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Hey, Wowzer fans, Mindy here.
And before we start the show, I gotta let you know that this November, with a special new episode featuring our friends at Circle Round and Terrestrials on Radiolab for Kids,
And don't miss when Elmo from Sesame Street stops by Wow in the World to make us all belly laugh on November 24th.
Oh, but that's not all, Reg.
On December 1st, we are sharing our 250th episode of Wow in the World with all of you.
We think this one is going to be music to your ears.
Literally.
Did I mention it's a musical?
And if you're a member of the World Organization of Wowzers...
Oh boy, do I have a surprise for you.
You can listen to our 250th episode early with me and other members from around the world on Saturday, November 22nd, at 7pm Eastern.
That's right, we are throwing another listening party.
Join us as we dance along to our new songs.
React to the episode with other members in the chat and more.
Grownups.
If you want your wowzer to join this members-only listening party, you can sign up to become a member today at Tinkercastcom.
Slash wow.
Already a member?
Well, you can find the link and password to join the event when you sign in at Tinkercastcom.
Slash wow.
That's it.
It's going to be a November to remember.
But for now, let's get on with the show.
Woo!
Hey grownups, if you're planning on taking a family trip to Orlando this summer to be transported to magical universes well, you should know there's one portal you don't want to miss.
Your portal to the original universe Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, where they have flying dragons too.
It's about science where no spells are required.
Walk beneath a towering Falcon 9 booster, touch a real moon rock and come face-to-face with Space Shuttle Atlantis plus.
Take a behind-the-gates bus tour for an exclusive look at NASA's legendary launch sites and the future of space exploration.
Visitors also have the chance to meet an astronaut.
Talk about a core memory in the making.
And get this, our friends at Kennedy Space Center have offered our listeners $7 off admission.
Just use code WOW at checkout.
With missions to Mars, rocket launches, and deep space exploration...
No trip to Orlando is complete without landing at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Discover something real.
It's an eclipse, it's an eclipse party.
Whoa, you're listening to Bongo and the Big Two.
Hey, W-O-W-F-M, and that was Eclipse Party by the one and only band Moon 5.
Bongo, dude, everyone knows what the name of the song is.
That's true.
We've been playing it back to back all weekend.
That's because today is the big day of...
The total solar eclipse!
That's right!
Wow!
So to all our listeners in Texas Oklahoma Arkansas Missouri Illinois Kentucky Indiana Ohio Pennsylvania, New York Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, the moon could be passing overhead any second now.
So get outside and look up!
Yeah, but make sure you're wearing your solar eclipse glasses first.
Gotta protect those peepers.
That's right, Toot.
You don't want to burn your eyes out looking at the sun.
But right now, here it is once again.
Moon 5 with It Looks Party.
Deja vu.
It's an eclipse.
So is it.
Hmm.
I wonder who that could be.
Huh?
Hello?
Is anybody...
What in the... Did somebody stick a piece of toilet paper to my door with maple syrup?
Wait, it looks like something's written on it.
Let me see here.
Greetings, neighbor.
You are invited to the celestial event of the season in my backyard.
That's right.
It's a solar eclipse party complete with themed cookies, fun games and the unshakable feeling that we're just one small part of a vast unfeeling and indifferent cosmos.
What?
So come on over.
The party starts now.
A solar eclipse party?
I gotta check this out.
Locking up the micro house?
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.
Coming!
Huh?
Guy Razzi!
Hey, Mindy, are you okay?
Yeah, I'm fine.
I just can't find my radio anywhere.
I've got a party, but I don't have any music.
That's no good.
I'm sure it'll show up somewhere.
Come on in.
Wow, you've really outdone yourself with all these decorations.
Oh, you think this is impressive?
You should see the backyard.
Come on, follow me.
All right.
Oh, Mindy, when did you have time to do all of this?
The banner, the lawn games, the snacks.
Is that a nacho cheese fountain?
Oh, yeah.
I'm calling it the solar-y chips and dip station.
Sort of like solar eclipse, but it's solar-y chips.
You get it?
Uh, yeah.
Oh, hold that thought guy, Roz.
Someone's at the door.
Oh, I'll come with you, Mindy.
Why did you stick litter to my front door?
Again?
What?
It's not litter, Dennis.
It's an invitation.
Oh, an invitation.
To what?
An invitation to my solar eclipse party.
Your e-what party?
My eclipse party to celebrate the total solar eclipse that's happening today.
I don't know what that is.
Dennis, you know what a solar eclipse is?
It's when the moon passes in front of the sun.
And where we are right now is very special.
You see, we are currently standing in... The Path of Totality!
Oh!
What is that?
Shh!
Well, today the moon is going to pass between the earth and the sun.
And as it does that, it's going to cast a shadow on the earth.
Oh, like shadow puppets?
Exactly.
Except the moon shadow is about 122 miles or 196 kilometers wide.
Oh, wow.
That's a big shadow puppet.
And instead of casting that shadow on a bed sheet, it's being cast on North America.
The shadow is going to pass over 13 U.S. states, including this one.
Ah, cool.
Then what happens?
What do you mean?
What happens when the moon shadow passes over us?
Well, from down here, it'll look like the sun has been completely blocked out.
Uh-huh.
It's meant to be one of the most awe-inspiring celestial events a person can experience, Dennis.
Yeah?
We also have a nacho cheese fountain.
Oh!
Nacho cheese!
Where?
It's out back.
Yay!
Nachos!
Nachos!
Nachos!
Yay!
More friends!
There you are.
Thomas Fingerling!
Grandma G-Force!
Hugs!
No.
Listen, Mandy.
What's the big idea of sticking trash to my front door?
It's not trash, Thomas Fingerling.
It's an invitation to my solar eclipse party.
Maybe because you wrote your invitations on toilet paper?
No, I don't think that's it.
Ah, an invitation, eh?
Let's see here.
A solar eclipse party complete with themed cookies, fun games and the unshakable feeling that we're just one small part of a vast unfeeling and indifferent cosmos.
I'll take the cookie.
Ooh, and I'll have some of that existential dread.
Great!
Both are out back.
Well, OK, so long, my love.
Let's get out there too, Guy Raz.
It's almost go time.
Right behind you, Mindy.
Uh, Dennis, did you finish all that nacho cheese?
Um, no.
It's OK, Guy Raz.
I'll refill it in a minute.
But first, I need everyone to take a pair of these, puppies.
What's that?
What's that?
What's that?
What's that?
These look like solar eclipse glasses, Mindy, right?
Yep.
And you're all going to need to wear a pair if you're going to watch the solar eclipse safely.
Well, I brought my own glasses, so no.
Do those say Happy New Year 2006?
Well, look at that.
You can read, boy.
Ooh, sorry, Grandma G-Force, but those aren't going to cut it.
You see, in the lead-up to the moment when the moon fully covers the sun, we're going to be staring directly at the sun.
I don't get it.
You tell her, Guy Raz.
Well, the only safe way to look at the sun directly is through a pair of glasses like these, which have special Mylar lenses.
Mylar or Ular?
Huh?
Well, we all are for Mylar.
Mylar blocks out 100 infrared and ultraviolet light and only lets through about one millionth of the sun's visible light.
Wow, Grandma G-Force, how did you know all that?
It's written on the side of the box Mindy's holding.
Oh, right.
Yeah, looking at the sun without the proper eye protection is super duper dangerous.
So don't even try it, all right?
Now, everyone grab a pair of special solar eclipse sunglasses with Mylar lenses.
Yay, fashion!
Hi.
Mindy, what's attached to these eclipse glasses?
Oh, it's just a little bit of macaroni art.
I was trying to jazz them up a bit.
Oh, snazzy.
All right.
Now, everyone, try them on.
See if they work.
Okay.
Hey, Mindy, I can't see a thing in these glasses.
Well, you're not supposed to, Dennis.
The only thing you should be able to see with those glasses on is the sun.
Oh, yeah.
The protective lenses on these glasses are super strong.
It's like wearing a billion bajillion pairs of sunglasses all stacked on top of each other all at once.
Oh, okay.
There's the sun.
I see it now.
It looks like a big, ripe orange in the sky.
Oh, but it looks like someone took a big bite out of it.
That's the moon, Dennis.
The moon bit the sun?
No.
If the moon's already started to pass over the sun, we must be getting pretty close to totality.
Yeah, it shouldn't be long now.
Oh, these blackout sunglasses are making me sleepy.
No, don't go to sleep, Dennis.
You'll miss the... I think it might be too late.
Oh, Dennis!
Oh, good.
Sounds like that feller's asleep.
I'm gonna go get some more food before he wakes up.
Ah!
Oh, they're over on that table over there.
Right next to the dried-out cheese fountain.
Ooh, dried-out cheese is my favorite.
Look, man.
Okay, now how long until totality, Guy Raz?
Let me check my watch, Mindy.
Uh, hey, watch.
Um, how long until the solar eclipse?
Adding a stroller and chips to your shopping list.
No, no!
Yes.
Must be getting close.
You can feel it in the air.
Feels a little colder, doesn't it?
Now that you mention it, Mindy, it does feel a little chilly.
Because the shadow of the moon is getting closer and as it creeps in, it cools down the surrounding area.
Huh, sort of like standing in the shade of a tree on a hot day.
Exactoritos.
So what you're saying is that the moon's shadow is almost here?
Well, sure seems like it.
I think we're almost at totality.
And totality is what it's called when the moon entirely covers the sun, right?
Yeah.
Now hand me that air horn over there.
I need to wake up Dennis before it's too late.
Oh, sure.
Here you go.
Thank you.
Ah!
What was that?
Mother!
Wake up, Dennis!
It's almost time!
Oh, it's just you.
I think I'll just catch the next eclipse, Mindy.
Wake me up for that one.
But Dennis, the next solar eclipse to pass over the United States isn't until 2044.
Come on, Dennis.
It's now or never.
2044?
Fine.
Grandma G-Force, Thomas Fingerling, quick, get over here.
I'm a-coming, I'm a-coming.
By the way, you're out of cookies because I ate them all.
Okay, everyone, it's about to happen.
Does everyone have their eclipse sunglasses on?
Yeah, I do.
Yes.
Affirmative, Guy Raz.
Okay, now, everyone, look at the sun.
Wow.
Wow.
Look at that.
Looks like the moon is slowly moving over the last bit of the sun.
Here we go.
Here comes totality in five...
Four, three, two, one.
Whoa.
Yeah.
Okay, everyone.
The sun is completely covered by the moon.
You can take your glasses off now.
Okay.
Oh, wow.
Cool.
Fingerling, your eyeball's licking all over me.
It's just...
Oh, beautiful.
Look at that, Guy Raz.
It looks like a big golden ring in the sky.
Yeah, or an octopus.
What are those wispy little strands coming off the sun?
Yeah, it kind of looks like when I draw the sun with crayons.
You know, all those little spiky little rays coming off of it.
That's called the sun's corona.
You can't usually see it because the sun's brightness washes it out.
But on a day like today, when the sun's brightness is completely blocked out...
We get to see it.
That is so cool.
This is so much better than a nap.
How much longer is it going to last?
Well, it kind of depends on where you're standing on the path of totality.
But where we are, it should last for a couple of minutes or so.
I set an egg timer to remind us to put our glasses back on before the sun peaks back out from the other side.
That's a good idea, Mindy.
Well, what are we supposed to do until then?
Nothing?
Well, just soak it up, Grandma G-Force.
And reflect on the fact that we're all just very small cogs in an infinitely large and vast cosmic universe.
Pass.
Then, I don't know, go inside and look for some more cookies.
Oh, yeah.
It really does make you think, doesn't it, Mindy?
About what, Guy Ross?
Well, about how lucky we are to be alive right here, right now.
In the exact spot where these two celestial objects have intersected to create something so beautiful.
And the fact that we, as human beings, have the capacity to understand and interpret that beauty.
You know.
Mindy?
Sorry, what were you saying?
Never mind.
That's our cue, everyone.
Glasses back on.
This is so cool.
Okay, coming out of totality in three, two, one.
Ooh.
Wow, that was really something special, Guy Raz.
You can say that again.
Wow, that was really something special, Guy Raz.
Hey, look what I found next to the cookies.
I've been looking all over for that.
Alrighty, let's turn this on.
Can't wait to see what Bongo and the Big Toot thought about this one.
Whoa!
There's only one word to describe what I just saw, and that word is mind-blowing.
Uh, that's two words, Bongo.
No, you just say them real fast.
Mind-blowing, mind-blowing.
Uh, mind-blowing.
Yeah, I don't get it.
Anyway, Toot, what do you say we spin the song one more time?
All right.
Coming at you one more time.
It's Moon 5 with Eclipse Party.
Turn it up.
I love this song.
Well, okay.
Go tell your friends.
Let's go to a party.
The day is dark.
There's no sunlight on me.
It's an eclipse.
It's an eclipse party.
It's an eclipse.
So everybody, go tell your friends.
Let's go to a party.
It's Mindy and Guy Raz here from Wow in the World.
Mindy and I have some brand new Wow in the World toys out in the world just in time for the holidays.
Made for the kids who love science and for the ones who don't yet.
From our 100 experiments, that Wow kit to the telescope and astronomy kit.
Our Wow in the World toys help your Wowzer learn about their world through play.
What you can hear exclusive audio content from me and Guy Raz to help your wowzer discover even more wows.
Grown-ups.
Give the gift of wow and wonder this holiday season with our latest Wow in the World toys designed with your curious wowzer in mind.
You can shop our Wow in the World toys at Tinkercast.com slash toys.
That's Tinkercast.com slash toys.
Wow in the World will be right messages for you.
That's it.
Back to the show.
Wow in the World.
Hi, thanks for calling Wow in the World.
After the beep, get ready to record.
Hi, Mindy and Guyrod.
My name is Kenley, and I'm nine and a half years old.
I live in Brevin, California.
My Wow in the World is that mosquitoes bite more than a full moon.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Ross.
Say hi to Reggie and Dennis for me.
Ahoy there.
Hi, Mindy.
Hi, Guy Ross.
My name is Mika and I'm from Seattle, Washington.
And my wow in the world is that every zebra has a different stripe pattern.
Bye.
I love your show.
Hi, my name is Lizzie and I am from Rock Valley, Iowa.
And my wow in the world is that when Butterfly Chrysalis feels threatened, they actually shake.
Say hi to Reggie, Dennis, Thomas Fingerling, and Grandma G-Force. are born with feathers.
I love your show.
Hi, my name is Stella and I'm seven years old and I live in Atlanta Georgia, and my wow in the world is Horses Can't Throw Up.
By Mindy and Guy, Raz and Reggie.
I listen to your show every night.
Bye.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Raz.
My name is Owen.
I'm seven years old and I live in Prairie Village, Kansas.
My wow that giraffes have the same number of neck bones as us humans.
Bye!
Love your show!
Hi, Mindy Anguira.
My name is Adeline, and I live in Ontario, Toronto.
My wow is that mushrooms don't grow out of seeds.
My name is Ike, and I live in San Antonio, Texas.
My wow in the world is that frogs can jump 20 times their own length.
I'll be like a person jumping 100 feet.
Bye.
My name is Dahlia.
I'm 10, and I'm from San Francisco, California.
My wow in the world is that hippo sweat is red.
I know, right?
Say hi to Reggie.
And Dennis.
What?
Everybody knows that you're static, man.
No, I'm not static, man.
We just look alike and sound alike.
You can also hear Jed Anderson in the voices of Dennis Thomas Fingerling, Reggie and many of the other silly characters that you hear on our show.
Lizzie Freilich can also be heard as some of the silly characters on our show.
Jessica Bode keeps our facts straight as our fact checker.
And Meredith Halpern-Ranzer powers the wow at Tinkercast.
Our theme song was composed and performed by three-time Grammy nominees, the Pop-Ups.
Find them at thepopups.com.
Special thanks to Kit Ballinger, Rebecca Caban, Dr Natasha Crandall, Kenny Curtis, Kristen Yang, Thuy Mac, Erica Medina, Henry Moskal, Jodi Nussbaum, Ali Paksima, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Joanna Weber, Anna Zagorski and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ.
And to keep the WOW rolling after you finish this episode, visit us at Tinkercast.com.
There you can become a member of the World Organization of Wowzers to get year-round mailings and weekly activities.
Shop our WOW shop, get tickets for upcoming events and find our best-selling books and learn about some of the other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast.
Grown-ups.
You can follow Wow in the World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at Wow in the World, and our email address is hello at Tinkercastcom.
And if you're a kid with a big wow to share with us, call us at 1-888-7-WOW-WOW for a chance to be featured at the end of our show or an coming episode of Two.
What's in a Wow?
Thanks again for listening.
We're here every Monday or you can check out Two What's in a Wow every Friday right here in the Wow in the World podcast feed.
And don't forget we wow on the weekend with Dennis Saturday and Sunday.
Keep on wowing.
Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.