Monday’s solar event, dubbed the Great American Eclipse, promises more than a typical celestial show by passing directly over numerous populated areas across the United States. While solar eclipses occur roughly every 18 months, most pass unnoticed over vast oceans. This time, however, 32 million individuals across 15 states will experience a rare moment of total darkness as the moon casts its shadow.
Where is the best place to view the eclipse?
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What exactly is a total eclipse?
According to Ed Ting, an astronomy author and educator, a solar eclipse happens when the moon aligns perfectly between the Earth and the sun, casting its narrow shadow across our planet. This shadow measures about 100 miles wide, necessitating one to be in the right location to witness the eclipse in its totality.
This extraordinary occurrence is a result of a cosmic coincidence where the sun and moon appear to be the same size from our vantage point. “The sun is 400 times larger than the moon,” Ting explains. “Yet, it is 400 times further away, creating this perfect optical illusion where they seem the same size.”
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What can happen during a total solar eclipse?
The excitement of an eclipse extends beyond the celestial alignment, encompassing the eerie transformations occurring around you as daylight fades. Ting notes, “The wind may intensify, animals become disoriented, and streetlights may unexpectedly illuminate.”
The atmosphere during an eclipse is unique, distinct from typical nightfall. Ting describes how the sky adopts a shimmering, fish-scale appearance that may unsettle viewers. “This strange phenomenon explains why ancient cultures imbued eclipses with spiritual or religious meanings. Many witnessing it for the first time find the experience so moving that tears are inevitable,” he remarks.
What preparations are being made?
If you live in the path of the eclipse, you may notice one more effect: A lot more traffic.
Cari White is the chairman of the Eclipse Oversight Committee for Jonesboro, Arkansas, where the moment of totality – complete blockage of the sun – will last 2 minutes and 17 seconds. And for that experience of totally, White said the town will briefly grow to twice its size: “One-hundred-sixty-thousand people might be in town for the eclipse, and we’re very excited about it,” she said. “Our police department, our fire department, city water and light, they’ve all been working for over a year to design a plan.”
And Jonesboro is not alone: “Everywhere, all over the country, [people] are doing exactly what I’ve been doing. It’s a big, big deal.”
How to safely view the eclipse
Looking directly at the sun can permanently damage your vision, which is why you need eye protection. Cari White’s committee in Jonesboro ordered 75,000 pairs of special glasses. “We have been working for weeks to pass them out to all the schools, we’ve passed them out at all of the major businesses, the library, the city hall,” she said. “If you don’t have a pair of glasses and you live in Jonesboro, I don’t know how to help ya’.”
But here’s something about the glasses you might not know: According to Ting, “Once totality hits, you can take the glasses off. Because there’s not much light coming from the sun. Once the sun starts to come out again, you do need to remember to put your glasses back on!”
Cameras need protective filters, too. But Ting offers a classic piece of advice for would-be photographers: “See your first eclipse, photograph your second. I have seen this personally where there is an eclipse, and the person is not looking up; they’re fiddling with their camera. And then, before you know it, the eclipse is gone, you never saw it – and you didn’t get the picture.”
What about the weather?
Of course, all the precautions in the world won’t help you if the conditions aren’t right. Asked what she’ll do if the weather is bad on Monday, White said, “I guess I’ll cry. Don’t talk to me about the bad stuff.”
Fortunately, it’s mostly good stuff.
“When you consider that this truly is the Great American Eclipse, because it goes through the center of the United States, it just puts you in awe,” White said. “I just know that it’s gonna be wonderful. And I’m gonna take it all in, every second of my two minutes, I’m gonna take it in and enjoy.”
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Story produced by Annie Iezzi. Editor: George Pozderec.