DeKalb County, Tennessee is one of the more fortunate locations to observe Monday’s total solar eclipse. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has released the following current information: “Get your eye glasses ready! The 37166-zip code (DeKalb County, TN) will see a partial eclipse for two (2) hours and thirty-five (35) minutes.” This is important! ”92.1% of the sun will be obscured by the moon” at the peak viewing time. This means that only 7.9% of the moon will be uncovered. These totals are “miraculously astounding” for local viewers.
For more precise total information, the ECLIPSE will be observed locally using the following times:
· STARTS – 12:45 p.m.
· PEAKS – 2:04 p.m.
· ENDS – 3:21 p.m.
On Monday, April 8, 2024, you will be privy to experiencing a “Total Solar Eclipse.” This seldom-occurred outer space event is defined as “an alignment of the sun, the moon, and earth.” It has been dubbed “The Great American Eclipse” by various media members leading up to the event. The eclipse will pass through a narrow path totaling only 13 states. The next time for a total solar eclipse will be on June 21, 2039 – in 15 years. Many of us will not have identifying eyesight or already have journeyed to space, so Monday’s viewing will be a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.
If you don’t have a pair of eclipse glasses to view next Monday’s total solar eclipse - no sweat. You can make a safe and simple do-it-yourself eclipse viewer with a (shoe) box, a white sheet of paper, tape, a piece of tinfoil, a pin or needle, and a box cutter or X-Acto knife. Then, it’s time to become talented:
· Step 1: Cut a small hole, about 1 inch across, in one end of the box, near the top edge.
· Step 2: Tape a piece of tinfoil over the hole you just made.
· Step 3: Using a pin or needle, punch a hole in the center of the foil earlier placed over the hole.
· Step 4: Tape a small piece of white paper inside the box – at the opposite end away from the foil-covered hole. The white paper should be positioned so that light entering the box through the pin hole will hit it. This is your “protective screen,” where you’ll look for the image of the sun.
· Step 5: Cut a one-inch hole in the box on a side adjacent to the image screen (the white piece of paper). This is your viewing hole. It must be positioned so that you can look through it at any angle and see the white paper.
· Step 6: Place the lid back on the box. Test before using.
“Remember: This applies to DeKalb County also. Looking directly at the sun, even while it is partially covered by the moon, can cause serious eye damage or blindness. NEVER look at a partial solar eclipse without proper eye protection.” If purchasing protective glasses, they are available on Amazon for $15 per pair, excluding taxes and two-day shipping.
In conclusion, a NASA astronaut writes about viewing a solar eclipse from space: “An image seen from the spaceship captures Earth in a darkened state as the eclipse occurs.”
Furthermore, “Since 1966, no space mission has been specifically dedicated to observing a total solar eclipse. However, some have been lucky enough to see it occur.”
“Crew members of Apollo 11 and Apollo 15 got rare views of eclipses as they rounded the moon in 1969 and 1971 as the Apollo astronauts circled in lunar orbit right after sunrise. It was the second viewed eclipse for astronaut
Buzz Aldrin’s space career.” During Apollo 15, no pictures were made. Today, any eclipse viewing is made from the docked International Space Station.
Throughout history, astronauts have studied solar eclipses to uncover fundamental knowledge about our planet. By watching these actions, the history of aeronautics and of humanity are closer to being studied and evaluated.
“It can only be a message from the Gods,” said astronaut Bradley Schaefer, referring to all and any solar eclipses.
