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

When and Where of Totality - And How To Use Your Total Solar Eclipse Glasses

NASA Tells us exactly when and where totality will occur during this August total solar eclipse. As well as when to have your glasses on and when you can safely take them off. Put them on as the moon begins to cross over the sun, once it is COMPLETELY COVERED you can take them off to view totality, and then put them back on when the moon begins to show a sliver of the sun again. They have a handy illustration for clarity too! THEY EVEN TELL YOU EXACTLY WHEN AND WHERE IT WILL OCCUR!

And Please! Make sure your glasses are ISO CERTIFIED!

When and Where will the August Total Solar Eclipse happen?

Here is a small list of Locations for the Path of Total or Partial Eclipse

The good news is, everyone in the USA should be able to see at least a partial eclipse! Make sure you have eclipse glasses to protect your eyes! (or here if you want more stylin ones ;) )Even if you aren't in the path of totality, you should step outside and see the partial eclipse!

You could also get your eclipse style on with some t-shirts or hoodies!

Did You Know the August Total Solar Eclipse Will Give Scientists a Rare Chance to Study Sun’s Corona?

Did you know French astronomer Pierre Janssen discovered the element helium when he detected a yellow emission line during a solar eclipse in 1868!

Scientists are taking this opportunity to study the sun again. The next time an eclipse will provide this perfect of conditions again won't be until 2024.


"On Aug. 21, as millions of Americans prepare to watch a total solar eclipse from the ground — wearing their safety spectacles, natch — a small team of scientists will hop aboard a Gulfstream V jet in Tennessee. Time will be short. The plane, a research aircraft owned by the National Science Foundation, will race to intercept the path of the moon's shadow and follow it as long as it can. The astrophysicists, once they're above southern Kentucky, should have a four-minute window to record the ghost of the missing sun...." READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Could The Path of the Solar Eclipse Already be Altering our Behavior?

I'm not sure if this is just the Washington Post trying to make the total solar eclipse be the most photographed, shared, tweeted event in history, or if it is already actually altering our behavior. But in my opinion, we should all be aware and I hope nobody misses this! Even if you aren't in the path of totality, some places will still see the sky darken, I'm sure it is going to impact many!

The Washington Post says:
"The upcoming solar eclipse is poised to become the “most photographed, most shared, most tweeted event in human history,” in the words of one astronomer. Millions of people will watch it, potentially overwhelming the cities and towns along the eclipse's path of totality...." READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

If you are planning on watching it, don't forget your glasses! Or some more stylin ones.

You can even get your Eclipse style on!

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