By MALCOM SMITH
Student Reporter
The “Solar Eclipse” will happen Monday, beginning at 12:30 p.m. and end at 3 p.m. The peak of the solar eclipse will be right around 1:45 p.m.
The chair of the science department, Jennifer Sattler, talked about the eclipse.
Students can watch the eclipse in the “green space” on campus. This is the garden just west of the President’s House on the corner of 8th and Oklahoma Boulevard.
Sattler said, “There will be at least one telescope out there so the students can look at it [the eclipse] closely if they want to. There will also be free glasses provided to students.”
She also offered some do’s and don’ts when it comes to the watching solar eclipse.
DON’T look at the eclipse with your special glasses off.
DO have protective glasses on when you watch the eclipse.
DON’T take pictures or videos of the eclipse with your glasses off.
DO take photos or videos with your glasses on. You don’t want to ruin your eyesight at all.
DON’T point your camera at the sun without a proper filter or you will ruin it, too.
From Alva you won’t be able to see the full sun disappear, but you will be able to see right around 90% of the sun covered by the moon.
Pay attention to what the animals will do during the eclipse. You will notice that the birds will get quiet, and other creatures that chirp in the evening will do so during the eclipse.
Eclipse by the Numbers
The least number of total solar eclipses that occur in a year somewhere in the world.
The most number of total solar eclipses that can occur a year.
The average number of months between total eclipses.
Percent of totality to be seen from Alva on Monday. Southeast Oklahoma will see 100% totality for 4 minutes 19.4 seconds.
hours, 34 minutes, 46 seconds: how long the eclipse will be in process as seen from Alva
miles: How wide the path of totality will be. That means, everyone within that strip will see 100 % of the sun covered by the moon.(space.com) The 2017 path was only 60-70 miles wide.
On Aug. 21, the U.S. saw the first total solar eclipse since Feb. 26, 1979. Alva had about 87% totality. Students and the community viewed the spectacle from the green space on campus.
Last time Oklahoma was in the path of a total eclipse.
On Aug. 12, Oklahomans will see the next total eclipse.
Stages of an eclipse are partial (moon starts to cover a portion of the sun), Bailys Beads (sun shining threw the valleys and edge of the moon for a few seconds before the full eclipse), Diamond Ring (one last burst of light from the edge of the moon), and Totally eclipse (sun is completely covered by the moon).
Sources: Astronomy.com, eclipse2024.org, NASA.gov, National Solar Observatory.
One way to look at the eclipse is by holding a sheet of paper or card with punched holes above the ground to see the the movement of the moon.
