The Great American Partial Solar Eclipse Event Event Cache

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon blocks any part of the sun. On Monday, August 21, 2017, a solar eclipse will be visible (weather permitting) across all of North America. The whole continent will experience a partial eclipse lasting 2 to 3 hours. Halfway through the event, anyone within a roughly 70-mile-wide path from Oregon to South Carolina will experience a brief total eclipse, when the moon completely blocks the sun’s bright face for up to 2 minutes 40 seconds, turning day into night and making visible the otherwise hidden solar corona — the sun’s outer atmosphere — one of nature’s most awesome sights. Bright stars and planets will become visible as well. 

Here in Michigan we are hundreds of miles from the area of totality but will still be able to see a partial eclipse. If you are not one of those lucky people who are able to head off to an area in the path of totality please come and hang out at Heritage Park to view the partial eclipse that we will experience here.  If the weather cooperates we will see 79.25% of the sun obscured.  The eclipse will start at approximately 1pm and last until 3:47pm with the maximum noted at about 2:26pm so let's get together between 1:30 and 3:30 pm .

The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses”  or hand-held solar viewers. Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun. To date five manufacturers have certified that their eclipse glasses and handheld solar viewers meet the ISO 12312-2 international standard for such products: American Paper Optics, Baader Planetarium (AstroSolar Silver/Gold film only), Rainbow Symphony, Thousand Oaks Optical, and TSE 17.

Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device. Similarly, do not look at the sun through a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury.

                                                                

I will have a limited number of eclipse glasses to share so if you have some please bring them. 

There are also several indirect ways to watch the eclipse and I will also have examples of some of those.

If you like event geocoins there will also be a trackable geocoin available to commemorate this event for $12 each.  They will be available for sale prior to the event if they arrive in time