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Tag: Great American Eclipse

  • Huge crowds await a total solar eclipse in North America. Clouds may spoil the view

    Huge crowds await a total solar eclipse in North America. Clouds may spoil the view

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    ECLIPSE? ANTOINETTE THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT THEY NEED TO GET THOSE SUNGLASSES. EXCUSE ME? THE SOLAR ECLIPSE GLASSES, THE SUNGLASSES. THEY’RE NOT GOING TO CUT IT TODAY. SO AGAIN, YOU GOT TO BE PREPARED IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR THE LAST MINUTE. I ACTUALLY HAVE THREE PAIRS. SO MY DMS ARE OPEN IN MY PRICES. THEY ARE VERY REASONABLE. AND THE REASON YOU HAVE TO DO THAT IS BECAUSE DOCTORS SAY JUST A LITTLE BIT OF LOOKING INTO THE SUN CAN REALLY CAUSE SOME DAMAGE. THE THOUSANDS, THE SUNGLASSES, EXCUSE ME, THE SOLAR ECLIPSE GLASSES, THEY ARE THOUSANDS OF TIMES DARKER THAN THE DARKEST SUNGLASSES. AND THEY DO COMPLY WITH THE ISO STANDARD. A RETINA SPECIALIST WITH MASS EYE AND EAR SAYS EVEN A QUICK GLANCE AT THE ECLIPSE CAN CAUSE EYE DAMAGE IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT GEAR. SO NO MATTER YOUR AGE, THE SUNLIGHT CAN BE EXTREMELY DAMAGING. IF YOU DO STARE AT THE SUN, YOU’RE GOING TO GET A CRESCENT SHAPED BRANDING OF THE SHAPE OF THE SUN BURNED INTO THE LIGHT SENSING CELLS IN YOUR RETINA, AND IT CAN CAUSE PERMANENT VISION LOSS IN THAT AREA. SO. SO FOR PEOPLE LIKE UP KELLY ANN IN THE PATH OF TOTALITY, THEY DON’T NEED THE SOLAR ECLIPSE GLASSES. DURING THAT BRIEF TOTAL PHASE OF THE ECLIPSE. BUT FOR THOSE OF US HERE IN BOSTON, YOU GOT TO KEEP THOSE GLASSES ON THE WHOLE TIME TODAY. AND IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT. PARENTS, TO REMIND THAT TO THE CHILDREN, SOME SCHOOL DISTRICTS, THEY ARE DOING SOME ADJUSTED POTENTIAL RELEASES TO ALLOW THOSE KIDS TO SEE THIS. BUT AGAIN, YOU GOT TO EXPRESS TO THOSE EXCITED CHILDREN THEY GOT TO KEEP THOSE GLASSES ON HERE IN BOSTON THE ENTIRE TIME. RE

    Huge crowds await a total solar eclipse in North America. Clouds may spoil the view

    Millions of spectators along a narrow corridor stretching from Mexico to the U.S. to Canada eagerly awaited Monday’s celestial sensation – a total eclipse of the sun – even as forecasters called for clouds.What to know: An estimated 32 million people across the U.S. live within the path of totality, or locations where the moon will completely block the face of the sun from view for a few moments.It will take just 1 hour and 40 minutes for the moon’s shadow to race more than 4,000 miles across the continent.Clear skies are only promised in northern New England to Canada. During the eclipse, the moon will pass in front of the sun and obscure it for up to 4 1/2 minutes.The rest of North America will see a partial eclipse, weather permitting.The best weather was expected at the tail end of the eclipse in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as New Brunswick and Newfoundland in Canada.It promised to be North America’s biggest eclipse crowd ever, thanks to the densely populated path and the lure of more than four minutes of midday darkness in Texas and other choice spots. Almost everyone in North America was guaranteed at least a partial eclipse, weather permitting. The show gets underway in the Pacific shortly before noon EDT.Video above: Total solar eclipse informationIn Texas, the south-central region was locked in clouds, but it was a little bit better to the northeast, said National Weather Service meteorologist Cody Snell.”Dallas is pretty much a 50-50 shot,” he said.The cliff-hanging uncertainty added to the drama. But the overcast skies in Mesquite near Dallas didn’t rattle Erin Froneberger, who was in town for business and brought along her eclipse glasses.”We are always just rushing, rushing, rushing,” she said. “But this is an event that we can just take a moment, a few seconds that it’s going to happen and embrace it.”Sara Laneau, of Westfield, Vermont, woke up at 4 a.m. Monday to bring her 16-year-old niece to nearby Jay Peak ski resort to catch the eclipse after a morning on the slopes.”This will be a first from me and an experience of a lifetime,” said Laneau, who was dressed in a purple metallic ski suit with a solar eclipse T-shirt underneath.At Niagara Falls State Park, tourists streamed in under cloudy skies with wagons, strollers, coolers and lawn chairs. Park officials expected a large crowd at the popular site overlooking the falls.Video above: Preview before the eclipse in Erie, PennsylvaniaFor Monday’s full eclipse, the moon was due to slip right in front of the sun, entirely blocking it. The resulting twilight, with only the sun’s outer atmosphere or corona visible, would be long enough for birds and other animals to fall silent, and for planets, stars and maybe even a comet to pop out.The out-of-sync darkness lasts up to 4 minutes, 28 seconds. That’s almost twice as long as it was during the U.S. coast-to-coast eclipse seven years ago because the moon is closer to Earth. It will be another 21 years before the U.S. sees another total solar eclipse on this scale.Extending five hours from the first bite out of the sun to the last, Monday’s eclipse begins in the Pacific and makes landfall at Mazatlan, Mexico, before moving into Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and 12 other U.S. states in the Midwest, Middle Atlantic and New England, and then Canada. Last stop: Newfoundland, with the eclipse ending in the North Atlantic.It will take just 1 hour, 40 minutes for the moon’s shadow to race more than 4,000 miles across the continent.Eye protection is needed with proper eclipse glasses and filters to look at the sun, except when it ducks completely out of sight during an eclipse.The path of totality – approximately 115 miles wide – encompasses several major cities this time, including Dallas; Indianapolis; Cleveland; Buffalo, New York; and Montreal. An estimated 44 million people live within the track, with a couple hundred million more within 200 miles. Add in all the eclipse chasers, amateur astronomers, scientists and just plain curious, and it’s no wonder the hotels and flights are sold out and the roads jammed.Experts from NASA and scores of universities are posted along the route, poised to launch research rockets and weather balloons, and conduct experiments. The International Space Station’s seven astronauts also will be on the lookout, 270 miles up.

    Millions of spectators along a narrow corridor stretching from Mexico to the U.S. to Canada eagerly awaited Monday’s celestial sensation – a total eclipse of the sun – even as forecasters called for clouds.


    What to know:

    • An estimated 32 million people across the U.S. live within the path of totality, or locations where the moon will completely block the face of the sun from view for a few moments.
    • It will take just 1 hour and 40 minutes for the moon’s shadow to race more than 4,000 miles across the continent.
    • Clear skies are only promised in northern New England to Canada. During the eclipse, the moon will pass in front of the sun and obscure it for up to 4 1/2 minutes.
    • The rest of North America will see a partial eclipse, weather permitting.

    The best weather was expected at the tail end of the eclipse in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as New Brunswick and Newfoundland in Canada.

    It promised to be North America’s biggest eclipse crowd ever, thanks to the densely populated path and the lure of more than four minutes of midday darkness in Texas and other choice spots. Almost everyone in North America was guaranteed at least a partial eclipse, weather permitting. The show gets underway in the Pacific shortly before noon EDT.

    Video above: Total solar eclipse information

    In Texas, the south-central region was locked in clouds, but it was a little bit better to the northeast, said National Weather Service meteorologist Cody Snell.

    “Dallas is pretty much a 50-50 shot,” he said.

    The cliff-hanging uncertainty added to the drama. But the overcast skies in Mesquite near Dallas didn’t rattle Erin Froneberger, who was in town for business and brought along her eclipse glasses.

    “We are always just rushing, rushing, rushing,” she said. “But this is an event that we can just take a moment, a few seconds that it’s going to happen and embrace it.”

    Sara Laneau, of Westfield, Vermont, woke up at 4 a.m. Monday to bring her 16-year-old niece to nearby Jay Peak ski resort to catch the eclipse after a morning on the slopes.

    “This will be a first from me and an experience of a lifetime,” said Laneau, who was dressed in a purple metallic ski suit with a solar eclipse T-shirt underneath.

    At Niagara Falls State Park, tourists streamed in under cloudy skies with wagons, strollers, coolers and lawn chairs. Park officials expected a large crowd at the popular site overlooking the falls.

    Video above: Preview before the eclipse in Erie, Pennsylvania

    For Monday’s full eclipse, the moon was due to slip right in front of the sun, entirely blocking it. The resulting twilight, with only the sun’s outer atmosphere or corona visible, would be long enough for birds and other animals to fall silent, and for planets, stars and maybe even a comet to pop out.

    The out-of-sync darkness lasts up to 4 minutes, 28 seconds. That’s almost twice as long as it was during the U.S. coast-to-coast eclipse seven years ago because the moon is closer to Earth. It will be another 21 years before the U.S. sees another total solar eclipse on this scale.

    Extending five hours from the first bite out of the sun to the last, Monday’s eclipse begins in the Pacific and makes landfall at Mazatlan, Mexico, before moving into Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and 12 other U.S. states in the Midwest, Middle Atlantic and New England, and then Canada. Last stop: Newfoundland, with the eclipse ending in the North Atlantic.

    It will take just 1 hour, 40 minutes for the moon’s shadow to race more than 4,000 miles across the continent.

    Eye protection is needed with proper eclipse glasses and filters to look at the sun, except when it ducks completely out of sight during an eclipse.

    The path of totality – approximately 115 miles wide – encompasses several major cities this time, including Dallas; Indianapolis; Cleveland; Buffalo, New York; and Montreal. An estimated 44 million people live within the track, with a couple hundred million more within 200 miles. Add in all the eclipse chasers, amateur astronomers, scientists and just plain curious, and it’s no wonder the hotels and flights are sold out and the roads jammed.

    Experts from NASA and scores of universities are posted along the route, poised to launch research rockets and weather balloons, and conduct experiments. The International Space Station’s seven astronauts also will be on the lookout, 270 miles up.

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  • Simons Foundation Funds More Than 100 Events for April Solar Eclipse

    Simons Foundation Funds More Than 100 Events for April Solar Eclipse

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    The foundation’s In the Path of Totality initiative is partnering with dozens of communities to make the upcoming eclipse an engaging and unforgettable experience.

    On April 8, 2024, tens of millions of Americans will share one of the universe’s most spectacular events: a total eclipse of the sun by the moon. As the moon’s shadow crosses the United States from Texas to Maine, the Simons Foundation and its partners will offer opportunities for everyone along that path to engage with the spectacle and science of the eclipse.

    The foundation’s new In the Path of Totality initiative is providing capacity-building support to dozens of science museums, cultural centers, main street festivals, rural engagement hubs and other organizations along the eclipse’s path. While all 50 states will experience a partial eclipse, only the 115-mile-wide path of totality will see the moon completely block the sun.

    The initiative is particularly focused on people and communities within that path that have fewer science engagement opportunities. The foundation views the eclipse as a national moment in which to foster lasting relationships with science and celebrate science’s power to connect people, regardless of their geographic location.

    Depending on the event, eclipse watchers might peer through solar telescopes, experience eclipse-inspired art, listen to live music, chat with scientists or sip eclipse-themed craft beers at the local brewery. The Simons Foundation aims to engage hundreds of thousands of people with its eclipse content and programming and will hand out 80,000 pairs of eclipse glasses to event attendees nationwide.

    “By increasing access to science, we improve science as a whole,” says Simons Foundation president David Spergel. “Good science requires a diversity of perspectives and opinions, so it’s imperative that we engage as many people as we can. In the Path of Totality is putting into practice our belief that science can and should be for everyone.”

    Eclipse-goers can learn more about the events and partnerships on the In the Path of Totality website, which details the plans across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

    The initiative is part of the Simons Foundation’s continued commitment to advancing basic science through grant funding, research support and public engagement. The upcoming total solar eclipse — the last in the contiguous United States until 2044 — presents a unique opportunity to strengthen people’s relationship with science, says Ivvet Modinou, vice president of the foundation’s Science, Society & Culture division.

    “This eclipse is an opportunity for us to build partnerships in new geographical regions and support organizations who see the value of engaging their community with science,” she says. “Our hope is that this leads to lasting relationships and more on-ramps for people, regardless of location, to forge relationships with science.”

    The Simons Foundation will host the initiative’s flagship event on the day of the eclipse in Austin, Texas, as well as two days of additional programming there. The three-day celebration will include scientists, artists, musicians, food and drink partners, activities, and plenty of opportunities for attendees to mingle and connect.

    Along the path of totality, the Simons Foundation is supporting artworks showcasing the eclipse’s power to capture our imagination. The foundation’s newly launched Triangle Program is supporting seven collaborations of artists, scientists and local producing partners to create new eclipse-inspired art pieces spanning performance, sound, experimental photography, public sculpture, theater and multimedia installation. One of the first art pieces, “Passing Into Shadow,” is already wowing visitors at Artspace 304 in Carbondale, Illinois.

    Accessible collaborations like these can offer new ways for people to connect with science locally. While some of the foundation’s eclipse partners are science-focused, many others are community-led, such as main streetsfestivals, and art and cultural centers. Through a partnership with Main Street America, In the Path of Totality will support 15 historic downtowns and commercial districts in hosting eclipse events for residents. The foundation is even teaming up with 13 craft breweries to offer eclipse-themed beers. The nonmonetary brewery partnerships will heighten excitement in the run-up to the big event and connect people with the eclipse in new ways.

    As part of its goal to make sure everyone can enjoy the eclipse, the Simons Foundation is supporting the Harvard-based LightSound Project. The LightSound team is building special devices that transform the dimming of the sun’s light into a musical tone for people with blindness or low vision. The team aims to have 750 such devices available during the eclipse.

    The foundation is also working with science-focused organizations that already engage with communities along the eclipse’s path. Through a partnership with the Association of Science and Technology Centers, the foundation is supporting more than 50 institutions in developing eclipse events and related programming. The foundation’s funding of these and other science centers and museums will ensure that even more people can benefit from each museum’s offerings.

    In addition to large U.S. cities such as Dallas and Indianapolis, the April eclipse will pass through hundreds of rural towns and communities. The foundation is collaborating with organizations such as the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub and the Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement to craft bespoke science engagement opportunities for communities outside metropolitan areas. The foundation is also supporting the Little Free Library organization in building 25 new library boxes stocked with science books in towns along the eclipse’s path.

    The Simons Foundation is also working with existing partners supported through its Science Sandbox initiative. The organizations are receiving additional funding to reach communities in the path of totality through eclipse-related live events, youth programming and more.

    The foundation is offering ways for people to engage with the eclipse in its hometown of New York City as well, both in the weeks before and on the day of the big event. While the eclipse won’t reach totality in the city (capping out at around 90 percent), New Yorkers will still be in for a treat: The foundation and its partners will host dance performances, scientific presentations and other events before and during the eclipse. These include weekly solar viewings in Madison Square Park every Wednesday, culminating in an eclipse party in the park on April 8.

    As the moon’s shadow finishes crossing the United States on April 8, the memories and connections the eclipse sparks won’t fade away. The Simons Foundation plans to continue to strengthen its connections with its partners, with the goal of providing more opportunities for people to engage with math and science in the coming years, Modinou says.

    “This is just the beginning,” she says. “We’re excited to find more opportunities to work with these organizations and to continue to use science as a vehicle to bring people together.”

    Images and videos related to the In the Path of Totality initiative are available on Google Drive. For more information, including to arrange interviews, please contact Stacey Greenebaum at press@simonsfoundation.org.

    Source: Simons Foundation

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