Bill Nye the Science Guy’s ‘epic’ solar eclipse photo shoot sends fans into a frenzy

Bill Nye the Science Guy is preparing for the solar eclipse - and his photo shoot with Time Out magazine proves it.

The 68-year-old TV scientist recently geared fans up for the forthcoming solar eclipse with a fiery photo shoot for Time Out New York. For the digital cover, Nye wore an orange puffer vest and a pair of futuristic sunglasses with orange frames. The beloved scientist was also dressed in a black flame-printed jumper and cargo pants. “The Eclipse is Nye,” the cover’s headline read.

Another image showed Nye looking up to the sky while wearing a pair of sunglasses - mimicking the very same gesture that millions of Americans will make during the solar eclipse on 8 April. The scientist was dressed in a black bomber jacket in a third photo, and a solar system-printed white T-shirt in another.

“On Monday, April 8, the Moon will pass between the Sun and the Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun,” Time Out New York captioned the photoshoot on Instagram. “In preparation for the celestial event, we sat down with Bill Nye (@billnye) to get answers to all of our burning eclipse questions and his top recs for seeing it in New York City.”

The total solar eclipse will be visible across North America. Fifteen states in the US will provide some of the best locations to view the celestial event, including Dallas, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Cleveland, Ohio; and Buffalo, New York.

For Nye - who starred in the beloved children’s programme, Bill Nye the Science Guy, from 1993 to 1998 - he will be viewing the total solar eclipse in Texas with the rest of the Planetary Society, of which he serves as CEO.

“Don’t miss this eclipse. It’s a big deal. The next one’s not for 20 years,” he told the outlet. “You don’t know where you’re going to be or if you’re going to be able to be there. So catch this one.”

Unsurprisingly, Nye’s fiery photoshoot received praise from fans on social media, as many users professed their longtime love for the legendary TV personality.

“Bill Nye will literally never lose his epic factor,” wrote one person on X, formerly Twitter.

“He didn’t have to go this hard,” another fan commented on Instagram.

“I love that I grew up with him in science class and get to see him be just a bad ass as he ages,” a third person said.

“This is the coolest post I have ever seen,” commented someone else, while one person said: “Everything about this - from the styling to the graphics to the photography to the lighting - is just perfect.”

Speaking to the magazine, Nye encouraged science fanatics to “take that day, that midday drive up the road” and view the solar eclipse within its 115-mile-wide path of totality, which stretches from Mexico to Canada. Total darkness is expected to last up to four minutes and 28 seconds, as Nye said: “You’re talking about three minutes, 18 seconds… it will change your life.”

Special eclipse glasses are necessary for safely observing the moon line up perfectly between the Earth and the sun. While it’s safe to observe the sky without glasses when the sun is completely covered, experts stress avoiding eye damage by using eclipse glasses to view the sun.

When asked why the forthcoming total solar eclipse is so highly-anticipated, the longtime educator explained how the event continues to capture everyone’s attention. “We just wonder where we came from. We wonder about the cosmos and our place within it. Everybody does. Everybody wonders if there are other people on other planets or on other stars, wondering if we are here and back and forth,” Nye said, noting that he hopes his young fans use the eclipse to “pause and think about their place in the cosmos”.

“How remarkable it is that we understand the motion of the Earth and moon with such precision,” he added.