect in April 2024,” said Tammy Schwab, manager of education and outreach for the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA).

A total solar eclipse is expected to pass over North America from Mexico to Maine on April 8, 2024, according to NASA. Fairfax County won’t be in its direct path, but Schwab says about 80% of the sun will be covered, similar to what residents saw during the last total solar eclipse in 2017.

“After the April eclipse it will be another 5 years before we see another one of this magnitude here in Virginia,” Schwab said. “Our programs at Burke Lake Park and the Sully Historic Site will be a great chance to learn about eclipses and how to view them safely from home, in preparation for the April spectacular.”

Events are planned for Saturday at Burke Lake Park (7315 Ox Road in Fairfax Station) and Sully Historic Site (3650 Historic Sully Way in Chantilly). From noon to 2 p.m., experts will be on site as the moon partially eclipses the sun. The cost is $10.

There will also be an event at Historic Huntley, which is located at 6918 Harrison Lane in Groveton, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The cost is $10.

Registration for all events is open online.

The roll-top observatory at Turner Farm Park in Great Falls will also host a viewing event, but it’s already at capacity.

A local classical composer is preparing to blast off for the world premiere of his newest symphony.

The suite “Cosmic Cycles, A Space Symphony” will be performed for the first time by the National Philharmonic at Capital One Hall (7750 Capital One Tower Road) in Tysons at 7:30 p.m. next Thursday (May 11).

Composer Henry Dehlinger, who was born in San Francisco but now lives in Oakton, was commissioned to develop the piece for the orchestra as part of an ongoing collaboration with NASA for the 2022-2023 concert season, according to a press release.

A second performance is scheduled for May 13 at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda.

“Cosmic Cycles is a dream project because it bridges the gap between art and science,” Dehlinger said. “Together with two of D.C.’s biggest stars — NASA and NatPhil — we’re taking the audience on an exploration of the universe through an immersive experience that combines symphonic music and visual storytelling.”

Known for choral music and jazz arrangements as well as symphonic works, Dehlinger previously worked with NASA on “Return to the Moon,” a brass fanfare that debuted with the March 12, 2022 rollout of the main Artemis I launch vehicle for the agency’s new lunar program.

The National Philharmonic has also collaborated with NASA in the past, most recently when it played Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” in February 2022 at Capital One Hall and Strathmore. The music was accompanied by images of planets taken by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

“Capital One Hall is a great venue with an oversized screen that really lends itself to a visual and aural presentation that is designed to project the awesomeness of space and the universe,” said National Philharmonic Director Piotr Gajewski, who will conduct both concerts.

For “Cosmic Cycles,” the process was flipped: Dehlinger composed the music in response to images provided by NASA.

“Henry Dehlinger has been a long-time collaborator with NatPhil and his style of music with sweeping melodies and brilliant orchestrations is perfect, I thought, for the images that NASA was putting forward,” Gajewski said. “When I saw the images, I immediately thought of Henry.”

Gajewski counts Dehlinger as a close friend, per the press release. This will be the third time that the philharmonic has premiered one of Dehlinger’s pieces.

Here’s more on “Cosmic Cycles” from the National Philharmonic:

Cosmic Cycles, A Space Symphony is a seven-movement symphonic suite that draws inspiration from images captured by NASA’s Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes and visualizations created by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Each movement carries a programmatic title, alluding to the images, illustrations, and videos which informed the composer’s writing process: 1. The Sun; 2. Earth, Our Home; 3. Earth as Art; 4. The Moon; 5. Planetary Fantasia; 6. The Travelers; and 7. Echoes of the Big Bang. In the upcoming performances, these symphonic poems will be paired with HD projections of the visuals.

The concert will be preceded by a lecture and question-and-answer session with a NASA astronaut, along with educational “Ask a Scientist” booths and a kiosk with a touchable lunar rock. At Capital One Hall, those activities will begin at 6:45 p.m., and the booths and kiosk will also be open during intermission.

Tickets are available online through Capital One Hall’s website. Prices start at $19, but all kids get free admission.

More than two decades after he graduated, astronaut Dr. Kjell Lindgren has been drawn back into Robinson Secondary School’s orbit.

The Fairfax school will welcome its Class of 1991 alum back this afternoon (Friday) for a student assembly, where Lindgren will be joined on stage by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine.

After helping secure $103 million in federal funding to replace the Wallops Island Bridge linking NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility to mainland Virginia, Kaine has been tasked with delivering introductory remarks before participating in a question-and-answer session, according to his office.

“I’m really looking forward to heading to Robinson Secondary School…to connect with students there and hear more about Dr. Lindgren’s experience in space and learn about NASA’s recent work,” Kaine said in a statement to FFXnow. “It’s my hope that this event will help inspire a new generation of astronauts and researchers from Virginia, and I appreciate Dr. Lindgren taking the time to share his story at his alma mater.”

Since graduating from Robinson, Lindgren has notched some out-of-this-world accomplishments, per his NASA bio.

Selected as one of 14 members of NASA’s 20th astronaut class in 2009, he now has 311 days in space and two spacewalks under his belt. That experience came as a crew member on the agency’s 44th and 45th expeditions to the International Space Station in 2015, and as commander of its SpaceX Crew-4 mission.

Lindgren and three other crew members in that mission — NASA’s fourth commercial flight overall and first in the “Freedom” capsule manufactured by Elon Musk’s private company — splashed back down to Earth on Oct. 14, 2022 after 170 days in orbit.

During his time in space, Lindgren helped conduct hundreds of scientific experiments that dealt with subjects like growing crops in space and the impact of life in microgravity on hearing, according to NASA. As part of Expedition 44, he was among the first people to eat lettuce grown in space.

A native of Taipei, Taiwan, Lindgren grew up in the Midwest and England before moving to Virginia for his last three years of high school. His parents still live in Burke.

For his undergraduate education, he attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, serving as an instructor and jumpmaster for the school’s “Wings of Blue” parachuting team. He later went to medical school and got certified in emergency medicine, supporting NASA as a flight surgeon before becoming an astronaut.

Photo courtesy NASA/Flickr

In its quest to minimize waste, the vertical farm housed in a shed behind Merrifield’s Luther Jackson Middle School will one day be sustained by fish feces.

Barely the length of a fingernail, the larval tilapia swimming around a small tank in the shed will soon grow large enough to be transferred into a bigger bucket with a filter that separates fish poop and other solids from water.

“The water goes back in the tank, of course, and then, the solids will go down through the filter system, and they will separate from the water and…be turned into sludge we use as fertilizer,” explained Vivian Nguyen, an eighth-grade student at Luther Jackson.

Thanks to Vivian and about 14 other students across four engineering classes, the farm is now operating and producing 50 bags of lettuce or spinach a month, all destined for the school’s food pantry.

It took two years of research, experimentation and waiting for equipment and permit approvals to get the farm to this stage — long enough that the eighth-grader who first conceived of the project has moved on to high school.

Driven by a desire to build a farm on Mars, the student began researching hydroponics — techniques for growing plants without soil — and other means of making food with limited resources for his Center for Equity in Science, Technology, Engineering, English and Math (ESTEEM) project, according to center director and technology education teacher Mark Smith.

The ESTEEM Center raises funds for STEM resources at the six elementary schools that feed into Luther Jackson. With many students in the Falls Church High School pyramid eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, the center is intended to support kids who otherwise might not have access to specialized STEM programs.

Other projects produced by the center include a solar measuring station installed in front of Luther Jackson.

“When you come to middle school and you join drama, you become part of that tribe, or music, that’s a tribe, but we’re trying to create that for STEM, and then we keep them together,” Smith said. “They go on to get advanced degrees and then they help save the world. That’s the whole mission.”

The students who designed, constructed and now maintain the vertical farm, also known as an aquaponics lab, likely aren’t thinking about saving the world just yet.

Vivian, for instance, joined the project at the behest of a friend who shares her interest in fish. She also wanted to get experience working with a team.

Vivienne Bao, a fellow eighth-grader who got involved earlier this semester, says she enjoys the hands-on experience, even if that means taking care of mundane tasks like cleaning up water leaks or picking beads from the filter system out of fish sludge.

“Everything is connected and one misstep can lead to major problems,” she said. “So, everybody needs to work together to solve it, and then we can be successful and grow vegetables.” Read More

In the near-future, Reston will have an educational space center to call its own.

Interstellar Dreams, a project through The Pearl Project Institute for Innovation in STEM literacy, is actively scouting for a 40,000-square-foot space center in Reston. The center, which is expected to open by next year, will include training and simulations in real-world and virtual learning environments.

The Reston center will be preceded by “a smaller prototype” set to open Sept. 10 at George Mason University’s College of Science Research Hall in Fairfax, according to a press release.

“We are looking for stars to get us to the stars,” said Robin McDougal, founder and CEO of Interstellar Dreams, a nonprofit focused on nurturing future STEM professionals. “Building a Space Center is a needed tool to help inspire, educate, and train emerging and current workers–that are reflective of our whole population — to ensure we are ready to explore the universe. We plan to start here in Northern Virginia where this industry is booming.”

The company is raising $5 million to build a mission command, space station and planetary habitat. These features will have floor to ceiling LED screens and equipments. Visitors can come for an hour or a day to be in the environment, and mission commanders will lead groups in exercised and simulations.

The project will primarily be funded by donations, sponsorships and memberships.

McDougal is a former Fairfax County Public Schools advanced academic educator and describes herself as a STEM literary advocate.

The announcement was made yesterday (Monday) in the backdrop of NASA’s moon launch of Artemis I. The launch was delayed that day.

A nearly 40,000-square-foot space center is coming soon to Reston.

The project is the brainchild of Interstellar Dreams, a nonprofit organization by Robin McDougal, a former educator at Fairfax County Public Schools.

The organization hopes to “spark and nurture the next generation of STEM leaders with a focus on aerospace,” according to event organizers. The business also plans to open its first space center location at George Mason University’s College of Science.

The centers will include training and simulations through virtual and in-person methods created by LED walls and technology. The experience is intended to prepare emerging and existing professionals to meet the demand for space workers.

A press conference is planned on Monday (Aug. 29) at 8:45 a.m., following a public viewing of NASA’s launch of the Artemis I “Return to the Moon” mission at Reston Station.

The space agency is poised to launch its most powerful rocket ever for a test flight on a 42-day voyage around the moon. The launch begins at 8 a.m., and the viewing takes place in the plaza of Reston Station (1906 Reston Metro Plaza).

“As NASA prepares to send astronauts to the moon and beyond, Interstellar Dream’s event underscores the need for talent for the booming space exploration industry,” a spokesperson for Interstellar Dreams wrote in the statement.

A spokesperson for the company told FFXnow that more details about the center will be released after the viewing event.

“This region has a lot of space business [and] is ripe for having more emphasis on training a workforce,” the spokesperson said.

The event will be attended by Vint Cerf — one of the “fathers of the internet” — as well as Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, and other local officials. Cerf will discuss the need for an inter-galaxy internet.

Army Nurse Thanks Fairfax County Firefighters — “Sunday, August 7, was a powerful and inspiring day at Station 11, Penn Daw, C-Shift. U.S. Army Captain Paul Petrie, an OR Nurse at Fort Belvoir, stopped by to thank the shift for their role in saving his life in May. Injuries he sustained are fatal a vast majority of the time. Watch to learn more!” [FCFRD/Facebook]

Long-Term Fix for AT&T Service Issues in Reston Coming — A permanent proposal to restore full cell service in the Lake Anne area isn’t expected to come until later this fall, according to Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn. Alcorn says AT&T is looking at installing equipment on the new Fellowship House roof, but that will require approvals from Fairfax County and the Reston Association Design Review Board. [Patch]

Fairfax County Parkway Targeted for Traffic Enforcement — “Officers from our Motor Squad are focusing on traffic enforcement on the Fairfax County Parkway this month. On the first day of this enforcement campaign, an officer stopped a car going 108 MPH on the County Parkway at Barta Road, a 50 MPH zone!” [FCPD/Instagram]

Vienna Trail Closed for Repairs — “The Wildwood Park trail that runs between Follin Lane SE and Niblick Drive SE, along with the Mashie Drive Park entrance, will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 9, between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. for repairs. Please use caution when in the area and plan for detours.” [Town of Vienna/Twitter]

Police Seek Help with Centreville Cold Case — “One of the DNA-analysis companies that Fairfax County Police in Virginia have been working with is Texas-based Othram, which is now crowdfunding help to identify a woman who was found dead…nearly 30 years ago. Even today, there isn’t a lot that police know about the woman, whose remains were found in 1993 near a cedar tree around what’s now the corner of Sharpsburg Drive and Calvary Place in Centreville.” [WTOP]

Connector Buses Not Affected by Metro Shutdown — The closure of several Blue and Yellow Line stations next month will have no impact on Fairfax Connector routes, but instead of taking a train, passengers will transfer to free shuttle buses. Drop-off and pick-up locations at the Huntington, Van Dorn Street, Franconia, and Crystal City stations may also be slightly different. [Fairfax County Government]

Reminder to Get Kids Immunized for School — “Parents, you’ve probably reminded your kids about summer reading and started purchasing school supplies. Have you booked your immunization appointment yet? Don’t wait until the last minute, make sure your children are up to date with their school required immunizations.” [Fairfax County Health Department/Facebook]

Maryland Toll Lanes Project on Hold — “A key federal agency has delayed Maryland’s plan to build toll lanes on the Capital Beltway and I-270, the latest setback for the star-crossed project. The move was immediately criticized by Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who said the delay will imperil the state’s efforts to ease one of the nation’s worst bottlenecks.” [Maryland Matters]

It’s Tuesday — Humid throughout the day. High of 94 and low of 78. Sunrise at 6:18 am and sunset at 8:12 pm. [Weather.gov]