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Kids’ Science for Solar Eclipse with AI

Wednesday 12th August bring a solar eclipse. In UK it’s not a total eclipse, but will be about 90% totality. My adoption of AI and expertise has increased massively over the last year, to an extent where I am finding plenty of innovative uses of AI. Viewing a solar eclipse safely is crucial, no one should ever look directly at the sun. But AI gives a lot of potential for maximising your viewing experience. With ChatGPT and Google AI Mode, amongst others, there is a lot you can do for free. With children now on summer holidays, it’s a great opportunity to get experience of AI (together?), build a safe viewing option, and hopefully have a great time.

The Plan

I’ve done the groundwork to give you a prompt as a starting point. It will offer three different home projects to build a device to view the eclipse. And I’ll also explain some tips for maximising your use of AI and hopefully avoiding dead-ends or blockers. I won’t share the prompt yet, because the skills around it are as important.

Why This is Great for AI

The key to asking anything of AI is the information needs to be available to the mode. The date and time of the eclipse is everywhere. If you want to know whether a location is good, if you give a clear location, the longitude and latitude should be easy for a model to find. This information can be used by models to work out the timings for the start, maximum eclipse, and end. The timings and location also allow models to work out the height of the sun at the appropriate time. And maps will show contour lines with details, which should make it possible to work out whether the sun will be visible from the chosen location. Models may even be able to suggest locations for you, based on a location and radius. The weather will also be important, and that’s easy for a model to look up.

Being able to estimate the likelihood of getting a good answer is key to AI usage. And for the reasons I’ve given, I think there’s a high likelihood of good results.

Next is the “science project” of constructing a viewing option. There may even be lots of websites that have shared suggestions in the past. If so, the models are already trained to include the information. Web search means the models will be able to search for newer sites as well. And the parameters of what’s required - a way to project the sun onto something, outside where there might be wind - are something AI could work out. The next thing is a set of materials, tools, alternatives, and instructions suitable for someone of a specific age. These require flexibility for the current audience and answering questions instead of just giving a static set of instructions - two things AI excels at.

You’ll hit problems, but hopefully the tips I’ll give will help you overcome it.

The Location

The eclipse will be from around 6:15pm to 8:15pm BST, so the sun will be in the west, low in the sky. So location will be key. It’s a few days away yet, so weather forecasts will change. But closer to the time models should be able to help give an idea of the chances of good weather.

Give as much information as possible to maximise the chances of accurate information, and ask about the level of confidence that the answer is correct. You can also ask multiple AIs to verify responses. When doing so, I would recommend blind testing - don’t ask one to verify another’s answer, give them both the same information and see if you get the same answer.

But also be aware what AI may not know. For example, buildings don’t show on topographical maps, so responses may not take that into account. Ask if the model knows the information and has taken it inot account. If necessary, double-check. So if you are unsure about the response, visit the location beforehand to check the sun is visible.

The Prompt

I asked Google’s AI Mode for three options of varying complexity from a basic two-card approach, aimed at a teenager. If you’re helping a younger child, it should still be good enough.

You may want to plan ahead and ask about materials and tools. You may need a trip to the shops, or you may need to hoard some materials. Ask about alternatives, not just the suggested materials and tools, because alternatives can be used. For example, “I don’t have X, what can I use instead”. Again, this is one of the strengths of AI.

The details in paragraph 2 about the location may need modifying for your scenario.

Act as an encouraging engineering mentor and optics expert. I want to build a safe indirect solar viewing projection device to watch the upcoming August 12, 2026 solar eclipse. 

I will be viewing it from a high, very windy coastal hill, and the sun will be quite low in the sky (between 11° and 3° altitude). This means the device needs to be rigid enough to withstand wind and easy to aim horizontally. 

*SAFETY NOTE: I do not have a telescope, and I am NOT looking directly through binoculars, as this is extremely dangerous. Any binocular option must be a projection-only setup.*

Please guide me through this project step-by-step using the following process:

1. THE OPTIONS: Present me with 3 different design options ranging from easy to sophisticated. For each option, give it a cool project name, a difficulty rating (1-5), an estimated build time, and a brief description of how it works. 
   - Option 1: An upgraded, wind-resistant 2-card system.
   - Option 2: A handheld enclosed box projector (like a sturdy mailing tube or shoe box viewer).
   - Option 3: A Binocular Projection Rig (using binoculars strictly as a lens to project a large, bright image onto a shaded cardboard screen—no direct looking allowed).

2. THE CHOICE: Ask me which option I want to build. Do not give me the full build instructions yet. Wait for my response.

3. THE BLUEPRINT & MATERIALS: Once I pick an option, provide a complete, bulleted list of tools and household materials I will need. Then, give me clear, step-by-step assembly instructions. Please include specific tips on how to make my chosen device sturdy enough for a windy environment.

4. ALIGNMENT & TESTING: Explain exactly how I can safely aim and test my device without looking at the sun, keeping in mind the low 10-degree angle of the sunset eclipse.

Let's begin with Step 1. Please pitch the 3 design options to me!

When you use the prompt, expect that it will stop after the three options and wait for a choice. Of course you can ask about multiple options, to see which one you want to do or if you have the relevant materials and tools.

Advice

First off, I asked for three options. I’m sure there are others. So if you want, ask for different or more options. If you want a certain range of complexity, specify that.

If the prompt works like it did for me, the options should give an idea of the duration each should take to build. But if not, ask that.

Some steps may require cutting. I would hope the model would advise when to ask an adult to help, but it may not. If in doubt, ask the model to give you an amended prompt, with parameters for what you are willing and unwilling to let your child do.

If you have a problem understanding what a step means, ask for clarification. If you’re unsure what the device should look for after a certain step, ask. Public AI can understand pictures, so you can always take a photo of what you’ve built and check if it’s right.

One of the biggest pieces of advice for any AI usage is ask for sources. Some of the options may be derived directly from websites. Of course even with other websites you can use AI to ask questions as well. Copy and paste the URL and ask your question. The most important point is always be specific and clear in your questioning.

If you get to a dead end, it may be worth starting a new session. If you’re unsure how to do that, ask your AI how: the instruction manual is built in!

Lastly, good luck and have fun. And take every question and answer as an opportunity to learn how AI works, to make your next experience better.