The most talked about celestial event of the year is less than a week a way. On August 21, 2017 the Moon passes in between the Earth and the Sun and this shadow is going to move across the Continental United States from Oregon to South Carolina. This is called a solar eclipse.
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| Only people in the path of the shadow will see an eclipse. |
Everywhere not in the center of this path but in North America will be
getting a partial eclipse while those on the path are going to see a
total eclipse of the sun. Where will you be during the solar eclipse of 2017? Check out NASA's
Eclipse 2017 website for
an interactive map and see how much of an eclipse you will get. Here is a collection of tips for viewing this
really cool event with your friends and family.
Rule #1 - NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN
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| Taken with cellphone camera with eclipse shades used as solar filter |
The sun is
way to bright to look at with your own eyes. Staring at the sun can burn your eyes damaging them and rendering you blind. When any part of the sun's surface is visible it is still dangerous to look at without protection. The only way to safely look at the sun directly is to use solar eclipse shades. To know if you have the correct, safe shades you need to see that they have ISO 12312-2 international standard certification printed on them. The only thing you should be able to see with these specially rated eclipse shades is the sun. (See picture of sun with filter.) Your regular, everyday sunglasses are not rated for direct solar viewing, DO NOT use them for the eclipse.
Science museums, planetariums, observatories even some libraries have been giving away the safe solar eclipse shades however supplies is limited as the eclipse day approaches. Finding these shades online for purchase is not cheap. If you haven't gotten a pair of these eclipse shades, fear not! There are ways to experience the eclipse without going blind.
Shadow Play - Eclipse Style
In doing research for this blog post, and for work, I have found some unique tricks to viewing the eclipse indirectly.
Pinhole Projector
A pinhole projector is made using, as it says a pinhole to project an image of the sun. Take two cards card and poke a hole in one of them. Take both cards outside with you during the eclipse and stand with the sun to your back. Hold the card with the hole in it over your shoulder and the other card just a few inches away. If aimed right you should see a bright dot on the second card, this is the sun. You can move the second card away from the pinhole card to get a bigger projection. Making the hole bigger means you will have to move the card farther from the card or paper you are projecting to. Don't try to see the sun through the hole, this will blind you, always look at the shadow of the card.
Want to have some fun with your pinhole projections?
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| Pinhole projection of a solar eclipse using a colander. Credit: Alice Pintus |
Try poking out a message in your card. During the eclipse you will see crescent suns projected in the shape of your message. Bring out some simple kitchen items like a spoon with holes, colander (the kind with big holes works better than mesh) and a grater with small holes. Aim these objects while looking at the shadows on the ground and when you get it to show the holes you will see little projections of the sun.
Pinhole projection ideas.
Make a pinhole viewer tube
To simplify your pinhole projection during eclipse time make a pinhole view tube like the one shown here. All you need is a cardboard tube like a mailing tube, you can even use a potato chip tube if you have one, thick index card and tape. See instructions below, adult assistance required to cut through cardboard tube.
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| Pinhole viewer tube window with end capped off (Steps 1 and 2) |
Step 1 - Cut a rectangle out of one end of the side of the tube to make a window. (See picture.)
Step 2 - Cap off the end of the tube with the window with white paper. (See picture.)
Step 2 - Tape a thick card or tinfoil to the opposite end of the tube from the window.
Step 3 - Poke hole in the card taped on the end opposite from the window.
If you are using a potato chip tub - Step 4 - roll and stick dark
paper inside inside the canister to reduce any brightness from foiled
walls of the tub. Re-cut the window out of the dark paper to
see the white paper at the bottom.
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Completed pinhole viewer tube
Pinhole on top - Window and capped end on bottom |
Once made take outside on sunny day have sun behind you and tip tube so
that the end with the pinhole is pointing toward the sun and the window
down to the ground. See picture of completed viewer tube to see how to
hold it. To aim it
right look at the shadow of the tube on the ground and tip the tube so
the shadow looks like a circle and not a hotdog. When the shadow is a
circle you
can look through the window down to the paper and you should see a
projected sun on the capped end inside the tube. During the partial eclipse phase you will see a crescent sun on the capped end at the bottom through the window when aimed correctly. The longer the tube you have, the bigger the projection will be. With the potato chip tubs the image will be small and slightly out of focus. A longer tube will be a bit more in focus and you can get a larger projected image of the sun. The bigger the pinhole the farther the screen needs to be to get it in focus. Interesting note - with the pinhole projection the image seen is upside-down.
Tree Shadows
Do you have a tree nearby? One really cool way to see the partial eclipse phases is to look at the shadow of the tree. In this shadow the tiny gaps between the leaves are acting as a pinhole projector and you will see crescent suns in the shadows. As long as you don't break Rule #1 and look up through the tree to the sun, this is a safe fun way to see a projection of the sun being covered by the moon.
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| The Eclipse Tree - Credit & Copyright:
E. Israel |
Things to Remember
If you happen to be in the path of totality and the crescent sun in the shadow has disappeared, you can actually look up at the sun directly and witness the total eclipse of the sun. The sky will darken, you may feel it be a bit colder temperature, and you may notice animals behaving like it is almost night time. Of course, once the Moon is no longer blocking the full sun you need to look away, put those eclipse shades back on if you got them, and celebrate that you saw a total solar eclipse.
For the rest of us not in the path of totality, but able to see a partial solar eclipse stick to the safe viewing tips mentioned above, my personal favorite that I will try is the colander projection method. Also remember, while the eclipse is a special event, being out in the sun is no
different from any normal sunny day. Wear your sunblock, bring a hat, drink water to
stay hydrated. With kids you can use these safe viewing methods of shadow play and
have a good time. Whether go to a special eclipse viewing event or make one of your own, join millions of people across North America and experience the Solar Eclipse of 2017, Meet Me Outdoors.
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