Earlier today we got to witness a solar eclipse.
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Being in PA, we weren't in the path of totality, however we did see a partial eclipse. It wasn't very dramatic though. The sky didn't really get any darker but we did have fun viewing it with some old school methods.
Here is my daughter showing off the pin hole viewer we made. And yes, it really worked.
My son thought he could view it by wearing all of our sunglasses at once. I had to tell him that still wasn't considered safe.
In PA, our part of the eclipse began around 1:18pm and lasted until almost 4pm. The darkest part was to occur at 2:41pm. Shortly before the eclipse was about to start the clouds came in to block our view.
They occasionally parted and we were able to see the eclipse.
We had lunch outside while we waited. Aside from a few clouds that just happened to be right where the sun was, it was a beautiful day.
You can't tell from the pictures but this is the darkest part of the eclipse. I think we were in the path that was only getting 70% of a total eclipse.
The pin hole viewer actually did work. Looking into it over time, you could see the shape of the sun changing.
Several neighborhood friends happened to stop by to play with my youngest daughter right before the darkest part of the eclipse so I made them come watch it with me. Her friends had their own homemade eclipse viewers. These were just a hole poked through some cardboard. You could see the shape of the sun from the shadow it cast on the ground.
We used sidewalk chalk to trace the shadow. The sun went from being a "C" shaped crescent, to being a "U" shaped crescent to being a backwards "C" shaped crescent throughout the eclipse. This was a neat way for the kids to see the eclipse happening and how the image of the sun was changing even though we couldn't see it get any darker outside.
In case you missed the eclipse or would like to see what it looked like in different areas across the country, you can check out THIS LINK from NASA.
And, if you'd like to plan ahead for the next eclipse, it will be taking place on April 8, 2024. It will take a different path and be visible from Mexico through the central United States into Eastern Canada. According to THIS LINK, PA will be able to see 90% of the total eclipse, whereas the path of totality will from from Texas to Maine.
So what did you think of the eclipse? How did you view it? Are you thinking of making plans to see the next one? I was disappointed that we didn't get any darkness, but it looks like I won't have to travel to see it for the next eclipse since we'll be in the 90% path.
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