CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – (Clarksvillenow.com) The Dunn Center at Austin Peay State University welcomed over 200 teachers Tuesday as they came together to learn more about what’s being referred to as the “All-American Total Solar Eclipse”. A solar eclipse of course happens when the moon moves directly between the sun and the earth.
On Monday, August 21, 2017, a total eclipse of the sun will be visible in the continental U.S. for the first time in almost 40 years. The total eclipse will only be visible on a narrow path stretching across the country from Oregon to South Carolina which will carry it directly over the Clarksville-Hopkinsville area.
Mitzi Adams, and Astrophysicist from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, talked about why the teachers were there. “These teachers are going to learn about the sun, about how to view the sun safely, and hopefully they’re going to encourage their students to experience this event,” said Adams.
Each of the visitors to the eclipse learning event were given a pair of glasses for viewing the solar eclipse when it happens next year. Many of the teachers were then asked to put their glasses on which you can see in some of the photos below.
An eclipse of the sun is a dangerous thing to watch. The sun’s visible, and invisible rays can cause serious damage to the sensitive tissue of the eyes, often without you being immediately aware of it. Make sure to do your homework if you want to view the solar eclipse, and please only look at it in a safe manner.
No other country in the world will get to see the solar eclipse this time and the rest of the U.S. and other parts of North and Central America will only see a partial eclipse, in which the moon only covers a portion of the sun.
The exact cosmic lineup that forms a total eclipse lasts only a very short time in any given location. The total phase in 2017 will last a maximum of two minutes and 40 seconds in the center of the Moon’s shadow.
If you want to wait for the next solar eclipse to go through the continental U.S. you will have to wait until April 8, 2024 and you will have to travel because it will move through a different set of states than the one coming our way next year.
To learn more about the All-American Total Solar Eclipse visit www.apsu.edu/education/solareclipse2017.