Total Eclipse of the Sun - August 21, 2017

On Monday, August 21, parts of the United States will be able to view an uncommon event, a total eclipse of the sun by the moon.  The "path of totality," in which the total eclipse will be visible, is about 70 miles wide, and extends through 14 states from Oregon southeast to South Carolina.

Even if you can’t travel to the path of totality, you *should* be able to see a partial solar eclipse here (weather permitting).  On the Tarleton Stephenville campus, approximately 70% of the sun's surface will be covered by the moon around 1:07 p.m.  The partial eclipse will start about 11:38 a.m. and end about 2:36 p.m.

NASA has lots of great resources - including maps and eye safety tips, as well as the logo at the top of this post - at a special website:  https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/

“Corona detail from the 2012 total solar eclipse” / Nicholas Jones / CC BY 2.0

If you miss this eclipse, don't worry - you will have another (and better) chance to see a total solar eclipse in 2024.  On April 8 of that year, most of the Stephenville area *will* be in the path of totality.  You can use this interactive map to find areas on the path:

https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2024Apr08Tgoogle.html  

See The Supernova This Week

This week features rare treat to see a supernova. No, we are not talking about a souped up Chevy, but a star that has burnt out. This supernova is only 21 million light years away. When compared to most supernovas that are 1 to 4 billion light years away, this one is really close in an astronomical sense.

The star is a Type 1a supernova used to calibrate distances in space is known as SN 2100fe is expected to peek in brightness the first part of this week. Because of its closeness to Earth and its brightness, it should be visible using a good pair of binoculars. To find the star look in the northern sky just after sunset. Find the Big Dipper, then look above the last 2 stars in the handle and it will be above it forming an equilateral triangle.

For a chart to assist you in fining the star go to :http://www.popastro.com/news/newsdetail.php?id_nw=67

For more information see this link: http://www.science.tamu.edu/articles/829