Total Solar Eclipse: 5 Things You must do on 21 August
On Monday, August 21, moon will completely blocks the sun for nearly 2 minutes and will turn day to night.
In every sense of account total solar eclipse is “awesome”.
It has been reported that United States will witness only partial Solar Eclipse while 35 countries in Tennessee will experience total solar eclipse. The path of total eclipse is 70 mile wide and the city Nashville will fall the largest in the path.
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Since the United States was founded in 1776, this will be the first total eclipse visible in the country.
To get ready for this event on August 21, do the following 5 things:
Plan an eclipse party
“Plan a party around the eclipse,” Alvey said. Although the eclipse totality event itself is a minute or two in most spots, the partial eclipse leading up to it and winding down afterward could be a couple of hours, which is plenty of time for a lunch party, he said.
“Ask for the day off,” Wellington said. “… This is not a geeky science event. This is a human event. You don’t need to be a geologist to enjoy the beautiful western canyons and mountains. You do not need to be an astronomer to enjoy an eclipse. This is one of the great natural wonders, enjoy the view,” she said.
Do your homework
“Read up on what to expect,” Wellington said. “For most of us, this is our first total solar eclipse. Many of us have seen partials … which are cool, but nothing compared to totality.”
There are lots of programs and several recommended websites offering eclipse information, including Vanderbilt University’s Dyer Observatory, NASA and Great American Eclipse.
Don’t bother with a telescope
Just enjoy the wonder of viewing the eclipse and don’t worry about a telescope.
“There is nothing like it, it is almost a life changing experience,” said Alvey, who also discouraged trying to capture the eclipse by taking pictures. “There will be millions of pictures of it that you can get,” he said.
Wellington agreed: “Just as no picture of the Grand Canyon you have ever seen didn’t convey the size, the beauty, the sheer magnitude of the canyon, so too no image does the sight justice.” She also noted that telescopes need special solar filters. “Never point an unfiltered telescope or binoculars at the sun.”
Stock up on safety glasses to watch the eclipse
“Never, ever, look directly at the sun with just your eyes,” said Theo Wellington, former president of the Barnard Seyfert Astronomical Society and currently a volunteer NASA Solar System ambassador. She cautioned you need eye protection from special glasses to directly view the progression of the eclipse.
“At totality, for the short time the sun is completely covered, you can safely look without the glasses, because during that short time, you are looking at the moon,” Wellington said. But when the first speck of light reappears, put the glasses back on.
Decide where to be
Those who lives in Nashville or surrounding areas and comes in the path of totality are advised to stay at home and watch total solar eclipse from there. “Make yourself sure that your location is within the line of the total eclipse” says Rocky Alvey, director of Vanderbilt University Dyer Observatory. He continued, “The saddest thing would be to expect to see it in totality and realize you are a mile off the line.”
The eclipse also will pass directly over cities such as Salem, Ore.; Idaho Falls; Lincoln, Neb.; Kansas City; and Columbia and Charleston, S.C.
If your house is not in the path, consider traveling to places where total eclipse can be seen. Places within a one- or two-hour drive of the eclipse include Portland, Ore.; Boise; Cheyenne, Wyo.; Rapid City, S.D.; Omaha; Topeka; St. Louis; Louisville; Knoxville, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Atlanta; and Charlotte.
