There goes the sun

Monday’s eclipse offers chance to appreciate science. In Iola, the moon will cover about 93% of our view of the sun.

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April 5, 2024 - 1:35 PM

Mike Myer, Humboldt astronomer, took this photo of the “ring of fire” annular eclipse in October in Utah. Monday’s eclipse will look similar to this over Allen County, with about 93% of the sun covered by the moon. Courtesy photo

It’s easy to take science for granted, Iola physicist Stan Grigsby said.

For example, we know that at 12:25 p.m. Monday, the moon will begin to pass in front of the sun and — here in Iola — will cover about 93% of our view of the sun. Full daylight will return at about 3:15 as the moon moves away.

If the skies are clear, it will seem as if day turns into night. Over a large swath of the United States, from Texas to Maine, the sun will totally disappear and Jupiter and Venus will be visible.

“The sun is such an interesting star and like a lot of things, we don’t think much about it until it’s gone,” Grigsby said, explaining some of the modern fascination with an eclipse. “And it doesn’t happen very often.”

But only a couple hundred years ago, humans didn’t understand what was happening. Civilizations viewed the eclipse as supernatural activity, messages from gods and bad omens. They performed sacrifices to bring back the sun.

“Here you are and everything looks fine, then all the sudden the sun goes away in the middle of the day. There’s quite a bit written about ancient people’s responses to that. Now we know to the minute when it will start to disappear,” Grigsby said.

In fact, you can even use apps on your phone or computer to track the eclipse. NASA will live stream it.

“We take for granted how much we know about the universe compared to just 200 years ago. It’s pretty amazing.”

Iolan Stan Grigsby talks about last fall’s partial eclipse during a livestream presentation from Utah at the Iola Public Library in October 2023. Photo by FILE PHOTO FROM JP PECK

Grigsby will lead a watch party at the Iola Public Library meeting room on Monday afternoon. Beginning at about 12:15 p.m., the library will show the NASA live stream that follows the eclipse through the path of totality. Grigsby will offer a play-by-play of the event and answer questions. Depending on cloud cover, attendees may go outside to observe. Special glasses are required for viewing and will be available at the library for free on a first-come, first-served basis.

Grigsby offered a similar presentation in October during an annual, partial solar “ring of fire” eclipse. Cloudy skies obscured most of the viewing at that time. A crowd of about 25.

“Last time, they had a lot of questions and that was the most interesting part. I enjoy hearing why they are curious and what’s on their minds,” Grigsby said, noting April is Citizens Science Month. He enjoys talking about science and “the eclipse is a good place to start.”

HUMBOLDT’S Mike Myer also will be looking toward the skies on Monday as an amateur astronomer.

Myer is hoping for clear skies Monday.

“I did not pick the right area to try to watch the 2017 eclipse so I am hoping the weather is better this time and I am able to watch my first total solar eclipse,” he said.

In October, he traveled to Utah to take photos of an annular eclipse, where the moon did not entirely cover the sun.

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