Solar Eclipse

On Monday Aug. 21, 2017  Humboldt area residents will be able to witness one of nature’s grandest spectacles - A Total Eclipse of the Sun.  During a Total Solar Eclipse the moon will pass directly in front of the Sun completely blocking its light.  People standing in the moon’s inner shadow, the umbra, will be able to see the Sun’s outer atmospheric layers, its thin pinkish chromosphere and its broad white corona, surrounding a black disk as the moon hides the sun.  The moon’s outer shadow, the penumbra, where the sun is only partially blocked is much larger.  All the continental USA will see at least a partial eclipse of the Sun.

The moon’s shadow first strikes land on the west coast in Oregon and races along a 2500 mile long path to South Carolina taking only an hour and a half to cross the country.  As the umbra passes over Humboldt the path will be 70 miles wide and racing along at 1,513 miles per hour!  Humboldt will be immersed in darkness for 2 mins and 36 secs! 

Time Table for the Eclipse at Humbolt, Nebraska
      Partial eclipse  begins 11:38:36 CDT
      Totality begins at 1:03:54 PM  (13:03:53.8)   
      Maximum Eclipse -1:05:12.1 PM   Totality lasts 2 min 36 sec !
      Totality Ends at 1:06:30.3 PM 
      Partial ends at 2:32 PM CDT
Events will be a few seconds earlier to the west and later to the east.

Set your clocks correctly the day before.  Cell phone time is usually good to about 1 min. 
To get time to the second try www.time.gov

The most spectacular time will be from about 12:40 to 1:25 PM.  Businesses should plan to close up shop and let everyone get outside to see this once in a lifetime spectacle. Take along a chair and a sack lunch.  Find a nice open spot and enjoy the show! 

EYE PROTECTION is ESSENTIAL for all of the partial phases of the eclipse!  Even if only 1% of the sun is still visible it is still 10,000 times too bright for the unprotected eye.  There is nothing Extra Dangerous about the sun during an eclipse.  It’s the same sun we see every day. Except during an Eclipse people want to see want is happening up there. Only during the 2 ½ minutes of Totality when the sun is completely covered is it safe to view the eclipse without eye protection.

Safe Ways to observe the Partial Eclipse – Experiment techniques before the eclipse day.

  1. Solar Projection – Get two Index cards – Punch a small hole about 1/8 inch in one card.
    Stand with your back to the sun and hold the 2nd card in the shadow of the other. 
    You’ll see an image of the sun projected onto the card.
    ** DO NOT LOOK THROUGH THE HOLE AT THE SUN ! 
  2. Hold a Kitchen Collander a foot or so above a white paper.
    You’ll see dozens of tiny eclipse images on the paper.
  3. Mirror Projection – cover a mirror with a dark stiff piece paper.  Cut a 1/4 to 1/2 inch hole in the paper.  Project the sun’s image onto a shaded wall or white paper a few feet away.
    Tip: Try positioning the mirror to shine through a N or S facing windowto cast the sun’s image on a wall or ceiling.
  4. As the Eclipse reaches 90% or more look on the ground under a tree to see tiny sun images filtering through the leaves. Don’t have a tree nearby? Try to Criss-Cross your fingers and let the sun light filter through your fingers to project solar image

Eclipse Viewing Tips

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