This map of the continental United States shows the path of totality for the Great American Solar Eclipse on August 21. While a Partial Eclipse of the Sun will be observable over all 48 states, only in the narrow band (approximately 70.8 miles / 114 kilometers in width) will a Total Solar Eclipse be seen. Only in this narrow area can photographs of the two-minute total eclipse phase be included in the Eclipse Mega-Movie. (Map Source: NASA, Courtesy of Fred Espenak MrEclipse.com)
By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower
August 21 will be a special day in the
United States, as the Great American Solar Eclipse will cross the
entire country, from Oregon to South Carolina. Citizen Scientists
(that is, all non-professionals interested in science who wish to
assist scientists), who take photographs from inside the Eclipse path
of totality, have the opportunity to help scientists learn more about
the Solar Corona by submitting their Eclipse photos to the Eclipse
Mega-Movie 2017 Project.
This is a unique opportunity for
Citizen Scientists to help gather data on a part of the Sun that is
rarely seen. The last time a Total Solar Eclipse crossed the United
States was 99 years ago—on 1918 June 8. On that date, the Eclipse
path of totality moved from Washington State across the country to
Florida.
This is also the first time that Solar
Eclipse totality has reached the continental United States since 1979
February 26. However, a Total Solar Eclipse did reach Hawaii on 1991
July 11. Most of the continental United States saw a Partial Eclipse
of the Sun that day in 1991 (that was the last Solar Eclipse observed
by the general public, using the historic 10-inch Siderostat-Type
Refractor Telescope, at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and
Institute of Popular Science).
The Solar Corona is an aura of plasma,
the outer atmosphere, that surrounds the Sun and other stars, and
extends millions of miles or kilometers into space from the Sun.
During a Total Eclipse of the Sun, or Total Solar Eclipse, such as
the Great American Solar Eclipse that will occur on August 21, the
Solar Corona can be seen, safely, with the unaided eye—BUT ONLY in
the narrow path of totality (with a width on August 21 of
approximately 70.8 statute miles / 114 kilometers) and during the
very short period of the total phase of the Eclipse (in most cases on
August 21, a little over two minutes), when the rest of the Sun is
completely blocked by the Moon. At all other times it is extremely
dangerous to a person's eye-sight to look at the Sun without proper
equipment and proper training to do so safely.
Since it is very difficult to study the
Solar Corona, except during a Total Solar Eclipse, scientists want to
take full advantage of the long stretch of time the Eclipse will be
observed in the United States next month, due to the great length of
the Eclipse path of totality across the country. The Eclipse
Mega-Movie 2017 Project hopes to gather photographs during the
totality stage of the Eclipse from more than a thousand photographers
and astronomers, from coast-to-coast.
There will be two sets of volunteers
for two separate mega-movies. One set of volunteers will be specially
trained for photographing the event. The second set of volunteers
will be anyone with a camera or a cellular-telephone camera that
chooses to take pictures of the event.
Approximately 1,500 trained, volunteer
observers will be photographing the Eclipse, from sites along the
path of totality, using digital, single-lens reflex cameras and
specially prepared telescopes. The photographs from these observers
will provide the high-quality mega-movie, that should be available to
be viewed by the public later this year.
A lower-quality mega-movie will be
produced by the photographs submitted by people using a regular
camera or cell-phone camera. Although not as high-quality, this
mega-movie should be available for public release much sooner.
Anyone can use a free-of-charge Eclipse
Mega-Movie Mobile App to participate in this 2017 Project. This
smart-phone app can be obtained, now, at the Google Play Store
(Internet link to this mobile app at the end of this blog-post); an
iOS app will soon also be available.
In both cases, all photographs
submitted will be stitched together to form a motion picture showing
the Eclipse as it traveled across the country from the Pacific Coast
to the Atlantic Coast. From these two mega-movies, scientists hope to
learn more about the Solar Corona, possibly including its
relationship with the Sun's Chromosphere, and how it changes over
time. When completed, both mega-movies are expected to run
approximately 90 minutes.
Remember, the whole idea is to
obtain images of the Great American Solar Eclipse during the totality
phase. Only photographs taken within the Eclipse path of totality,
and during the total phase of the Eclipse (when the Moon completely
blocks-out the solar disk), can be submitted for inclusion in the
Eclipse Mega-Movie. It would be more dangerous to eye-sight to try to
photograph any of the partial phases of this Eclipse, and photographs
of the partial Eclipse phases cannot contribute to the Eclipse
Mega-Movie 2017 Project!
The Eclipse Mega-Movie 2017 Project is
sponsored by Google's Making and Science Initiative and the
University of California at Berkeley's Space Science Laboratory,
along with several other partners including the Astronomical Society
of the Pacific and Lick Observatory. The 2017 Project is led by Scott
McIntosh from the National Center for Atmospheric Research's High
Altitude Observatory and Hugh Hudson from the University of
California at Berkeley.
After 2017, the next major Total
Eclipse of the Sun to travel in the continental United States will
run from Texas to Maine on 2024 April 8. Plans are already being made
for a 2024 Eclipse Mega-Movie Project.
Internet Links to Additional Information ---
Eclipse Mega-Movie Project: Link >>> https://eclipsemega.movie/
Eclipse Mega-Movie Mobile App:
Link >>> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ideum.com.megamovie
Great American Solar Eclipse of 2017 August 21:
Link 1 >>> https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Aug21Tgoogle.html
Link 2 >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_21,_2017
Solar Eclipse: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse
Solar Corona: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corona
Solar Chromosphere: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromosphere
More Citizen Science Projects:
Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/FAQ/citizenscience.html
Historic 10-inch Siderostat-Type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science:
Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/11/75th-anniversary-americas-5th-public.html
Related Blog Post ---
"Strong Solar Flare Seen, Although Approaching Sunspot Minimum." 2017 July 15.
Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2017/07/strong-solar-flare-seen-although.html
Safe Public Viewing of the Great American Solar Eclipse
Monday, August 21, 2017
Mt. Lebanon Public Library, South Suburban Pittsburgh
More Info: Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/archivenews/releases/poster-flyer/2017SolarEclipse-Flyer.htm
Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.
2017 July 24.
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Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
& SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
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Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
< http://www.planetarium.
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
< http://adlerplanetarium.
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
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< http://inclinedplane.tripod.
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