If you haven’t heard about the Great American Total Solar
Eclipse, you must be on vacation from all news sources. Not to be confused with
the Great American Cookout, which started in April and goes through November,
the Solar Eclipse will last about two minutes. If you live in Hopkinsville, KY, you’re
in luck. That’s where it will last the longest, two minutes and 40 seconds. It
will take ninety minutes to cross the U.S. on a path from Oregon to South
Carolina.
What’s going to happen? Basically, the moon will get between
Earth and the Sun. Depending on where you live (or travel to), you’ll see either the total eclipse (along that path from Oregon to South Carolina) or a partial.
Where I live in west Michigan, we’ll see a partial. Think of a “fingernail”
moon and that’s what we’ll see of the sun as the moon’s umbra (shadow) covers it. Like the one just to the left of the total eclipse below.
Exciting, right? We’re all going to rush outside to look.
Right? Wrong. Unless you protect your eyes. Retailers all over the country are
offering “eclipse” glasses for sale. Be
sure they are safe or you could lose your sight.
Myths and Superstitions What could be scarier in ancient times than the sun
disappearing? They had to come up with a reason. Like mythical figures eating
or stealing the sun. In Vietnam, it was a giant frog, while the Norse blamed
wolves for eating the sun. The Inuits thought the sun and moon were fighting.
The worst superstitions have to do with pregnant women. In
fact, with prior eclipses, pregnant women were told to stay indoors. The Aztecs
believed the eclipse might turn fetuses into mice. Yikes! I might have
grandmice instead of two healthy boys. (In case you didn’t know, my daughter-in-law
is expecting twins in November.) According to Mexican and South Asian myths, cleft
palates are caused by the eclipse. Not so. Scientific evidence debunks those
stories.
But one thing is true. Looking directly at the eclipse can
damage your eyes. You can make a pinhole
projector or buy special glasses. The following warnings are from the
article on pinhole projectors.
Keep Safe!
§ Never look at the Sun directly without
protective eye gear. Even sunglasses cannot protect your eyes from the damage
the Sun's rays can do to them.
§ Always
keep your back towards the Sun while looking at a pinhole projection.
§ Do
not look at the Sun through the pinhole.
By the way, this is the first total solar eclipse to cross
the U.S. in ninety years. So unless you plan to live a long, long, long time,
it’s best to see it on August 21st.
5 comments:
It's rumored that eclipse tourists are flooding Oregon...enough so that people are being warned not to travel, and others are posting ridiculous rental offers for visitors to rent their property for outrageous prices. But I'm not complaining. Due to the tourist forecast, the courts are closing and I get the day off! So maybe I'll shuffle out of bed and watch the eclipse in my pajamas. :)
Hey, Diane, loved the good safety measures listed, plus the superstitions mentioned. I think some of my family tree might have been exposed to the sun-eating gods, as there have been a few "rats" in the Sicilian line. Hmmm
Great post, Diane! lol about the giant frog- makes you wonder where superstitions originated from. Congrats on the twin gran-babies. My twin babies are going on 16.
Great post...this is the first time I've really looked at the map...and we'll be getting some sort of crescent here in New Mexico. Frankly, I can't wait! Now, let's hope the monsoons decide to be absent that day. Thanks for sharing, Diane!
CJ, I've heard about tourists hitting the major towns along the path, esp. Hopkinsville, KY, where the eclipse will last the longest.
Francesca, LOL at the rats.
Maureen, I wondered, too. Thanks for the congrats. We're excited about the twins.
Lynn, I'm looking forward to it, too. I didn't think much about it until I wrote the post. LOL
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