The total eclipse crossing the nation April 8 will not be fully visible here. We will, however, witness a partial one from approximately 10:30 a.m. to noon. The moon’s shadow will be cast upon the sun giving the illusion that someone has taken a bite out of it.
This eclipse will last longer than others, with totality lasting approximately four minutes and 28 seconds compared to the last solar eclipse that crossed the county in 2017. That one lasted two minutes and forty seconds. This gives scientists a few extra seconds to conduct their research.
American astronaut, Space Shuttle pilot and NASA deputy administrator Pam Melroy explained during a press briefing that NASA’s focal point during the eclipse will be the sun’s atmosphere, or corona, which is “key to understanding fundamental questions about how heat and energy are transferred out into the solar wind, which contributes to our understanding not just of solar dynamics but also how solar flares and the solar wind will affect life here on Earth.”
Rockets, planes, balloons, and on-the-ground observations will be used by NASA researchers, in hopes of gaining insight into the ways solar flares impact Earth.
According to NASA’s website: “Using NASA’s WB-57 high-altitude research aircraft, one project will capture images of the eclipse from an altitude of 50,000 feet above Earth’s surface.
By taking images above the majority of Earth’s atmosphere, the team hopes to be able to see new details of structures in the middle and lower corona. The observations, taken with a camera that images in infrared and visible light at high resolution and high speed, could also help study a dust ring around the Sun and search for asteroids that may orbit near the Sun. The project, led by Amir Caspi at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, builds on Caspi’s successful experiment with a new camera suite.”
The event will be awe-inspiring. Creatures big and small have been found to react to the sudden daylight dark. Nocturnal animals have become active, roosters have begun to crow, and crickets have been known to start chirping. Gorillas on the other hand have been observed getting ready for bed, while giraffes gathered and galloped around. Eclipses have brought out a sense of wonder in humans as well, stopping what they are doing and staring skyward. For those who wish to watch it here, Island Rec has organized a gathering at Linde Fields beginning at 11 a.m. They advise participants to bring their own eclipse viewers. Wherever you watch, do not look directly at the sun as even an eclipsed corona can cause permanent damage to retinas. Eclipse viewing equipment is available online, and there is a plethora of DIY directions to making your very own glasses as well.
Wherever you are, get out there and look around. It is important to remember, we are not just on an island, but traveling on a rock through infinite space circling a massive ball of fire with no idea how we got here or where we are going. Isn’t it a wild ride?
