show guest measures that can be taken to the eclipses
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Your clenched fist held at arm's length measures approximately 10 degrees, so Venus will be found ... solar eclipse, but this snapshot taken from an airplane during totality ... Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's
Today's solar eclipse is a uniquely American phenomenon. At least a partial eclipse will be visible throughout the continental United States, and nowhere else. You probably have friends or maybe even family who've made the trek to somewhere in the totality swath that's cutting diagonally across our nation--and reports of traffic jams bad enough to require the National Guard are already coming in.
But what if you aren't one of the more than 7 million people who are traveling to view the totality (or who already happen to live in its path)? Should you just go about your business as though this were an ordinary day?
No, you shouldn't. Whether partial or total, an eclipse is a rare opportunity to see our world looking decidedly different than it normally does. Shadows take on weird shapes. Animals, both domestic and wild get confused and start behaving as if it's night. Even away from totality, the eclipse can make our old, familiar world seem otherworldly.
So, if you have a full morning or afternoon planned, consider canceling some of those appointments to make room for this extraordinarily rare and striking event. Even if you haven't planned at all to watch the eclipse, you still can. Here's how to make the best of it:
1. Find out precisely when the eclipse will reach you.
Wired has helpfully created a website that will tell you exactly when the eclipse will begin, reach its maximum point, and when it will end--down to the second--in your location. It also provides a diagram to show just how the eclipse will chip away at the sun wherever you are and what it will look like throughout the event.
2. Get yourself some eclipse glasses.
If you haven't gotten a pair of the ubiquitous $2 eclipse glasses, it may not be too late. Many retailers are carrying them but they may be sold out, so call before you go. You may also be able to get glasses from libraries, local science centers, and other nonprofit organizations that may be hosting eclipse events. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fake glasses out there, so make sure they're from an approved manufacturer before you buy. Here's some advice from Consumer Reports on where to find glasses at the last minute.
3. Or make a simple "pinhole camera."
You don't actually need special glasses to view the eclipse, you just need them to look directly at the sun. Here's how to make a pinhole camera and project an image of the sun that you can watch, using a piece of cardboard, some paper, and some aluminum foil. By the way, if you're lucky enough to be in the totality path, you can look at the sun without glasses or special equipment during totality, but only once it gets quite dark and only for about a minute. Looking at the sun any other time can badly damage your eyes, so it's important to take this stuff seriously.
4. Don't forget to look around.
Remember that a big part of the fun of an eclipse is how it changes everything around you, and not just the sun. So make sure to spend some of your eclipse time looking around at shadows and trees and especially any wildlife which might start behaving strangely when faced with daytime darkness.
5. Missed it? Don't panic.
If you have absolutely no choice but to miss the eclipse or if weather is uncooperative where you are, don't fret too badly. There will be four more solar eclipses over the next seven years, including one on April 8, 2024 with totality in states from Texas to New York
