2017 Solar Eclipse
August 21, 2017
Eclipse Basics (from Eclipse Activity Guide, http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov)
- What is the 2017 solar eclipse? Eclipses occur when one astronomical object moves in front of another, or when an an astronomical objects moves into the shadow of another object. In the sun-Earth-moon system, eclipses occur when the sun, Earth and moon all line up.
- What will we see here in the North Central Texas area? The North Central Texas area will be in an area that will see a partial solar eclipse. Only part of the sun is covered during a partial eclipse. The partial eclipse will look like part of the sun is missing and begins at 11:46 am and will continue until 2:45 pm with maximum coverage at 1:16 pm. Click here for a link to NASA's 3D interactive simulation for the 2017 eclipse.
- How can the eclipse be safely observed? Looking directly at the Sun is unsafe. However, there are two ways to observe the partial eclipse: direct viewing can be done with special-purpose solar filters such as "eclipse glasses" or hand-held solar viewers. Glasses or filters should meet certification that meet the ISO 12312-2 International standard. Click here for information about products meeting this safety standard. The eclipse can also be viewed indirectly with a pinhole camera or Sunspotter. Each elementary campus has a Sunspotter sunscope that projects the sun's light for safe viewing. Click here for details about these options for safe viewing. There are also several live streaming options for the eclipse as well: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-live-stream
- For additional information including education-focused resources: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/, https://eclipse.aas.org/resources/educational-materials