On the day of our next meeting there will be an Annual Eclipse, with path of annularity passing through the southwester United States. We have the meeting room starting at 11:00 AM so we can watch the video feed together.
Backgrounder
An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth while the moon is at its farthest point from Earth. The moon appears smaller than the Sun, so it doesn’t completely cover the solar disc, creating the “ring of fire” effect.
In contrast, a partial eclipse like we will see here in the Midwest is when the moon’s image is never centered over the solar disc, making the sun look like a bite is missing from a cookie.
This will be the last annular eclipse visible from the US until 2039.
Eclipse IRL
At St Anthony, the start of partiality is about about 10:30 AM and last until about 1:15 PM, peaking somewhere close to 11:48 AM. Our maximum coverage will be about 55%, so you’ll notice a dimming of light. You’ll need eclipse glasses to look directly at the light – don’t look right at it, regardless of what you’ve seen others do.
Eclipse Online
At the St. Anthony Library we’ll bring a projector and show the view from the annularity at Valley of the Gods, Utah. Exploratorium has had great coverage in the past, you can view it at home at https://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/livestream
At Eugene, OR, totality is 11:18-11:20 CDT, Roswell NM 11:38-11:43. Valley of the Gods is between these two locations, so expect viewing to be best starting at 11:00 AM or soon after, and done before our noon meeting start.
