The total solar eclipse expected to occur April 8 isn’t something to fear, but rather something to learn about, appreciate and view safely, Our Lady of Lourdes School teacher Vicki Bryan told students during a lesson Feb. 15.
“It’s an exciting event,” Bryan told her fifth-graders. “When it’s total, it’s not scary.
“The sky will darken like (it does) at dawn or dusk,” she explained. “Pay attention to what’s happening in nature. Nocturnal animals may come out, and you may even be able to see some stars. … It’s something the Lord has created and it’s awe-inspiring.”
Bryan has been appointed an eclipse partner by the National Science Teacher Association and the Space Science Institute. Her role is to inform the community about the rare phenomenon, including how to view it safely, she said. She is presenting this information to groups in the wider community, including groups of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, she said.
During the interactive lesson with her class, Bryan explained to the class that a total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the sun.
“People located in the center of the moon’s shadow when it hits the Earth will experience a total eclipse,” she said.
People in Louisville will not see a total eclipse because only 99.2 percent of the sun will be covered in this area, she noted. There are various cities nearby, including Paducah, Ky., Seymour, Ind., and Bloomington, Ind., that will experience the totality of the eclipse, she said. Students at Our Lady of Lourdes will have the day off so their families may travel out of town to experience totality if they choose, Bryan said. For a list of cities in the path of totality, visit nationaleclipse.com/maps.html.
Bryan told her students they will need special glasses to view the eclipse safely. Passing around a pair of eclipse glasses, she told them to look on the temple of eclipse glasses for wording that says the glasses meet international safety standards.
Counterfeit eclipse glasses are a concern, she said. To avoid them, she suggested individuals seek glasses from a reputable source. Locally, those glasses can be found at an Eclipse Bank branch for free, she said.
Bryan noted that a total solar eclipse occurs approximately every year and a half, however, it usually takes place over the ocean.
“You are really lucky in your lifetime to see a total solar eclipse happen in your area,” Bryan told the class.
The next total solar eclipse visible in the United States will occur in 2045, she noted, causing fifth-graders in the classroom to start calculating how old they will be (most will be around 31 years old).
Continuing with her lesson on viewing safety, Bryan said when the sun’s surface is completely covered, safety glasses may be removed. At that point, weather permitting, viewers will be able to see the sun’s corona — the outer atmosphere usually hidden by its brightness.
“Viewers may take off their eclipse-approved glasses for a brief moment to marvel at the corona around the moon. … It’s the most spectacular thing you’ll see in your life, I’ve heard,” she said.
There are various online resources to help inform individuals about the total solar eclipse, Bryan said. She suggested www.nsta.org/eclipse and science.nasa.gov/eclipse/types/.
The Vatican Astronomical Observatory will host a “Total Solar Eclipse Faith and Science Retreat” April 5-8 at the Mother of the Redeemer Retreat Center in Bloomington, Ind.
The event will include various presentations from astronomers with the observatory.
Topics and speakers will include:
- Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the observatory — “Your God is Too Small” and “The Heavens Proclaim: Astronomy and the Vatican.”
- Christopher Graney, an astronomer with the observatory who writes The Record’s “Science in the Bluegrass” column — “The Church & Astronomy: Forgotten Stories.”
- Dr. Brenda Frye — “Where Faith & Science Can Meet” and “Updates from the James Webb Space Telescope.”
Retreatants will also be able to participate in morning and evening prayer, including the Divine Mercy Chaplet, daily Mass, Holy Hour and stargazing. The event will begin at 3 p.m. on April 5 and conclude with a post-eclipse celebration at 5 p.m. on April 8. For more information, including a schedule of events, and to register, visit https://www.vaticanobservatory.org/sacred-space-astronomy/total-eclipse-weekend-retreat/.
