Goertz Thoughts

  Today’s topic is: Getting the most out of your eclipse experience While most of the lower 48 states will see a partial eclipse, total solar eclipses are rare. The last time that Austin experienced a total solar eclipse was May 26th, 1397. The next one will be February 25th, 2343. So, this will be the only total eclipse that most of us will witness (there’s always eclipse tourism, though).  If at all possible, you really need to try to look at the sky during the eclipse. Even with the clouds, you’ll be able to see some effects (I’ll specifically list those later). Here’s some of the things that you might be able to observe: Look at the ground as totality approaches: The shadows of leaves under a tree will make the shape of the eclipse Alternating dark/light shadow bands The shadow line moving quickly across the landscape right before totality. Look at the Sun: First Contact: The Moon starts to cover the Sun (12:17) Second Contact: The Moon completely covers the Sun (1:35). It...

  Today’s topic is: Eclipse Safety. You know not to look at the sun, right?  This is even more important during an eclipse. The overall light is decreased, so your pupils will dilate to let in more light. However, since the actual intensity of the sun is undiminished, you will damage your retina even quicker. The retina does not contain pain receptors, so you won’t necessarily feel anything as you destroy your ability to see. It’s called solar retinopathy and there is no cure for severe cases.  Now that you’ve been sufficiently warned, there are ways to watch the eclipse safely. Ways to safely observe the sun: Binoculars/telescope with a solar filter (we’ll have the school’s 8 inch refractor on the field, if it’s not raining) Eclipse Glasses* (we have enough for all students and faculty/staff. They’re selling out through other sources, but you might be able to find some online, HEB, or Sonic . Prices are going up, so watch out for scalpers and imitations) Pinhole project...

  Today’s topic is Eclipse Pop Culture (4/4/24) Books: Lots of books feature eclipses. Here are some of the ones that I have read. A Connecticut Yankee in King Author’s Court by Mark Twain A man from modern day (19th Century) America ends up in the Arthurian legend. He uses his knowledge of the date of an eclipse to set himself up as a “magician” to rival Merlin. Nightfall by Isaac Asimov Originally a short story, later changed into a novel. Explores what happens when a society in perpetual sunlight experiences an eclipse and therefore darkness for the first time in thousands of years (hint: it’s not good). A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson An eclipse occurs during the “Last Battle” in The Wheel of Time series. The books are far different (and superior) to Amazon Prime’s series. Movies: Due to copyright reasons, I can’t provide clips. You can find most of these through streaming services. 2001: A Space Odyssey There’s an eclipse during the “Dawn of Man” s...

  Today’s topic is: Eclipse Science (4/3/24) At its simplest, an eclipse is a shadow, no different than using your hand to block the sun. By a cool trick of nature (or providence), the apparent angular size of the Sun and the Moon are each approximately 1/2° (the Sun has a diameter about 400 times larger than the Moon, but is also 400 times further away from the Earth). This means that the Moon can currently* completely block the sun if it is at the correct alignment. This happens approximately every 18 months (if the orbit of the Sun and the Moon were in the same plane, we could expect a total solar eclipse once a month, but they’re about 5° off).  The image below comes from the textbook** for our Astronomy class which is starting next year! Types of Eclipse : Annular Eclipse (Ring of Fire):  The Moon is a little too far away from the Earth to completely cover the Sun. You can see the edge of the Sun around the Moon . Partial Eclipse :  During a total eclipse , ...