Rebecca Boyle
Science Journalist
As a journalist, Rebecca Boyle has reported from particle accelerators, genetic sequencing labs, bat caves, the middle of a lake, the tops of mountains, and the retractable domes of some of Earth’s largest telescopes. Her first book, OUR MOON: How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are (Random House, 2024) is a new history of humanity’s relationship with the Moon, which Rebecca has not yet visited on assignment.
Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., Rebecca is a columnist at Atlas Obscura, a contributing editor at Scientific American, and a contributing writer at Quanta Magazine. She is a frequent contributor to the New York Times, The Atlantic, Smithsonian Air & Space, New Scientist, and many other publications. Rebecca’s work has been anthologized multiple times in the Best American Science and Nature Writing series. Rebecca got her start at a small newspaper, but attending Space Camp in 6th grade is really what set the course of her career.
About The presentation
Our Moon
Friday, April 5th
9:15pm-10pm
The Moon is a part of Earth, and it shapes all of the other things that make our planet special, from its geology to its multitudes of life. Earth would be a very different planet without our Moon, and so would we. The Moon is much more than the reason we have total solar eclipses. These occur because of an incredible cosmic coincidence, which causes the Moon and Sun to appear the same size in the sky - and this powerful alignment is one reason why the Moon has been so important throughout humanity's cultural evolution. The Moon has been involved in every giant leap humans have made as a species, from the origins of life itself to our capacity to understand ourselves in the broader universe. This presentation will walk the audience through the spectacular history of our relationship to our Moon, based on Rebecca Boyle's new book, Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are.
Stargazing & Storytelling
Saturday, April 6th
10pm-11pm
Take a guided tour of the night sky with Atlas Obscura's Wondersky columnist, who will help you find interesting celestial sights as well as describe what you're seeing. The nights before a total solar eclipse are very dark, because the Moon is near the Sun - so it's a wonderful time to study deep-sky objects like galaxies and nebulae.
