A total solar eclipse is when the entire surface of the Sun is covered. Image by Steve Albers, Dennis DiCicco and Gary Emerson.
Shine a Light on the Science Behind Solar Eclipses with Online Activities
On Monday, April 8 the Moon will pass between the Sun and the Earth at a close enough distance to create a total solar eclipse in some areas of the United States and a partial eclipse in others.
Learn more about this phenomenon, get tips on how to safely view an eclipse, and see if you’re in the path of totality with videos, activities, and other resources from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
Our Spring Member Drive just ended, but we're offering one final chance to become a Friend of the Smithsonian at the discounted rate of $55 (that's $20 off our standard rate!).
Become a Friend and enjoy all of the incredible benefits, including a subscription to Smithsonian magazine, invitations to exclusive digital and in-person member events, shopping discounts—and more!
Installation view of Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860-1960. Courtesy of the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Photo by Rick Coulby.
Hirshhorn Museum’s Anniversary Exhibition Explores a Century of Artistic Transformation
To inaugurate its 50th anniversary season, the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden presents Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860-1960. This major survey will present 270 works from the museum’s permanent collection in largely chronological order, showcasing shifts in the cultural and stylistic landscape that remain relevant today.
Join the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum for an exhibition celebrating the teachers, students, and activists who made our nation’s capital a center for Black arts education.
On view until March 2025, A Bold and Beautiful Vision: A Century of Black Arts Education in Washington, DC, 1900-2000 highlights the contributions of some of the 20th century’s most talented musical and visual artists, as well as the artist-educators and community atmosphere that inspired students to share their gifts despite segregation, underfunding, and other challenges.
Only 200 golden lion tamarins remained in 1972, when the Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Program was established. Image: Skip Brown, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
Meet Six Animals the Smithsonian Has Helped Save from Extinction
From supporting the preservation of habitats and researching wild populations to bolstering breeding and reintroduction programs, the Smithsonian has been working to catalog and conserve biodiversity for over a century. Meet a few of the species that have benefitted from these ongoing efforts and learn how scientific ingenuity, international diplomacy, and moments of discovery helped save them from the brink of extinction.
Dr. Krystal Klingenberg, curator of music at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, speaking with Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Allison Russell and blues legend Taj Mahal.
Roots to Pop Video Series Tunes into the Social History of American Music
How have the blues, folk, gospel, and conjunto and norteño traditions of America’s musical past shaped the popular songs we enjoy today? The four-part video series Roots to Pop from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Americana Music Foundation brings together artists in song and conversation to investigate the foundations of our contemporary soundscape.
Seagrasses form dense meadows in shallow seas worldwide. Ashley Wiley for Getty Images.
New Educational Resource Offers Teens a Deep Dive on Ecology and Sustainability
The Smithsonian Science Education Center is bringing actionable ideas to the next generation of scientists and leaders with Ocean! This comprehensive seven-part curriculum for ages 11-18 will help students understand how they are interconnected with complex ocean systems through community research and activities that encourage hands-on learning.
Ocean! was created with expertise from the InterAcademy Partnership and utilizes United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a framework to focus on impactful projects that are defined and implemented by students.
Photographs from the collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Clockwise from left: Photographic print of a man and woman posing, photographer and subjects unknown, ca. 1920, Gift of Princetta R. Newman; Rehabilitation client and his family on Lady’s Island off Beaufort, SC. Photograph by Carl Mydans, unidentified subjects, 1936; Carte-de-visite of a young family in Napa, California. By James G. Brayton, subjects unidentified, ca. 1865-1888; Photograph of the Stevens Family outside their home in Linn Creek, Missouri by unknown photographer, ca. 1905, Gift of Jackie Bryant Smith.
How the Smithsonian Is Helping Black Americans Trace Their Family Trees
While genealogy websites have made it easier than ever before to learn about our ancestors, incomplete or inaccurate records can leave families stumped. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture is helping in person and virtual visitors fill in the missing pieces through one-on-one sessions, resources, and tips to point family historians in the right direction.
James Smithson, c. 1765-1829 (detail), James Roberts, 1753-c.1809, National Portrait
Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Trivia: Species Associations
In late January, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute welcomed a female addax calf! This happy addition is a boon to her species: while addax are uniquely equipped to live in the harsh conditions of the Sahara Desert, drought, hunting, and habitat loss have left this species critically endangered. By some estimates, less than 100 animals remain in the wild.
What kind of animal is the addax?
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