South Carolina Archives

Aug 15th Exciting Total Solar Eclipse-August 21, 2017

Four days and counting! What happens at approximately 11:35 a.m., MDT on August 21, 2017? The first total solar eclipse visible from the United States mainland since 1979. The total eclipse is visible in 10 states Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. Wow! Weather permitting, people in those states will get to watch the moon pass in front of the sun, eventually blocking out its light.

If you are planning to try to capture this historic event on your phone or camera. The experts suggest practicing a couple days before at twilight. Use a tripod, set it for multiple exposures and set it a few minutes before the time you want the photo, so you don’t accidentally move the camera. Oh, on phones, don’t use zoom, it will only make the photo grainy. Always make sure you have special glasses if you are going to watch the eclipse.

This event came to my attention in March, when my hubby and I stopped in Riverton, WY to visit a friend. At that time all the motels, and campgrounds were already reserved for this solar event. Yep, this little town in Wyoming was humming with excitement.

I live in Colorado where it will be only 90%, but that’s enough to send me on the hunt for glasses to watch the eclipse through and a filter for my hubby’s camera. Both of which quantities are dwindling. The American Astronomical Society lists retail chains where certified glasses can be found as Walmart, Lowe’s, Toys “R” Us and 7-Eleven. Look for manufactures American paper Optics, Baader Planetarium, Rainbow Symphony, Thousand Oaks, and TSE 17. Don’t go thinking your regular sunglasses, that block only 50% of the Sun’s visible light, will do the trick. Proper eclipse glasses are designed to filter out 99.99 percent, including harmful ultraviolet and infrared rays.

The partial eclipse in Colorado Springs, Colorado will start at 10:23 a.m. MDT, reach maximum at 11:47a.m., and end at 1:15 p.m.

Here is the path of the total eclipse. Thank you! NEWSWEEK MEDIA GROUP GRAPHIC DANIELE PALUMBO/@DANICT89

For more maps of eclipses from 1651 to 2150, visit the gallery at http://eclipse-maps.com. There you have it in a solar nut shell. It’ll be at least 2024 until the next North American total solar eclipse. Happy solar eclipse watching, and don’t forget your certified eclipse glasses. You don’t want to burn the back of your eyes where there are no pain sensors to alert you to the rays that can cause temporary or permanent blind spots.

Want to know more about the total Solar Eclipse 2017? Check out Space.com for all kinds of science and astronomy fun facts!