Eclipse Safety - Cool Things You Can Safely See During The Eclipse: And Making An Eclipse Pinhole Camera/Viewer

Afraid of damaging your eyes during the eclipse? Not sure if your glasses will give you the protection you need? Make a pinhole camera (more at the bottom of the article about this).

Get your eclipse tshirt!

There are also quite a few other things you can do that don't involve looking at the sun!

1. Shadow Snakes - It is rare to see these during a total eclipse, but it will be worth checking. As it nears totality, check the ground for dancing snake-like line shadows. Scientists aren't exactly sure what causes them, though they speculate it could be caused by light from the eclipse being focused and refocused through cells of air in the atmosphere. The best way to see them is on a light background. Some people lay white paper or posterboard on the ground. A cement sidewalk or sand would also be a good place to look for them.


2) Watch the moon's shadow race across an open field. If you are in an open area, and the skies are clear, you will be able to see the shadow of the moon racing across the ground toward you as it begins to cover the sun. Sort of like a huge cloud.



3) Sun Cresents under trees with leaves. This is a good way to see the stages of the eclipse without looking at the sun and risk of harming your eyes. If you find a tree and watch the shadows, the leaves will create hundreds of little cresents covering the ground, mimicking where the moon is covering the sun. This is because the gaps between the leaves are acting as a pinhole camera, projecting the image of the sun on the ground.

4) Day Stars. That's right, as the moon eclipses the sun, you will be able to see the stars during the day. If you are near the path of total eclipse, you may even see Jupiter and Venus!

5) 360-degree sunset.  When the sun is completely covered by the moon (totality), you can see what looks like a sunset in every direction on the horizon!

As you can see, there are plenty of things to do if you forgot your glasses or are concerned about your eyes. Stay safe during the eclipse guys! But don't let fear keep you from enjoying it.


Don't forget an eclipse tshirt! Let people know you saw the eclipse, or just that you're a fan of the eclipse and are in the know!


It may be safer to make a pinhole camera, since you don't actually look at the sun with one of those. You look at a projected image of it. Some good instructions for making your own pinhole camera can be found here. Remember! This device is used by standing with the sun behind you and viewing the projected image on the card stock you place on the ground or in front of you. NEVER look through your pinhole directly at the sun.















References:
Pinhole Camera - JPS NASA
Things That Will Happen During The Eclipse - Cnet

No Eclipse Glasses? Make an eclipse pinhole viewer/camera - Solar Eclipse Safety

Did you forget to purchase your eclipse glasses and discover them sold out everywhere? Don't worry! You can make a simple solar eclipse viewer with two thin, stiff pieces of white cardboard.

Punch a small pinhole in one piece of cardboard and let the sunlight fall through that hole onto the second piece of cardboard. With your BACK to the sun, let the sunlight pass over your shoulder through the pinhole and an inverted image of the sun will form on the second piece of cardboard like a "screen". To make the image brighter, move the screen closer to the pinhole. Rember, it should be a PINHOLE, not a wider hold. If you make the hole too large, you will get a sunbeam on your second piece of cardboard rather than an inverted image of the sun. Do not look through the pinhole at the sun. And never look directly at the eclipse!

And don't forget an eclipse shirt to show your enthusiasm!

Here's another good place to learn how to make an eclipse pinhole camera, projector, viewer. :)



References:
National Geographic :Build a Solar Eclipse Viewer

The Perseid Meteor Shower Will Be the Brightest Meteor Shower In History - Once in A Lifetime! - August 11-13th

The Perseid Meteor shower happens every year, but it will be brighter this year than usual. In fact, it won't be this bright again for 100 years, meaning you won't get a chance to see it like this again - unless you are 1-3 years old, then maybe, just maybe ;).

This year it falls between August 11th (tonight folks!) and August 13th, wih the best veiwing being on the 12th. You don't need your august solar eclipse goggles for this one, but if you're interested in our night sky, you might want to plan to step outside and watch the Perseid Meteor Shower in the next three days.

Best Seen from the Northern Hemisphere.

10 Unique Places to Watch the August Total Solar Eclipe of 2017

Here are 10 unique locations to view the august 2017 total solar eclipse and even the time and duration you will see totality there! One of my favorites is the Great Smokey Mountain National Park in North Carolina. If I could make it there, I think that would be my location of choice. Total duration there will be 1 minute 22 seconds. Don't blink! :) And you may want to consider just watching it instead of photographing it.

Total August Solar Eclipse - What You Will See From Where You Live

Vox made a super cool animated map of what you will see of the August Solar Eclipse from where you live all over the USA! CHECK IT OUT!

Don't forget to get your eclipse tshirt on! :)

And some Eclipse Viewing Glasses that are ISO Certified.

A Lifelong Eclipse Chaser Promises: ‘You will never be the same’

JournalStar interviews Mike Kentrianakis about his eclipse journey. You guys, this eclipse shouldn't be missed! 

"NEW YORK — He approaches the first stranger with an expectant smile and an urgent query: “Do you know about the solar eclipse?”

The man shakes his head, and Mike Kentrianakis is launched. He’s here at the Hayden Planetarium as an emissary of the American Astronomical Society, and his mission is to spread the word: On Aug. 21, the moon will pass between the sun and Earth, casting a shadow across a swath of the United States. The spectacle will be like nothing most people have ever seen...." READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

Fox 10 Tells The Gulf Coast What Their Total Solar Eclipse Experience Will Be Like

"First, let's break down exactly what a solar eclipse is. It's essentially when the Moon gets between the Earth and the Sun and it casts a shadow back onto the Earth. A full shadow is called an umbra. A partial shadow is called a penumbra; which is what what we'll experience on August 21st in the middle of the afternoon.... down on the Gulf Coast, we'll get about an 80% to 90% coverage of the Sun on that day...." READ THE REST HERE

Eclipse Totality NASA Live stream!

If you can't make it to the path of totality, NASA will live stream it for the four hours surrounding totality!

Either way, don't forget to get your Eclipse T-shirt on!

Great American Eclipse: Are you going to see Totality?

Don't miss totality. Watch a video about it here!

Get your eclipse gear on! Click here for Stylin Tshirts, mugs, and more!

2017 Eclipse - Totality

We are excited about the eclipse coming to America in 2017. Did you know this is the first time a full solar eclipse has happened nationwide in America since the 1700's? This is not just your average eclipse guys! Stay tuned for more tidbits about why this one is so cool!