On the evening following the total lunar eclipse, acclaimed science journalist David Baron (American Eclipse) will be discussing the fascinating historical story behind the solar eclipse of 1878 as detailed in his book, American Eclipse: A Nation’s Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World. The book tells the true story of three of the most determined eclipse chasers, James Craig Watson, Maria Mitchell, and Thomas Edison, on their race to the Rocky Mountains to witness the event.

Baron is a journalist, author and broadcaster who has spent his thirty-year career largely in public radio. He has worked as an environment correspondent for NPR, a science reporter for Boston’s WBUR 90.9 FMand health and science editor for PRI’s The World. He currently serves as scholar in residence at the University of Colorado’s Center for Environmental Journalism. David’s written work has appeared in the The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Beast, The Boston Globe, Outside Magazine, Lonely Planet, Mental Floss, and Reader’s Digest. An avid umbraphile who has witnessed six total solar eclipses, Baron has crossed the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia to catch the shadow of the moon. His popular TEDx talk about eclipse chasing has been viewed more than 1.7 million times.