A solar eclipse will be observable from the United States on April 8. Although only a small strip of the nation in the "path of totality" will be able to see a total solar eclipse, the rest of the continental United States should be able to see a partial eclipse, depending on weather and cloud cover on that day. We should be able to see a 94% eclipse from Fayette.
NASA explains:
Eclipses occur due to the special coincidence of the Moon and the Sun being the same angular size. The Sun is approximately 400 times wider than the Moon, but it is also approximately 400 times farther away, so they appear to be the same size in our sky. This is what allows the Moon to completely block the Sun during total solar eclipses. (Source: Total Solar Eclipse FAQ)
Although Fayette is not in the path of the totality, you will still be able to see around a 94% eclipse from campus (depending on the cloud cover that day).
The partial eclipse will begin between 1:53 p.m. and 1:56 p.m. on April 8th.
It is not safe to look directly at the sun during a solar eclipse. To safely view the solar eclipse and protect your eyes, you will need to wear special "eclipse glasses" that help filter the sun. Understand that sunglasses will not work the same as eclipse glasses, and you will risk eye damage if you try this.
No. Unless you have a camera equipped with a sun filter, you should not view the solar eclipse through a phone, camera, or other optical device. Even with solar glasses on, the concentrated rays of the sun could permanently damage your eyes and/or the sensors in your camera. Read More about eclipse safety on NASA's website.
Solar eclipses occur two to five times a year in some form. Total solar eclipses occur around every 18 months, but they are only visible in certain parts of the world. The next time that a solar eclipse will be seen over the United States will be in August 2044.
2024 Total Solar Eclipse - This online resource offered by NASA provides photographs, interactive maps, and short articles pertaining to the April 8 solar eclipse and what you should expect. Included are pages discussing eclipse safety and a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the eclipse.
Solar eclipses offer scientists a unique opportunity to study part of the sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The corona is only visible when the bright light of the sun is blocked, making solar eclipses a unique opportunity for scientists to study regions of the corona closest to the surface of the sun. Past solar eclipses have allowed scientists to study solar storms, and even prove Einstein's Theory of General Relativity! Read more in this selection of articles or watch this short three and a half minute video from NASA.
(Source: NASA Goddard)
Did you know that darkness affects our perception of color? As the light shifts, our eyes become more sensitive to blues and greens because of their shorter wavelengths. At the same time, the opposite occurs with reds and oranges because of their longer wavelengths. This means that blues and greens will seem more vibrant in the darkness, while reds will lose their hue. This is known as the Perkinje Effect. Try this out the day of the eclipse and wear reds and greens! (Source: Johnathan Corum | Maps of the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse | March 25, 2024 | The New York Times).
A photograph of the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse as seen above Madras Oregon (Source: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
Photograph of the August 2017 solar eclipse, taken in Madras, Oregon (Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani).
At the beginning and end of a total eclipse, viewers get to see what is called the diamond-ring effect (Credit: NASA/Carla Thomas).
Images of a partial eclipse taken in 2017 from Ross Lake, Northern Cascades National Park, Washington (Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Photograph of a partial solar eclipse taken in August 2017 from Oregon State Fair Grounds, Salem, Oregon (Credit: NASA)
One interesting area of study surrounding the solar eclipse is research relating to how animal behaviors are impacted as a result of the sudden change of light during a total solar eclipse.
Read more about this research in "Researchers to observe how total solar eclipse affects animal behavior" by Christina Larson.
Astronomers from Cornell University explain what to expect during the upcoming solar eclipse in this short 4 minute video.
American Eclipse (eBook) by
In the scorching summer of 1878, with the Gilded Age in its infancy, three tenacious and brilliant scientists raced to Wyoming and Colorado to observe a rare total solar eclipse. One sought to discover a new planet. Another-an adventuresome female astronomer-fought to prove that science was not anathema to femininity. And a young, megalomaniacal inventor, with the tabloid press fast on his heels, sought to test his scientific bona fides and light the world through his revelations. David Baron brings to three-dimensional life these three competitors-James Craig Watson, Maria Mitchell, and Thomas Edison-and thrillingly re-creates the fierce jockeying of nineteenth-century American astronomy. With spellbinding accounts of train robberies and Indian skirmishes, the mythologized age of the last days of the Wild West comes alive as never before. A magnificent portrayal of America’s dawn as a scientific superpower, American Eclipse depicts a young nation that looked to the skies to reveal its towering ambition and expose its latent genius.
(Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
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