Solar Eclipse Monday

Today is a very special day, our country is going to see the first coast to coast Solar Eclipse since 1979. It's going to be a very memorable phenomenon for anyone who has never had the opportunity to witness one before.

I can remember a couple of them in my youth, and can actually remember specifically what I was doing when the last eclipse of this magnitude hit Morgantown (we are going to have 83% coverage). I knew it was going to be the last eclipse of that century and we knew in 1979 that we would not see this again until 2017. When we experienced the last one I was just finishing my Freshman year up at Suncrest Junior High School.

Now for many of you first timers, let me point out that viewing an eclipse can be very dangerous and you can very easily permanently damage your eyes and your vision. Looking straight at the Sun is very dangerous and you will need special glasses to look at it. If you buy any glasses (Krogers has them for like $1.99), make sure, and this is very important that they are ISO 12312-2 compliant. Use NASA's website for other viewing options but please use extreme caution.

When wearing these special glasses that are designed to look directly at the Sun, everything else will be unviewable  while wearing them. This is above and beyond the equivalent of wearing a welders mask.

If you have animals, seriously consider leaving them inside until the eclipse has run its course and is complete. The Middle of the day is going to appear to be the middle of the dark night for a while, nocturnal animals may come out making an appearance and you never know what could happen.

Please enjoy this very rare phenomenon as we wont experience it again until 2092 I think and I'm not waiting around for that one..lol

Have youselves a great day, make it a memorable one and once again...

Hi ho hi ho