For astronomers and eclipse watchers of all kinds, total solar eclipses provide excellent opportunities to study the sun in detail. As millions of people travel to witness the total solar eclipse as it traverses the United States on August 21, 2017, we are reminded that humans have always observed the sun. Take a brief trip through the history of solar viewing with Exploratorium astronomer and educator Dr. Isabel Hawkins—from ancient Chinese astronomers using jade disks to look at the sun to the Parker Solar Probe, the latest NASA satellite mission to study the sun. En Español