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Intersection - The 'Most Watched Celestial Event' with Astrophysicist Angela Speck

Nathan Lawrence

Central Missouri is on the path of totality for the upcoming solar eclipse. That means that the sun will completely disappear from view for a few minutes during the middle of the day. Intersection's Sara Shahriari and Harvest Public Media reporter Kris Husted talk with Mizzou Professor and Director of Astronomy Angela Speck about studying animal reactions, citizen data gathering and exactly how the moon and the sun line up to create daytime darkness. 

*This could be the most watched celestial event ever, as social media spreads the word about a total solar eclipse over a long, populated, accessible swath of the U.S. 

*There is a total solar eclipse almost every year somewhere on Earth, but they're often visible only from very isolated or unpopulated parts of the planet. 

*University of Missouri researchers are studying many aspects of the eclipse, including how animals react the the untimely darkness. 

*Speck details different ways citizen scientists are getting involved in recording data during the eclipse. 

Sara Shahriari was the assistant news director at KBIA-FM, and she holds a master's degree from the Missouri School of Journalism. Sara hosted and was executive producer of the PRNDI award-winning weekly public affairs talk show Intersection. She also worked with many of KBIA’s talented student reporters and teaches an advanced radio reporting lab. She previously worked as a freelance journalist in Bolivia for six years, where she contributed print, radio and multimedia stories to outlets including Al Jazeera America, Bloomberg News, the Guardian, the Christian Science Monitor, Deutsche Welle and Indian Country Today. Sara’s work has focused on mental health, civic issues, women’s and children’s rights, policies affecting indigenous peoples and their lands and the environment. While earning her MA at the Missouri School of Journalism, Sara produced the weekly Spanish-language radio show Radio Adelante. Her work with the KBIA team has been recognized with awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and PRNDI, among others, and she is a two-time recipient of funding from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
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