As I’m sure you’ve heard, on the 21st of August 2017, North America will experience its first Total Eclipse in almost 100 years.
So how does a Solar eclipse occur?
The short of it, is that the distance between the Earth and the Sun is about 400 times the Moon’s distance from the Sun and the Sun’s diameter is approximately 400 times larger than the Moon’s. Meaning that the Sun and the Moon both have a very similar size when viewed from the Earth. But what else is going on during a Total Solar Eclipse?
1. There will be a 360-degree sunrise/sunset
Whilst the majority of people will be focusing on the sun itself, take a minute to look around to your horizon and witness the colors of a sunset and sunrise in every direction.
2. Star Gazing
As the moon causes the day to turn to darkness, the sky will get so dark that stars will look just as bright as they would during the night. If you live close to the total eclipse zone you will even be able to see planets like Jupiter and Venus!
3. Temperature Change
Not only will the eclipse cause the environment to appear different, but it will also feel different. Depending on factors such as time of year and cloud cover, the temperature can drop by as much as 20F during an eclipse so bring your coat! It is predicted that the 2017 eclipse will cause a temperature drop by around 10F.
4. Totality last a maximum of 2 minutes 40.2 seconds
There’s no room for tardiness with the total eclipse, to experience it at that length you will need to be slightly south of Carbondale, Illinois, in Giant City State Park. I would plan for traffic.
5. Don’t waste your time trying to photograph the eclipse!
This one may seem strange, but hear me out… the eclipse will only last a maximum of 162 seconds so don’t waste any time fiddling around with your camera, your phone or, heaven forbid, your snapchat! Take the moment to yourself and enjoy this natural phenomenon that NO-ONE on this planet has ever witnessed in their lifetime.
Whilst Safelumin may be able to provide light to homes in the US affected by darkness caused by power outages and black-outs, we cannot provide light for Monday’s Solar Eclipse. From all of us here at Safelumin, we hope your thoroughly enjoy your experience!
