Solar Eclipse Resources

Before August 21:

• Get glasses [NASA approved brands: American Paper Optics, Baader Planetarium (AstroSolar Silver/Gold film only), Rainbow Symphony, Thousand Oaks Optical, TSE 17/
• Go to pre-party at our local library (see if yours has one!)
• Read fact sheets https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/downloadables
• Watch this cool video

 

• Read Psalm 19 and 139
• make or collect viewers

1. some cereal box instructions:  http://eclipse.illinois.edu/pinhole.html, http://hilaroad.com/camp/projects/eclipse_viewer/eclipse_viewer.htm]
2. envelope with mirror in it: 
3. collander full of holes!
4. make a card with a 3mm hole punch in center

On August 21:

• Look up your location to find the best times for viewing the eclipse (scroll down to the bottom of the page for the link to the map): http://www.eclipse2017.org/xavier_redirect.htm
• Use various viewers to watch sun from below
• Use glasses to look at sky

• Watch for stages: 

1. C1 (moment when sun and moon touch)
2. an hour or so later C2 (moment when moon covers sun -totality)
3. only 2 minutes later, C3 (moment when sun pokes out from behind moon again)
4. an hour or so later C4 (when sun and moon stop touching) 

• Watch for partial phase phenomena between C1 and C2, and between C3 and C4:

1. temperature and lighting changes 
2. animal reactions
3. shadow bands
4. Diamond Ring, just before C2, and after C3
5. Bailey's Beads, bumpy edge of the moon makes dots of light, just after Diamond ring before C2, and after C3