This entry was posted in Uncategorized on August 17, 2017.
On Monday, August 21, 2017 all North America will experience an eclipse of the sun. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon blocks any part of the sun. This solar eclipse will be visible on a path across the United States, and provides an amazing learning opportunity for students to see our solar system in action! Many classrooms will use this as a learning opportunity for students.
The eclipse will begin in our area at about 1:00 p.m. and end just before 3:45 p.m. The peak time to experience the solar eclipse is at 2:24, while the children are in school. Elementary students will be released to the buses at 3:00 and will be monitored by teachers. When the buses leave school at 3:16, about 20% of the eclipse will remain. Even so, we will be diligent to remind all children not to stare or repeatedly peer at the sun. By the time students arrive home, the eclipse should be almost finished.
Normally, glancing at the sun isn’t much more than a “nuisance, but if you glance at it repeatedly over an hour or so, it adds up. Potential injuries that could occur are the same as when people stare at the sun on a normal day. The difference is people are particularly tempted to look up during an eclipse. We ask for your help in reminding your children not to repeatedly peer at the eclipse or stare at any portion of the sun while they are traveling on the school bus.
If you’d like to learn more about the event, here are some helpful links:
– NASA Eclipse Livestream Aug. 21
– How a Solar Eclipse Can Damage Your Eyes