Historical solar eclipse just one month away

By Jes-C French

Holyoke Enterprise

The United States will experience a rare and historic celestial event Monday, Aug. 21, when a total solar eclipse crosses the nation. Beginning in Lincoln Beach, Oregon, at 10:15 a.m. PDT and ending about an hour and a half later near Charleston, South Carolina, at 2:48 p.m. EDT, the total eclipse will follow a 70-mile-wide course, the path of totality, from coast to coast. 

Perkins County is not far at all from the path of totality, but unless residents travel, they will see only a partial eclipse. Oshkosh is just outside the path, while North Platte is within it. 

Many communities that are on the center of the path are hosting special events, including Alliance, Tryon, Stapleton and Grand Island. Along that center line, the total eclipse will last for about two and a half minutes. The further a location is from the center of the path, the shorter its viewing will be.

State and national parks all along the path have events planned to celebrate and view the phenomenon across the nation. For information on such opportunities in Nebraska, visit http://outdoornebraska.gov/eclipse/. National park information can be found at www.nps.gov.

The last total eclipse visible from the contiguous United States was nearly four decades ago. February 26, 1979, one was visible in five states in the Pacific Northwest. Of course, there are different kinds of eclipses, including partial and annular solar eclipses, as well as lunar eclipses. Solar eclipses happen more often, but are visible in only a small area. The less frequent lunar eclipses, however, are visible from over half the earth.

All of North America will — weather permitting — experience at least a partial eclipse Aug. 21, but the path of totality is limited to the United States, which hasn’t happened since 1778.

The last total eclipse that crossed the entire continent was June 8, 1918. This year’s total eclipse will pass through 14 states total: Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and North and South Carolina.

While the 70-mile-wide path of totality is relatively narrow, about 12.2 million people live within the area. About two-thirds of the U.S. population live within one day’s drive of the path, and many are planning to make the trek. It’s no wonder, since the next time a total solar eclipse will be visible in the United States will be April 8, 2024, and it won’t be nearly as close to Grant.

Alex Young, a solar scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center said, “If you have an opportunity to see this — take it. You will not be disappointed.”

For those who will not be in the path of totality, NASA will air live video of the eclipse, along with coverage of activities in parks, libraries, stadiums, festivals and museums across the nation at https://www.nasa.gov/eclipselive. Images taken from 11 spacecraft, at least three NASA aircraft, more than 50 high-altitude balloons and the astronauts aboard the International Space Station will offer several unique vantage points.

Historically, eclipses have offered scientists great opportunities for research, including the discovery of helium and confirmation of general relativity.

According to NASA, scientists stationed in Columbia, Missouri, and Casper, Wyoming, will measure the radiant energy in the atmosphere from the ground and in space during this total eclipse. Their goal is to improve our understanding of how the sun’s radiant energy within the Earth’s atmosphere changes when clouds, particles or the moon block sunlight from reaching the Earth’s surface.

View the eclipse safely

While no one will want to miss seeing this rare event, eye protection is a must. 

It is never safe to look directly at the sun. According to NASA, “the only safe way to look directly at an uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers.”

It is safe to look with the naked eye only when the sun is fully eclipsed. For any area outside the path of totality, that will not happen, so eye protection will be necessary for looking directly at the sun throughout the entire event. Eclipse glasses are inexpensive and readily available, but viewers should plan ahead to be sure they have a pair before the big day.

Likewise, special binoculars and cameras exist especially for eclipses, but planning is essential to have the right equipment when the time comes to use it.

Many are expected to travel to the path of totality over the weekend preceding the eclipse. The Federal Highway administration calls this a “planned special event for which there has been no recent precedent in the United States.” Keep that in mind for safe and effective travel during that time.