First Coast-to-Coast Solar Eclipse in 99 Years Coming August 2017
Image courtesy of nasa.gov
March 31, 201746 Views
On August 21, 2017 there will be a total solar eclipse over the United States. This means that the moon will pass in front of the sun, and create a shadow over the earth.
According to NASA, the full eclipse will last less than 3 minutes.
When this happens the daytime sky will become dark, the temperature will get cooler, not a lot but cooler, and animals will retreat back to their homes. People ranging from Oregon to the Carolinas will be looking up at the sky (although it is not recommended to look directly at the eclipse).
The last total solar eclipse happened in 1979 and it only covered a small percentage of the Pacific Northwest. According to the Washington Post, the last time all of mainland America could see an eclipse like this was 99 years ago.
Every single person in the United States will be able to walk outside on Monday August 21 2017 and see at least sixty percent of the eclipse. Those in a path about 60 miles wide will see the full black-out effect.
One of the prime spots to view the eclipse is in Columbia, South Carolina, it will have one of the longest viewings of totality. Other places
Solar eclipses are not that rare, but because the shadow it creates is only about sixty to one hundred miles wide, and the majority of the earth is water, almost all solar eclipses happen over the ocean.
Some people think that this is an act of God. While people in America get ready for this event, people in Asia, and Europe have also begun to book hotels along the eclipse path.
According to Hugh Ross who is working in the astronomy field, and a minister, says “I don’t think it’s an accident that God put us human beings here on Earth where we can actually see total solar eclipses. I think God wants us to make these discoveries”.
Ross will be taking a group of approximately 80 people who are interested in finding spirituality in science. The group will travel down a dirt road in a field in eastern Oregon and wait for the eclipse to happen. Many other church groups are apparently planning to do the same, just in other parts of the country.
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The headline of this article says “First Solar Eclipse in 99 Years Coming August 2017” but that’s not accurate. There have been many total solar eclipses in the U.S. over the last 99 years. The distinction with this one is that it’s the first total eclipse to cross the U.S. from coast to coast in 99 years.
“People ranging from Oregon to the Carolinas will be looking up at the sky (although it is not recommended to look directly at the eclipse).”
What you mean is that it’s not *safe* to look at the eclipse with unprotected eyes. Here’s what you need to know to stay safe: You MUST use special eclipse safety glasses to view a partial eclipse and the partial phases of a total eclipse. To do otherwise is risking permanent eye damage and even blindness. The ONLY time it’s safe to look at a TOTAL eclipse without proper eye protection is during the very brief period of totality when the Sun is 100 percent blocked by the Moon. If you’re in a location where the eclipse won’t be total, there is NEVER a time when it’s safe to look with unprotected eyes. NEVER attempt to view an eclipse with an optical device (camera, binoculars, telescope) that doesn’t have a specially designed solar filter that fits snugly on the front end (the Sun side) of the device. Additionally, never attempt to view an eclipse with an optical device while wearing eclipse glasses; the focused light will destroy the glasses and enter and damage your eyes.