It’s an exciting day today! Please don’t lock your kids away, which seems to be an alarmingly common option (from looking at the news – many schools seem to be opting to do that; I wish they’d use they use some of those locked classrooms as camera obscura). Instead, use this as an opportunity to learn and teach about the wonderful solar system we live in.
Actually, to enjoy the experience, you never have to even look in the direction of the sun if you don’t want to (or if you don’t have the appropriate eclipse glasses)… you can see crescents everywhere during the partial eclipse if you look out for them. You can make a safe viewing device in a minute or two if you take the time.
Here’s an NPR video that summarises the various viewing options:
Enjoy! (Those of us in the LA area currently covered in cloud… have hope! Yesterday a similar start did have the clouds clearing enough by 10:15, just in time for what (if that happens today) would be the peak (at 10:21) of the 70% partial we’ll get.)
-cvj
