Solar Eclipse 2017
As plans unfold for viewing the Great American Solar Eclipse, we plan to provide updates for teachers, students, and members of the public. Check back periodically.
- This article details what you will see during a Total Solar Eclipse. http://www.space.com/35555-total-solar-eclipse-safety-tips.html
- Two Dozen Tips for the August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse (Astronomy Magazine): http://cs.astronomy.com/asy/b/astronomy/archive/2014/08/08/25-tips-for-the-august-21-2017-total-solar-eclipse.aspx (At the end of this article is a link to: “25 Facts You Should Know About the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse.”)
- Starting point for NASA Eclipse Info, photos & videos, plus a link to NASA’s Official Webpage for the 2017 Eclipse: https://www.nasa.gov/eclipse
- Go to this site frequently, and not just for the eclipse. Sun & Moon rise and set times for a full year, lunar phase dates and times, Solar Eclipse Calculator, & much more. http://aa.usno.navy.mil/index.php
- Hour-by-hour observing weather forecasts (clouds, humidity, seeing, atmospheric transparency, dark sky finder, light pollution: http://www.cleardarksky.com/
- His Majesty’s USNO Eclipse Portal: http://astro.ukho.gov.uk/eclbin/query_usno.cgi
- “Javascript Solar Eclipse Calculator” Explore your town’s eclipse history and future: https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/solar.html At the end is a link to Fred Espenak’s Five Millenium Canon of Solar Eclipses (a wealth of information, including discussion of the uncertainty in the predictions). Includes links to other eclipse sites, history of U.S. eclipses, eclipse blog, eclipse store. Also, “chat with an eclipse expert”: http://nationaleclipse.com/index.html
- NASA Scientific Visualization Studio. Links to many short animations. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov//cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=4314
- University of Illinois Eclipse Website (Includes an invitation to observe with them): http://eclipse.illinois.edu/
- How Illinois teachers can prepare for the eclipse, Youtube video.
Local Eclipse sites from close to where you observe can provide
Those difficult-to-find details:
- Even if you don’t overnight in or near Chester, you can buy a parking pass online for their eclipse viewing site, and buy a very neat eclipse T-shirt (“Twice in a Lifetime”): http://www.chestereclipse.com/
- Lots of stuff going on at SIU – check it out! http://www.carbondaleeclipse.com
- Makanda is the exact crossing point for the 2017 & 2024 Total Solar Eclipses. Be sure to read about the last two total solar eclipses in Illinois; also excellent is “Five Eclipse Planning Mistakes to Avoid”: http://makandaeclipse2017.com
- Contains 200 quotes regarding eclipses, from ancient China and Babylon to the present: http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/quotes.html
- Fred Espenak has retired, and now has his own website: http://www.eclipsewise.com
- Hint: Watch YouTube videos of “shadow bands”; also watch Fred Espenak on video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4KnxE6yAuI (More resources given at 49min mark)
- This is a great website for maps (including individual state maps & a 10-foot long map of the eclipse path across the U.S.), eclipse history, eclipse phenomena, animations, eclipse basics, future eclipses in the U.S. and elsewhere, and stuff to sell. Michael Zeiler created this excellent website, which includes links to additional sites – even to eclipse cartoons. https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/
