CLEVELAND, Ohio – Love space? Mark your calendars and turn your eyes to the sky for the Aug. 21, 2017, “Great American Total Solar Eclipse,” the first total eclipse to sweep the entire country from coast-to-coast in nearly 100 years, according to space.com. Whether or not it’s a total blackout event, when the moon completely blocks the sun, depends on where you are.
Solar eclipse representation.NASA
If you’re along NASA’s total solar eclipse line on the map below, then get ready for up to 2 minutes and 40 seconds of complete darkness in August, the first time an eclipse created a shadow on the United States since Feb. 26, 1979; almost four decades ago. But this year is different, as it is the first total eclipse to be viewed by Americans from coast-to-coast in 99 years.
Map showing path of totality, where viewers of the eclipse will see total darkness.NASA
However, if you’re north or south of the line, the eclipse will only be partial, and will only be seen if the weather decides to cooperate.
NASA is already prepping, not just to witness the rare event: “Beyond providing a brilliant sight in the daytime sky, total solar eclipses provide a rare chance for scientists to collect data only available during eclipses.”
NASA is paying for 11 scientific studies to learn about the sun and its effects on Earth, test new instruments and leverage the skills of citizen scientists to expand understanding of the sun-Earth system, according to a press release. NASA’s “sun-focused” study titles include:
- Exploring the Physics of the Coronal Plasma through Imaging Spectroscopy during the Aug. 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse (Shadia Habbal, University of Hawaii)
- Testing a Polarization Sensor for Measuring Temperature and Flow Speed in the Solar Corona during the Total Solar Eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017 (Nat Gopalswamy, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center)
- Chasing the 2017 Eclipse: Interdisciplinary Airborne Science from NASA’s WB-57 (Amir Caspi, Southwest Research Institute)
- Measuring the Infrared Solar Corona During the 2017 Eclipse (Paul Bryans, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research)
- Citizen Science Approach to Measuring the Polarization of Solar Corona During Eclipse 2017 (Padma Yanamandra-Fisher, Space Science Institute)
- Rosetta-stone experiments at infrared and visible wavelengths during the Aug. 21, 2017 Eclipse (Philip Judge, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research)
The most immediately noticeable changes during a total solar eclipse are felt here on Earth, “the sudden blocking of the sun during an eclipse reduced the light and temperature on the ground, and these quick-changing conditions can affect weather, vegetation and animal behavior.”
Because of this instant effect, NASA’s planned scientific studies during the eclipse focused on Earth include:
- Solar eclipse-induced changes in the ionosphere over the continental U.S. (Philip Erickson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
- Quantifying the contributions of ionization sources on the formation of the D-region ionosphere during the 2017 solar eclipse (Robert Marshall, University of Colorado Boulder)
- Empirically-Guided Solar Eclipse Modeling Study (Gregory Earle, Virginia Tech)
- Using the 2017 Eclipse viewed by DSCOVR/EPIC & NISTAR from above and spectral radiance and broadband irradiance instruments from below to perform a 3-D radiative transfer closure experiment (Guoyong Wen, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center)
- Land and Atmospheric Responses to the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse (Bohumil Svoma, University of Missouri)
To learn more on the 2017 Great American Total Eclipse, see NASA’s website.
Keep checking cleveland.com/weather for daily weather updates for Northeast Ohio, and don’t forget to submit any weather questions you may have!
Kelly Reardon is cleveland.com’s meteorologist. Please follow me on Facebook and Twitter @kreardon0818.
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