by Joseph A'Hearn | Aug 16, 2017 | Astronomy, Eclipse, Featured, News, Observational Astronomy
This will be my first total solar eclipse. What I am planning on doing is not necessarily what I would recommend everyone to do. Nevertheless, perhaps these plans can inspire some ideas and spark conversation. I’ll be in the path of totality somewhere near the...
by Joseph A'Hearn | Jul 31, 2017 | Astronomy, Eclipse, News, Observational Astronomy
Bring a sweatshirt with you on August 21! During the eclipse, the temperature may change 1/2 or 3/4 as much as it regularly does at night, based on your location and climate. This will likely be 10-15 degrees, but it could be more. When the Moon blocks sunlight from...
by Joseph A'Hearn | Jul 25, 2017 | Astronomy, Basics, Eclipse, News, Observational Astronomy
To scale or not to scale, that is the question; Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of disproportions Or to take a ruler to that sea of troubles And, by measuring, correctly depict them. … ...
by Joseph A'Hearn | Jul 24, 2017 | Astronomy, Basics, Eclipse, News, Observational Astronomy
Looking at the Sun is usually a bad idea. Over the weekend I chatted with an optometrist, and he made it clear that permanent damage can be done to your eyes even if you don’t feel any pain. Safe ways to observe the solar eclipse include making a pinhole...
by Joseph A'Hearn | Jul 11, 2017 | Astronomy, Eclipse, News, Observational Astronomy
Will the sky get dark enough during the eclipse for us to see other stars in the sky? During totality, yes! When the eclipse is total, the light that reaches us from the Sun is thousands of times dimmer than a partially eclipsed Sun. (This is why you should wear...
by Joseph A'Hearn | Jul 8, 2017 | Astronomy, Basics, Eclipse, News, Observational Astronomy
Oh wow! This August 21, the Moon’s shadow, a mere 60 to 70 miles wide, will flee across the United States in a reverse-Oregon-trail and continue through Charleston, South Carolina. If you are in the path of totality for this solar eclipse, you’ll see the...
