Eyes up, protective glasses on — this summer, Minnesotans will get a chance to see a partial eclipse of the sun.
On Aug. 21, the moon’s rotation around the earth will place it directly between the sun and the earth, blocking out sunlight in certain parts of the country in the middle of the day.
To help local families prepare for the eclipse and other amazing space phenomena, NASA Ambassador Chris Mick presented “Celestial Events of 2017” at Hardwood Creek Library 6–7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1.
The path of the eclipse will not pass directly over Minnesota, but Mick said the moon will block out about 83 percent of the sun.
“There are ways to observe it with the safety-rated glasses, but (the in the direct path of the eclipse) the effect will be more dynamic,” he said. “The light really shifts. It’s happening at midday, but it will be like twilight or evening for the minute or two it’s happening.”
Solar eclipses occur more frequently than most people believe, according to NASA. Typically there is an eclipse every 18 months or so, but it is not visible in all parts of the world, making the phenomenon seem more rare than it is. The last solar eclipse visible from the U.S. took place in 2012. This event was an annular eclipse, meaning that the moon was positioned further away from the earth and did not completely block out the sunlight. Unlike the 2012 event, the 2017 eclipse will be total. The next total eclipse visible from the U.S. will take place in 2024.
In Minnesota, the eclipse will begin at about 11:45 a.m., and will peak at about 1 p.m. After that, it will wane until around 2 p.m.
Those who want to view the eclipse will need specialized glasses to protect their eyes from the harmful rays of the sun. Viewers in areas with total coverage will be able to take their glasses off during the peak of the event, when sun rays are completely blocked, but Minnesotans who want to watch will need to keep their protective eyewear on. Protective glasses will be available to attendees of the Aug. 21 library event.
“You can’t use sunglasses; you can’t use welder’s goggles,” Mick said. “If they’re not the right density, it’ll cause eye damage. Some people are giving them out for free, or you can buy them for a dollar or two.”
Unfortunately, the glasses are too dark to be used for any purpose other than viewing the sun.
Mick also touched on other cosmic events of 2017, such as the Perseid meteor shower that occurs every August, as well as opportunities to view Venus and the International Space Station. He explained a few different ways of viewing and identifying space phenomena, including binoculars, telescopes and smartphone apps.
On the day of the eclipse, Mick will be with a few other space enthusiasts at the Science Museum of Minnesota, which will host a viewing party.
In addition to being a NASA ambassador, Mick runs the nonprofit program Space St. Croix in Hudson, Wisconsin. Mick first became interested in space at a young age, living near NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. His father was a former pilot who ran an air school, and took him to see wind tunnel tests at the research center. He went to space camp as a kid and dreamed of being an astronaut, but his dreams were dashed when he grew several inches too tall to qualify.
He worked instead as an educator, and moved to Hudson in 2003, where he noticed there was no aerospace industry or planetarium anywhere nearby.
“It dawned on me when STEM became a buzzword there could be a program I could offer, that could get kids excited about kids in STEM, so I developed that and took it around to (local school) principals,” he said.
The Hudson schools enjoyed his program, and now incorporate it into the regular curriculum for all third graders in the district. It started with outer space topics, but has expanded to include aeronautics, meteorology and other subjects. Mick enjoys explaining space to kids using examples they might recognize from their everyday experiences: sticking your hand out the car window is a great illustration of wind resistance, for instance. Space St. Croix also offers training for teachers who want further education on these topics.
Jackie Bussjaeger is the editor of the Forest Lake and St. Croix Valley Lowdown, and can be reached at 651-407-1229 or lowdownnews@presspubs.com.
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