Darkening skies and viewers with watchful eyes
A total solar eclipse will shade the Earth in darkness on April 8, and scientists and the public alike are gearing up to take a closer look at the skies during this rare phenomenon.
Only some of the United States will be in the path of totality, ranging from Texas to Maine, but Central Floridians can expect more shade than normal.
This solar eclipse is a rare and exciting event, and millions of people around the country will be able to see the effects from this phenomenon.
Terry Oswalt, an astronomer, and associate dean of the Physical Sciences Department at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University says residents in areas like Central Florida will still be able to see some of the effects of the eclipse.
“Here in the Central Florida area, we’ll probably not notice much happening, the sun will get dimmed something like a factor of 58 or 60%, depending on your exact location,” Oswalt said. “And that's not as much dimming as mildly cloudy day. So, you really ought to -- if you can -- travel to one of the areas that are in the path of totality, because that is a once in a lifetime experience.”
It is highly recommended to use solar eclipse glasses during the eclipse, but Oswalt said that people often forget to take them off at the right time.
“Please don't leave those glasses on during totality or you will really miss the biggest part of the show,” Oswalt said. “That's a mistake some beginners make is that they've been told so much to never look at the sun, that they keep them on during the actual totality when there's no bright points of light. That's the really fantastic time.”
Launching rockets during a solar eclipse
While viewers are looking up at the skies, scientists and researchers are using the eclipse to their advantage by conducting experiments, including launching rockets into the sky.
NASA has paired up with researchers from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University to launch three sounding rockets before, during, and after the eclipse to test how it might interfere with communications here on the ground: like GPS and satellites.
The mission is led by Aroh Barjatya, a professor of engineering physics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He said by launching three rockets, he and his team can better analyze the effects of the eclipse.
“The beauty of Eclipse is that you know exactly when it is going to happen, when it is going to happen, and what time to shoot, you know, rockets at it,” Barjatya said. “So, it's a perfect scientific experiment setup. Plus, it also really helps us understand that this eclipse.”
Barjatya is also studying what may be disrupted during an eclipse like GPS, radars, or even amateur radio. He says by studying the eclipse, people can be prepared for the next celestial event in case satellites or radars aren’t working properly.
“We can start modeling it better and therefore predicting that hey, something like this is going to happen in the ionosphere,” Barjatya said. “So, all these signals are going to get disrupted. So, let's be prepared for it. And let's not worry about.”
