I was chatting with a fellow mom in the third-grade volleyball stands recently when the conversation about my new book came up. I automatically launched into my standard "You don't have to be an astronomy buff to appreciate eclipses" spiel. But instead of the standard head nod response, Paige reached for her phone and pulled up a photo of her Halloween costume from 2017.
She was a solar eclipse.
Her husband was an eclipse chaser.
It was simple. It was brilliant. It was perfect. I had found my people!
The best part may be that you can pull this costume off, too, with things you probably already have on hand thanks to the recent annular “ring of fire” solar eclipse! This costume idea meets all my best Halloween costume criteria:
Clever
Unique
Timely
Last-minute
Conversation starter
Cheap
Comfortable
Car-friendly
Inspired by Paige's brilliant idea, I'm happy to present you with a few variations of the solar eclipse costume. Whether you pull it off as a pair or rock this stellar theme solo, please come back and share it with us! Seeing any kind of eclipse is always a win. Celebrating your creativity is an absolute must!
Solar Eclipse Costume Ideas for Couples
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Chasing Totality Costume
One person is a total solar eclipse and the other person is an eclipse chaser. (See photo above!)
Materials:
Eclipse:
Eclipse chaser
Total Solar Eclipse: A Stellar Friendship Story book (optional)
Hat (optional)
Solar eclipse t-shirt (optional)
Eclipse Road Atlas or map (optional)
Instructions:
The person being the eclipse wears the shirt with the Sun on it and hangs the Moon from a lanyard so it's the same height as Sun. Pin or tape optional stars on the rest of your clothes to look like the sky. Put on the optional tutu because it can represent the solar corona and also because tutus are always a good idea.
The person being the eclipse chaser dresses up with the eclipse accessories available and enthusiastically follows the eclipse around.
One-liners:
Eclipse chaser: “Every once-in-a-while I catch her (or him).”
Eclipse: “Every once-in-a-while I let him (or her) catch me.”
Total Eclipse of the Heart Costume
One person is the Sun, the other is the Moon. The Moon should be slightly larger than the Sun so when you stand in front of each other, you make a total solar eclipse.
Materials:
2 large cardboard circles with one slightly larger than the other
Paint (Sun colors, Moon colors)
Black Sharpie® (optional)
Lanyard (optional)
Mini speaker to play “Total Eclipse of the Heart” at opportune times, like when someone asks what you are and you dramatically eclipse (optional)
Instructions:
Cut out the cardboard circles. One will be the Sun and the other will be the Moon. You can decide how big you want them to be, but make sure the Moon is slightly larger than the Sun so it can fully eclipse it when you put them together.
Paint your Sun. Paint your Moon. If you want to get fancy, create a solar corona around the sun by gluing or stapling coffee filters or tulle all the way around the outside of it. The coffee filters or tulle should be visible behind Moon when Sun and Moon are stacked together.
After the Sun and Moon are dry, label them with the Sharpie so you don’t have to answer as many questions all night.
Short on time? Short on energy? Don't want to look like you tried too hard? Dress the smaller person in an orange or yellow t-shirt labeled Sun. Dress the bigger person in a gray or black t-shirt labeled Moon. Tell people you’re a solar eclipse and watch them roll their eyes while they secretly wish they were wearing a comfortable t-shirt instead of riding their inflatable horse (always a classic).
One-liners:
“When everything aligns just right, even a Moon can catch a star.”
“We’re better together."
Solar Eclipse Costume Ideas for Individuals
Eclipse Chaser Costume
Materials:
Total Solar Eclipse: A Stellar Friendship Story book (optional)
Hat (optional)
Solar eclipse t-shirt (optional)
Eclipse Road Atlas or map (optional)
One-liners:
“Three people are tied for seeing the most total solar eclipses at 35. I’m shooting for 36.”
“Clouds are my enemy!”
Solar Eclipse Costume | Total Solar Eclipse Costume | Ring of Fire Costume
Depending on the eclipse effect you’re going for, you can create a solar eclipse, total solar eclipse or ring of fire using simple materials and adding your creativity. You can go with Paige's original idea featured in the couples costume at the beginning of this post, or try something like this.
Materials
1 large cardboard circle
Paint (Sun colors, Moon colors)
Black Sharpie® (optional)
Lanyard (optional)
Coffee filters (optional)
Instructions:
Paint your cardboard according to the type of eclipse you want to represent.
For partial eclipse, paint a crescent of yellow/orange Sun and the rest of the circle black.
For total, paint it all black and staple coffee filters around the outside to represent the solar corona.
For ring of fire, paint a narrow ring around the outside of the circle orange and the inside of the circle black.
If you're really talented, make two circles and make them interactive. Throughout the evening, you can eclipse them more and more until the big moment of totality where the Moon hides the Sun.
Affix your eclipse to your body using your own creativity based on the size of your eclipse and the type of mobility you need.
One-liner:
"Save the date. April 8, 2024."
"I'm stellar."
What's your go-to, last-minute Halloween costume for your kids or yourself?
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