You may have seen the Canvas announcement, gone to the Commons, or heard the news about the 2024 solar eclipse. It won’t be visible in totality everywhere, though, so you should visit the NASA website to see when and where it will be visible.
A solar eclipse is when Earth’s Moon passes in front of the sun and blocks it from view. A partial eclipse, when the moon covers only part of the sun, is more common. On the other hand, a total solar eclipse happens less often and is when the sun is completely blocked from view.
At 2:30 on Monday, students rushed outside to the front of the school to see the eclipse (and their friends). Earlier in the day, teachers had handed out special eclipse glasses to students to prepare them for the viewing later in the day. Dr. Miller and Ms. Brody had a telescope with a special lens set up to allow students and teachers to get a closer view of the sun. They were also available to answer any questions about Monday’s happenings. Many students stayed after
school to be able to view the eclipse at the highest point of totality we got, 76-79%.
Places like Cleveland, Buffalo, Indianapolis, and a few others are in the umbra, or the shadow cast by the moon when the sun is completely blocked from view. Other places like Arlington are in the penumbra, or the shadow cast by the moon that isn’t completely dark.
It’s important to wear special glasses when viewing the eclipse because the bright light can blind you. If you are in a location where the solar eclipse will be visible in totality then when the sun is fully blocked from view, the only way to view the eclipse is to take your glasses off. Just be sure that the sun is completely blocked from view when you take off your glasses or you run the risk of being blinded.
We are grateful that Dr. Miller and Ms. Brody made the preparations for us to be able to view an incredible astronomical event together as a school, especially since the next solar eclipse we can view from Arlington won’t happen until after we all graduate. However some people may head to other countries to see the partial and total eclipses happening there.