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Eclipse Monday: Blocked Sun, Clear Skies, Use Protection

[CREDIT: National Park Service] A crowd uses handheld solar viewers and solar eclipse glasses to safely view a solar eclipse.

The Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center will be live streaming the entire eclipse starting at 1:00 pm ET. Frosty Drew Astronomy Team members are set up at locations across the nation, along the path of totality. We will offer stunning live views of all stages of the eclipse as well as periodic commentary on what we are seeing.

[CREDIT: National Park Service] A crowd uses handheld solar viewers and solar eclipse glasses to safely view a solar eclipse.
[CREDIT: National Park Service] A crowd uses handheld solar viewers and solar eclipse glasses to safely view a solar eclipse.
WARWICK, RI — Monday afternoon, Rhode Islanders will be treated to a rare celestial spectacle of a solar eclipse and even rarer clear skies to observe it.

Weather will in fact be sunny with a high of 63 degrees in Warwick Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

Warwick Public Schools will let out early, giving students the freedom to have a look as the the sun is eclipsed by the moon by about 89.5%, leaving a thin crescent view of the Sun obscured by the Moon, according to Frosty Drew Observatory in Ninigret Park.

“Due to the changes in lighting conditions caused by the eclipse, as well as a potential eye safety risk, we will be releasing students in all schools two hours prior to their usual scheduled release, time on Monday, April 8, 2024,” Superintendent Lyn Dambruch wrote to parents April 2.

According to NASA, A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk. After Monday’s eclipse, the next solar eclipse in North America won’t happen till 2044.

Frosty Drew reports  the event begins at 2:14 p.m., max out at 3:28 pm,  then end at 4:38 p.m.

Eclipse Viewing Safety

According to NASA:

  • Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing.
  • Viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury.
  • When watching the partial phases of the solar eclipse directly with your eyes, which happens before and after totality, you must look through safe solar viewing glasses (“eclipse glasses”) or a safe handheld solar viewer at all times.
  • Eclipse glasses are NOT regular sunglasses; regular sunglasses, no matter how dark, are not safe for viewing the Sun. Safe solar viewers are thousands of times darker and ought to comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard. NASA does not approve any particular brand of solar viewers.
  • Always inspect your eclipse glasses or handheld viewer before use; if torn, scratched, or otherwise damaged, discard the device. Always supervise children using solar viewers.
  • Do NOT look at the Sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury.
  • Do NOT use eclipse glasses or handheld viewers with cameras, binoculars, or telescopes. Those require different types of solar filters.

If you don’t have eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer, you can use an indirect viewing method, which does not involve looking directly at the Sun. One way is to use a pinhole projector, which has a small opening (for example, a hole punched in an index card) and projects an image of the Sun onto a nearby surface. With the Sun at your back, you can then safely view the projected image. Do NOT look at the Sun through the pinhole!

 

Rob Borkowski
Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.

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