solar

A fine day under Sun and Moon

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Photo: The partial solar eclipse reaches its maximum at 2:23 PM EDT as viewed from Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio. Photo by James Guilford.
The partial solar eclipse reaches its maximum at 2:23 PM EDT as viewed from Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio

On Monday, August 21 millions gathered along a thin path crossing the United States to watch a total eclipse of the Sun, the first to cross the continent since June 1918. Those with favorable viewing conditions along the path of totality enjoyed a truly amazing sight and experience; a total solar eclipse is truly awe-inspiring. From Northern Ohio, outside of the eclipse path, 80 percent of the solar disk would be covered by the Moon. Public interest in the event was high and so we hosted the Hiram Eclipse Watch

 

Photo: People Watching and Waiting for the Big Event - Credit: James Guilford
Watching and Waiting for the Big Event – Credit: James Guilford

We estimate at least 375 people came to the campus lawn to share nature’s show and enjoy the sight together. Some families brought blankets and had picnic lunch in the shade of trees while waiting for the eclipse to begin. Driven by media reports, demand for Sun-safe eclipse viewing glasses was tremendous. Hiram had 300 eclipse viewers available for free distribution and even with restriction to one viewer per family or group, we ran out of glasses long before the eclipse ended. The offer of free eclipse glasses did, however, encourage some of our attendees to come out to Hiram College and discover there was more to enjoy than a giveaway; the view through our telescopes was tremendous.

Photo: Woman watches eclipse through specially-equipped telescope. Credit: Dave Dreimiller
Woman watches eclipse through specially-equipped telescope. Credit: Dave Dreimiller

Three telescopes offered safe views of the eclipsing Sun three different ways. One scope employed a glass filter with metal compounds that absorbed the Sun’s dangerous radiation and presented an orange-tinted image. The largest telescope present, a six-inch refractor, was outfitted with a modern version of the Herschel Wedge; that telescope focussed unfiltered light into the wedge which, in turn, deflected all but a small amount of light with a green tint and offered tack-sharp viewing of the disappearing Sun, sunspots, and granulation texture in the solar atmosphere. A third instrument was a telescope specifically made to view the Sun only hydrogen alpha (Ha) light. Ideally, an Ha scope will show details of the solar atmosphere invisible to those using other methods, and include solar prominences — geysers of plasma arcing high above the Sun — but none were seen this day.

Photo: Girl Watching the Eclipse with Safety Glasses - Credit: Dave Dreimiller
Watching the Eclipse with Safety Glasses – Credit: Dave Dreimiller

People of all description came and went during the event though most stayed until the maximum eclipse had been reached and the Moon began to recede from Sun. Lines of folks waited patiently to see the telescopic views, even attempting smart phone photos; there were many repeat views, observing the progress of the eclipse with each fresh look. We estimate at more than 375 people came to the campus lawn to share nature’s show and enjoy the sight together.

Photo: Solar Telescopes Trained on the Eclipse - Credit: Dave Dreimiller
Solar Telescopes Trained on the Eclipse – Credit: Dave Dreimiller

There was learning, and laughter, and a fine day shared under Sun and Moon. It may not have been a total eclipse for those watching from Hiram College, but it was a total pleasure.

Photo: Sun in process of being eclipsed by Moon. August 21, 2017. Photo by James Guilford.
Before Maximum Eclipse – Credit: James Guilford

Cooperative weather plus plenty of happy and excited people made the afternoon a wonderful occasion sharing a fine day featuring a dance by the Sun and Moon.

Photo: Edge of lunar silhouette shows mountains on Moon. Photo by James Guilford.
Before Maximum – Rough Edge. Look closely along the dark curve of the Moon moving over the Sun and note “bumps” along the edge: the silhouettes of craters and mountains on the Moon.

The (Ravenna) Record-Courier made it front-page news!

Image: The Record-Courier - August 22, 2017 -- Page 1
The Record-Courier – August 22, 2017 — Page 1

Hiram Eclipse Watch: August 21

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Community Event from 12:30 to 4:00 PM, August 21, 2017 on the campus of Hiram College

Photo: This photo shows the March 2016 solar eclipse as seen from South Tangerang, Indonesia. Credit: Photo copyright Ridwan Arifiandi; Creative Commons license CC BY-NC 2.0
This photo shows the March 2016 solar eclipse as seen from South Tangerang, Indonesia.
Credit: Photo copyright Ridwan Arifiandi; Creative Commons license CC BY-NC 2.0

On Monday, August 21 people across United States will be able to witness a solar eclipse. Viewed from Hiram, the long-awaited event will take place from 1:07 PM – 3:52 PM local time.

Hiram College will host a local Eclipse Watch event from its campus lawn along Hayden Street, just north of the Hiram village Post Office (map). The event is open to the public, is free of charge, no reservations required, and visitors may come and go at any time during the eclipse. The Eclipse Watch will feature safe telescope viewing of the Sun, free solar eclipse glasses, and indoor “live” TV viewing of the total solar eclipse from remote locations. The narrow path where the total eclipse will be seen will cross the country from the Pacific Northwest to the Atlantic. The path of totality passes south of Ohio but that doesn’t mean the eclipse won’t be noticed here.

Image: Maximum Eclipse Coverage - Hiram, Ohio. Simulation via SkySafari 5
Maximum Eclipse Coverage – Hiram, Ohio. Simulation via SkySafari 5

While Ohio sits outside the path of totality, we will experience a deep partial solar eclipse. At maximum, 80 percent of the Sun’s disk will be covered (eclipsed) by our Moon, as seen from Northeastern Ohio. Maximum eclipse will be reached at 2:32 PM EDT in our area when the Sun will appear as a brilliant sliver high in the afternoon sky.

It is important to note: even during the maximum point of our partial eclipse it is NOT SAFE to look at the Sun without proper vision protection. According to a statement from NASA, “The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as ‘eclipse glasses’ or hand-held solar viewers. Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun.”

The eclipse glasses to be provided at the Hiram event are certified safe for viewing the sun. The telescopes we will use for solar observing use several different processes for safe viewing and will offer an interesting perspective on the eclipse event and our nearest star.

Click Here – Read more about the Hiram Eclipse Watch…

Eclipse postage stamp transforms at a touch

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Image: Eclipse Commemorative Transforms at a Touch
Eclipse Commemorative Transforms at a Touch – Credit: USPS

 
On August 21, 2017, tens of millions of people in the United States will have an opportunity to view a total eclipse of the Sun. A total solar eclipse was last seen on the U.S. mainland in 1979, but only in the Northwest. The eclipse this summer will sweep a narrow path across the entire country—the first time this has happened since 1918. The U.S. Postal Service® anticipates this rare event with a stamp celebrating the majesty of solar eclipses.

The Total Eclipse of the Sun stamp is the first U.S. stamp to use thermochromic ink, which reacts to the heat of your touch. Placing your finger over the black disc on the stamp causes the ink to change from black to clear to reveal an underlying image of the moon. The image reverts back to the black disc once it cools. The back of the stamp pane shows a map of the eclipse path.You can preserve the integrity of your Total Eclipse of the Sun Forever® stamp pane with our protective sleeve specifically designed for stamp preservation.

The stamp uses a photograph taken by astrophysicist Fred Espenak of a total solar eclipse that was seen over Jalu, Libya, on March 29, 2006. Mr. Espenak also took the photograph of the full moon that is revealed by pressing upon the stamp image. The reverse side of the stamp pane shows the path across the United States of the forthcoming August 21, 2017, total solar eclipse and gives the times that it will appear in some locations.

A total eclipse of the Sun occurs when the Moon completely blocks the visible solar disk from view, casting a shadow on Earth. The 70-mile-wide shadow path of the eclipse, known as the “path of totality,” will traverse the country diagonally, appearing first in Oregon (mid-morning local time) and exiting some 90 minutes later off the coast of South Carolina (mid-afternoon local time).

A total solar eclipse provides us with the only chance to see the Sun’s corona—its extended outer atmosphere—without specialized instruments. The corona during an eclipse looks like a gossamer white halo around a black disk, or like the petals of a flower reaching out into space.

Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp. 

The Total Eclipse of the Sun stamp is being issued as a Forever ® stamp. This Forever® stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.

Source: United States Postal Service

Hiram Eclipse Watch: August 21

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Image: Path of the August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse - Courtesy NationalEclipse.com
Path of the August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse – Courtesy NationalEclipse.com

 
Planning is underway for a public event celebrating the upcoming August 21, 2017 solar eclipse. The eclipse will begin at 1:07 PM and end at 3:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time. Maximum eclipse will occur locally at about 2:30 PM EDT. Details are developing but the Hiram Eclipse Watch will take place on the Hiram College campus and will be free and open to the general public — everyone’s invited!

The so-called “American Eclipse” or “National Eclipse” will be a total solar eclipse (Moon covering the entire solar disk) only for those situated on a relatively narrow path stretching from the Pacific Northwest to South Carolina and the Atlantic. For the balance of the Continental United States, the eclipse will be partial — the Moon will cover only part of the Sun. Northern Ohioans will see a bit more than 80 percent of the Sun covered by the Moon reducing the Sun to a brilliant crescent!

We have created and are regularly updating a page on this website dedicated to Hiram’s eclipse event; check there for event details as they develop. We hope to see you August 21 for a fun and memorable experience.

To reach our Eclipse Watch page see the menu at the top of this page, or click here!

Impressive train of sunspots

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Train of Sunspots, November 4, 2015. Photo by James Guilford.
Train of Sunspots, November 4, 2015

An impressive train of sunspots has been making its way across the face of our nearest star this week. In the photo above: Designated AR2447 (small group to the left), AR2443 (bigger and darker, near center), and AR2445 (far right), the “Active Regions” have the potential of unleashing flares. In fact, AR2445 was the source of a flare that caused this week’s “northern lights” sighted across northern latitude locations around the world. Now rotating over the Sun’s limb, AR2445 won’t be aimed at Earth for a while — if ever again — but AR2443 has potential for high-energy flares.

Photo credit: James Guilford. Canon EOS 7D II: ISO 400, f/11, 1/1250 sec., 400mm lens with Astrozap film solar filter, heavily cropped, November 4, 2015, 2:22 PM.

Sunny day surprise

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Photo: Image showing granular structure of the Sun's photosphere. Photo by James Guilford, Stephens Memorial Observatory.
Granular Sun – July 20, 2015
Testing out a modified eyepiece adapter today, I had the vintage Cooley Telescope pointed at the Sun. Since everything was set up, I decided to see whether we could capture decent images of our nearest star, near noon on this clear summer day. While the sky was clear, the seeing — quality of the view — was not as good as I’d hoped. Apparently, midday heat was causing the image to “shimmer” in the eyepiece and the photographs reflected that. Examining the pictures on the computer screen, I was disappointed because I saw no details in the several sunspots visible. As I made some photographic adjustments, however, other features came into view: granulation and faculae! The granules, upwelling super-hot cells of solar atmosphere, are easy to see; they give the image above a “grainy” appearance. Faculae are a bit trickier but if you look along the darker right-hand edge of the solar image, you will see some light-colored patches — those patches are faculae! So a bit of disappointment changed to a sunny day surprise.

NOTES: Sunspots in this image are #2387 (L) and #2386 (R). For more information on the Sun’s photosphere and what can be seen there, visit this page at NASA/ Marshall Space Flight Center.

Weak solar cycle? Not this week!

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Photo: Earth's Sun on May 7, 2015. Photo by James Guilford.
Earth’s Sun – May 7, 2015 @ 12:23 PM EDT

Our Sun is just past the peak of its 11-year activity cycle but has been unusually quiet of late. Many days we have seen few, if any, sunspots marking the star’s face. Over the past few days, however, there has been an uptick in activity including the passage of large sunspot region AR2339 (lower-right in our photo). The sunspot has been the source of major solar flares including one that interfered with radio communications in the Pacific region. This image is a single exposure made using a digital SLR camera held to the eyepiece of the Cooley Telescope at Stephens Memorial Observatory. A white-light filter was used for the protection of equipment and vision. A good article on the current solar cycle can be found here.