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Saturday 19 auguSt 2017

Monday, August 21:
Partial Solar Eclipse Visible from the Island of Aruba

tion will be near Carbon- NASA recommends the use
Solar Eclipse riod when the moon com- hour and a half, it will cross dale, Illinois, where the sun of solar filter eclipse glasses
On Monday, August 21, pletely blocks the sun from through Oregon, Idaho, will be completely covered or pin-hole projectors if you
2017, all of North America any given location along Wyoming, Montana, Ne- for two minutes and 40 sec- wish to watch the partial
will be treated to an eclipse the path will be about two braska, Iowa, Kansas, Mis- onds. eclipse.
of the sun. Anyone within minutes and 40 seconds. souri, Illinois, Kentucky, Ten- An eclipse is a rare event,
the path of totality can see The last time the contigu- nessee, Georgia, and North How to See It On Aruba: but protecting your eyes
one of nature’s most awe- ous U.S. saw a total eclipse and South Carolina. The 2:18pm: Partial Eclipse be- from the sun should be
inspiring sights - a total so- was in 1979. The last time total eclipse will end near gins and the Moon touches a daily occurrence, says
lar eclipse. This path, where the Sun’s edge. Keith Skolnick, M.D., an
the moon will completely 3:38pm: Maximum Eclipse ophthalmologist with the
cover the sun and the sun’s is reached (54%) and the Baptist Eye Surgery Center
tenuous atmosphere - the Moon is closest to the cen- in Florida.
corona - can be seen, will ter of the Sun. “With the eclipse, if you look
stretch from Lincoln Beach, 4:48pm: Partial Eclipse ends directly at the sun that can
Oregon to Charleston, and the Moon leaves the lead to permanent dam-
South Carolina. Observ- Sun’s edge. age of the macular, the
ers outside this path will still center and most important
see a partial solar eclipse Protecting Your Eyes: part of the retina,” explains
where the moon covers Never look at the sun di- Dr. Skolnick. “It’s basically a
part of the sun’s disk. rectly, your mom may have sunburn of the macula.
told you more than once. Enjoy the Eclipse on Mon-
Who Can See It? And she was right. This is day!
Lots of people! Everyone also true during the long-
in the contiguous United anticipated total or partial (Information provided
States, in fact, everyone in solar eclipse that will take by National Aeronautics
North America plus parts Aruba saw a total eclipse Charleston, South Caro- place Monday, Aug. 21. and Space Administration
of South America, The was in 1988. lina at 2:48 p.m. EDT. From NASA stresses that it’s “nev- (NASA), timeanddate.com,
Caribbean, Africa, and there the lunar shadow er safe to look directly at Aruba Astro Research Int.,
Europe will see at least a Where Can You See It? leaves the United States at the sun’s rays – even if the and Baptist Health South
partial solar eclipse, while You can see a partial 4:09 EDT. Its longest dura- sun is partly obscured.” Florida).q
the thin path of totality eclipse, where the moon
will pass through portions covers only a part of the
of 14 states. On Aruba, sun, anywhere in North
the eclipse will be partial, America. To see a total
reaching a maximum of eclipse, where the moon
54% coverage. fully covers the sun for a
short few minutes, you must
What is It? be in the path of totality.
This celestial event is a solar The path of totality is a rela-
eclipse in which the moon tively thin ribbon, around
passes between the sun 70 miles wide, that will cross
and Earth and blocks all the U.S. from West to East.
or part of the sun for up to The first point of contact will
about three hours, from be- be at Lincoln Beach, Or-
ginning to end, as viewed egon at 9:05 a.m. PDT. To-
from a given location. For tality begins there at 10:16
this eclipse, the longest pe- a.m. PDT. Over the next