Eclipse open thread
The DC area will get a partial eclipse, like this one. Image by BeyondDC licensed under Creative Commons.
On Monday afternoon, the Moon will pass between the Earth and the Sun and create a solar eclipse, the first seen across the entire United States since 1979.
The path of totality, which will cause complete blockage of the sun, is 70 miles wide and will pass through 14 states. Curbed estimates that 7.4 million people will drive to the path of totality and that 200 million people live within a day’s drive.
Solar eclipse glasses have been sold out across the region, but you can still see the effects of the eclipse without them if you make a pinhole viewer or watch the light as it passes through leaves on a tree. NASA has a few tips on how to view an eclipse without special glasses.
In the DC area, we will experience a partial solar eclipse. About 81 percent of the sun will be covered, and while the sky will dim the sun is so bright that it won’t be as dramatic as it will be in the path of totality. The eclipse will begin here at 1:17 pm, peak around 2:42 pm, and end around 4:01 pm.
NASA is going to livestream the entire event, from 12 pm to 4 pm. You can also follow on Twitter through accounts like Space.com and of course, NASA.
Are you going to watch the eclipse? Are you leaving town to do it? Let us know in the comments.