Thanks to friend and meteorologist Bill Proenza for hints on watch the eclipse safely and where to go to understand it better, find out more about eclipses and this particular one in August. Bill sent this out as an email and was kind enough to say share it with others. One thing I've heard from him and others: if you plan to look directly at the eclipse, get your safety glasses now--they're selling out quickly. Here's his message:
In the next paragraph, please find the link to NASA's video map animation depicting the temporal and spatial movement for our nation's upcoming, August 21, 2017, solar eclipse. It also shows the percentage of the sun that will be moon blocked for anywhere in the USA. For example, the DFW area will experience about a 75% to 80% solar eclipse!
Remember, this event will be a total solar eclipse for a path across the US and not just an annular (or partial). It is the first solar eclipse to cross the entire contiguous USA since 1918. Watch this video to determine what your area will experience and if necessary, how far you need to travel for the full 100% effect:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4314
For more background information, here is NASA's home page on the solar eclipse:
https://www.nasa.gov/eclipse
And more from a dedicated astronomical ".org" site:
http://www.eclipse2017.org/
Safety! Here is a link on how to view the eclipse safely. Believe me you can cause permanent eyesight damage without following these precautions in viewing this solar eclipse! So, please take the following advice from NASA:
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety
Very Important! So, you need to buy the special solar filter eyeglasses following the above NASA safety precautions! Here is a non-profit ".org" site with eclipse safety eyeglasses at a reasonable cost (from less than $2 to $4 each) fully meeting the "2012 Transmission Requirements of EN 1836:2005 & AS/NZS 1338.1:1992 for Eclipse filters":
http://www.eclipse2017.org/glasses_order.htm
Weather?...oh yes! I wouldn't forget to share the following with you about the weather, especially the cloud factor! So here is the climatology of clouds across the USA for this solar eclipse time:
http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/weather/2017_clouds.htm
And last, here is a brief summary of humankind's accumulated eclipse history:
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-history
In the next paragraph, please find the link to NASA's video map animation depicting the temporal and spatial movement for our nation's upcoming, August 21, 2017, solar eclipse. It also shows the percentage of the sun that will be moon blocked for anywhere in the USA. For example, the DFW area will experience about a 75% to 80% solar eclipse!
Remember, this event will be a total solar eclipse for a path across the US and not just an annular (or partial). It is the first solar eclipse to cross the entire contiguous USA since 1918. Watch this video to determine what your area will experience and if necessary, how far you need to travel for the full 100% effect:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4314
For more background information, here is NASA's home page on the solar eclipse:
https://www.nasa.gov/eclipse
And more from a dedicated astronomical ".org" site:
http://www.eclipse2017.org/
Safety! Here is a link on how to view the eclipse safely. Believe me you can cause permanent eyesight damage without following these precautions in viewing this solar eclipse! So, please take the following advice from NASA:
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety
Very Important! So, you need to buy the special solar filter eyeglasses following the above NASA safety precautions! Here is a non-profit ".org" site with eclipse safety eyeglasses at a reasonable cost (from less than $2 to $4 each) fully meeting the "2012 Transmission Requirements of EN 1836:2005 & AS/NZS 1338.1:1992 for Eclipse filters":
http://www.eclipse2017.org/glasses_order.htm
Weather?...oh yes! I wouldn't forget to share the following with you about the weather, especially the cloud factor! So here is the climatology of clouds across the USA for this solar eclipse time:
http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/weather/2017_clouds.htm
And last, here is a brief summary of humankind's accumulated eclipse history:
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-history
