ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Avid star gazers and casual gazers alike will be looking up to the sky come Monday for a total solar eclipse.
Though Florida will not be in the eclipse’s path, those around the Tampa Bay area are prepping to catch a glimpse. A rare sight that has those at St. Petersburg College getting ready.
“I teach the astronomy classes here on the Gibbs campus of SPC for the past 27 years, now,” said Dr. Craig Joseph, planetarium director at St. Pete College.
Inside the natural sciences building at St. Petersburg College, Joseph provides third graders with a lesson on space. Bringing up images of planets and constellations from the comfort of the planetarium.
“You’ll see a big bite taken out of the sun during the eclipse,” he said. “Here in Florida and throughout most of the country, it’ll be just a partial eclipse where part of the sun will be covered up. Here in Florida and the Tampa Bay area, we’ll get about 60 or 65% of the sun will be covered up by the eclipse.”
Viewing the spectacle requires some special equipment. Like these total eclipse glasses.
“Now this does give the sun a false color- it will make the sun orange in color, although the sun is actually white,” says Dr. Joseph. “Many people are surprised to hear that. But most eclipse viewers they give a false color to the sun, just so people know.”
Another method of viewing is by telescope, but not in the traditional sense. If you have a telescope or binoculars, Dr. Joseph says, don’t look thru them at the sun. Instead, you can project the sun’s image on a piece of paper.
“I really think that a great way to watch the eclipse is simply to either project the sun’s image using a smaller telescope or pair of binoculars and project the image on a piece of paper or use what’s called a pinhole camera,” he said. “Which can also be projected on a piece of paper so you can view the sun that way also.”
The college will be hosting their own viewing party on campus, with telescopes and viewing glasses made available to watch safely.
“Anybody that wants to stop by is free to do that and stop by the college,” said Dr. Joseph.
A rare sight not expected to be seen again in more than 20 years.
St. Pete College’s viewing party is free to attend. Those with the college ask attendees to park in the north and west lots off 69th street. The party starts at 1:30 p.m.
Calvin Lewis
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