Everything you need to know about the ‘blood moon’ apocalypse debate

Time-lapse video captures a total lunar eclipse, also known as a "blood moon," which was visible from the U.S. as it dipped into Earth's shadow. The phrase “blood moon tetrad” is a wonderful phrase that seems to demand its own apocalyptic mythology, which it, in fact, has. A total lunar eclipse on April 15, 2014, marked the beginning of a remarkable series of eclipses all visible from North America. [Pass the jelly: How to watch the ‘breakfast’ lunar eclipse Saturday morning] So, are we two blood moons away from the End Times? Let’s find out! What does the Bible say about blood moons? So, potentially not a good day for humans. But the authority on what the blood moon means for those who believe really has more to do with a little cottage industry of blood moon-themed books promoting the theory. Okay, so what do those blood moon books say about blood moons? The books are built on a Dan Brown-esque imposition of coded messages and signs on biblical history and the Bible itself, with titles, such as, “Four Blood Moons: Something Is About to Change,” and “Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs.” [Apocalypse now? ‘Blood moon’ prophet explains what’s behind the doomsday predictions] “I’m just saying there’s a good chance there could be a war with Israel,” Biltz told me in an interview. “I’m also saying there’s a good chance there could be economic calamity. And I’m basing that on the Bible and patterns.” The message of the tetrad, many followers believe, is potentially a bad one for Israel … The moon glows a red hue during a total lunar eclipse Tuesday, April 15, 2014, as seen from the Milwaukee area. That eclipse was the first of four total lunar eclipses to take place between 2014 to 2015. (AP Photo/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Mike De Sisti) Is there anything we can do? Let me finish! So there’s more than one person promoting this blood moon theory? There is, in fact, a rivalry. Blitz, quoted above, has recently accused Hagee of ripping off his blood moon theory and claiming too much credit for it, just as Hagee was preparing to release a movie called “Four Blood Moons.” Blitz characterizes himself as the discoverer of the whole blood moon apocalypse idea, after he noted a connection between NASA’s charts of eclipses and the Jewish holiday calender. According to Blitz, he started putting

Time-lapse video captures a total lunar eclipse, also known as a "blood moon," which was visible from the U.S. as it dipped into Earth's shadow.
For a very brief time on Saturday, the moon will turn an orangey-red, depending on conditions, during an Easter weekend lunar eclipse. Although the east coast of the United States will be shut out of this particular “blood moon” in the sky, it’s just the third of four such eclipses spanning a period of a couple years — an event known as a tetrad.
The phrase “blood moon tetrad” is a wonderful phrase that seems to demand its own apocalyptic mythology, which it, in fact, has.
A total lunar eclipse on April 15, 2014, marked the beginning of a remarkable series of eclipses all visible from North America.
Although not every full lunar eclipse turns a blood red color earning its colloquial name, the current tetrad has become the focus of speculation in some circles about its relationship to the coming end of the world. Something, the theory goes, simply must be coming with the tetrad.
[Pass the jelly: How to watch the ‘breakfast’ lunar eclipse Saturday morning]
So, are we two blood moons away from the End Times? Let’s find out!
What does the Bible say about blood moons?
As Sarah Pulliam Bailey has previously noted, there are two major blood moon references in scripture. They are pretty similar, but in different books:
- “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord,” – Joel 2:31
- “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord.” – Acts 2:20
So, potentially not a good day for humans.
But the authority on what the blood moon means for those who believe really has more to do with a little cottage industry of blood moon-themed books promoting the theory.
Okay, so what do those blood moon books say about blood moons?
The books are built on a Dan Brown-esque imposition of coded messages and signs on biblical history and the Bible itself, with titles, such as, “Four Blood Moons: Something Is About to Change,” and “Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs.”
Root Source’s Gidon Ariel has explained why he thinks a tetrad is particularly worth paying attention to: “Not only does God’s name have four letters, but it was on the fourth day of creation that God created the sun and the moon, establishing them as signs to mark sacred times, such as the Festival of Passover.”
[Apocalypse now? ‘Blood moon’ prophet explains what’s behind the doomsday predictions]
Mark Biltz, founder of the Washington State-based El Shaddai Ministries, wrote the latter of those two books mentioned above. He spoke to The Washington Post last year about what he thinks the blood moons are saying:
“I’m just saying there’s a good chance there could be a war with Israel,” Biltz told me in an interview. “I’m also saying there’s a good chance there could be economic calamity. And I’m basing that on the Bible and patterns.”
Blitz has told World Net Daily, where he is a regular interviewee and contributor, that he believes Jewish tradition dictates an interpretive difference between solar and lunar eclipses. A solar eclipse, he said, is a message for the entire world. A lunar eclipse is a message for the Jewish people.
The message of the tetrad, many followers believe, is potentially a bad one for Israel …
The moon glows a red hue during a total lunar eclipse Tuesday, April 15, 2014, as seen from the Milwaukee area. That eclipse was the first of four total lunar eclipses to take place between 2014 to 2015. (AP Photo/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Mike De Sisti)
Is there anything we can do?
Let me finish!
The message of the tetrad, some believe, is potentially a bad one for Israel unless American Christians continue to stand with Israel and with Jesus. Both Blitz and fellow blood moon believer (and Root Source co-founder) Bob O’Dell have asked Christians to pray for the duration of Saturday’s eclipse.
Of course, many blood moon believers, including megachurch pastor John Hagee, believe that this particular blood moon closely precedes the Rapture of Christians, Armageddon and the second coming of Christ.
So there’s more than one person promoting this blood moon theory?
There is, in fact, a rivalry.
Blitz, quoted above, has recently accused Hagee of ripping off his blood moon theory and claiming too much credit for it, just as Hagee was preparing to release a movie called “Four Blood Moons.”
Blitz characterizes himself as the discoverer of the whole blood moon apocalypse idea, after he noted a connection between NASA’s charts of eclipses and the Jewish holiday calender. According to Blitz, he started putting together his theory in 2008. He’s been a public proponent of the blood moon prophecy ever since, although his book on the topic came out in 2014.
Hagee, meanwhile, published his own popular book about the blood moons in 2013, a year after Blitz says he first talked to Hagee about the theory. Hagee has since become a very popular authority on the prophecy, and says that he discovered the theory independently based off those same NASA eclipse charts.
The feud played out publicly, in part on the pages of World Net Daily in recent weeks.
I read Capital Weather Gang’s great explainer on Saturday’s eclipse and learned that blood moon tetrads happen on the regular, in cycles of boom and bust. What makes this blood moon tetrad different from any other blood moon tetrad?
Well, while this doesn’t necessarily make the current blood moon tetrad unique for reasons we’ll get to soon enough, those who believe it’s a divine warning of significance have pointed to the alignment of each blood moon with a major Jewish holiday:
- April 15, 2014 – Passover
- October 8, 2014 – Sukkot
- April 4, 2015 – Passover
- September 28, 2015 – Sukkot
As you’ll remember, there was also recently a solar eclipse, right in the middle of all those blood moons.
But there have already been two blood moons! The world’s still here.
In fact, Blitz believes that the blood moon prophecy is already coming true. Again from World Net Daily:
“After the first blood moon, we’ve had the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, we’ve had the advance of ISIS, a two-month war between Israel and Gaza, the Ebola plague, the overthrow of Yemen, upheaval in the Middle East, and economic meltdowns coming. We still have over a year to go. More judgment coming anytime in 2016 as well is what these blood moons are referring to.”
Does the blood moon tetrad have anything to say to President Obama?
Oh, does it ever! Last year, Blitz posited that the blood moons were in no small part meant as divine warnings to the president about his Middle East policy. “The moons are like flashing red warning lights at a heavenly intersection saying to Israel as well as the nations they will be crossing heavenly red lines,” Blitz wrote, “and if they do, they will understand as Pharaoh did on Passover night 3,500 years ago that the Creator backs up what He says.”
How do you explain the alignment of the eclipses with all those Jewish holidays?
The Jewish calender, unlike our solar-based 12-month calendar, is primarily based on the lunar cycle. Meaning: it makes sense that every once in a while, an unusual but not unheard of phenomenon, such as a tetrad of full moon eclipses would fall on four holidays that correspond to the moon’s cycle — especially when some of them, such as Passover, always begin on a full moon.
Interested in more religion stories? Read more from Acts of Faith:
18 stunning photos of people around the world marking Good Friday
What Passover can teach you about getting rid of clutter and finding joy
Father, Son and Holy Roast: How coffee became Christians’ acceptable vice


When will there be a lunar eclipse visible from DC?

I'm interested in what opportunities there are to view a lunar eclipse in the next ten years.  I'm less interested in past events except for the most recent last event.  Information on lunar eclipses is relevant, especially about how to best view them. Relevant documents include NASA.

Find upcoming lunar eclipse viewing opportunities for this question.

Holiday Puts A Bright Spot On Calendar

Holiday Puts A Bright Spot On Calendar

By Emily Wax December 26, 2000
Inside his parents’ warm Alexandria home, Richard Wainstein gently poked a pin through a cardboard shoe box, making a tiny hole, smaller than a crumb from his Christmas breakfast.
Then the 43-year-old lawyer jumped up, calling out to his relatives, “Let’s go. It’s time for the eclipse.”
At exactly noon yesterday, they rushed out into the frosty, stinging wind to see the solar eclipse, when part of the moon slides between the Earth and the sun.
Facing away from the sun, they held the lid of the cream-colored box to capture its rays. Positioning the box a few inches away, they were able to see a silhouette of the moon that was cast onto its surface.
Suddenly, other neighbors opened their front doors and hurried outside, too.
There was Calvin Coolidge–the grandnephew of the nation’s 30th president–and his wife, Joan. Their kids remained inside, snug in their pajamas watching the film “Babes in Toyland.”
Then there were Rick and Diane Johnston, with their dog Indy, and their chunky welding glasses. But their three children also stayed inside, sprawled in front of video games: “They don’t know what they are missing,” Dianne Johnston said.
The adults around this neighborhood knew better.
They were ready with their electric-blue welding glasses and their makeshift pinhole viewers, ready to abandon the comforting warmth of their fireplaces and the lure of their televisions to see the moon sweep across the sun in a partial eclipse.
It was a rare Christmas gift from the celestial spheres. It was visible throughout most of North America.
The last solar eclipse on Dec. 25 was in 1954. Seen in . . . Africa. The next solar eclipse on Christmas Day won’t take place until . . . 2307 . . . off the western coast of, yet again, Africa.
Yesterday was as close to a total eclipse that this area will get for the next decade, according to Astronomy magazine.
So it was a precious chance, and families across the Washington region turned off the Internet and their videos and stepped into the cold air to watch nature’s performance.
Dozens went to the Crosby Ramsey Memorial Observatory at the Maryland Science Center at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The observatory hosted an eclipse-viewing party with filter-equipped telescopes.
Many just watched from their front yards. Some had handmade viewers; others had store-bought versions. All week long, Hands On Optics in Damascus was selling solar eclipse viewers.
Astronomers caution that looking directly at the sun can cause retinal damage, so many eclipse watchers were careful to use the viewers or welding glasses.
Astronomer Fred Espenak, known as “Mr. Eclipse” and one of the world’s foremost experts on occultations, posted hundreds of pages of history and tips and trivia on his Web site, sunearth.gsfc. nasa.gov/ eclipse/eclipse.htm. It served as a handy Internet guide for families who wanted to craft the right viewing equipment for spotting the old- fashioned eclipse with newly fashioned technology and data.
A scientist in the Lab for Extraterrestial Physics at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Espenak describes the eclipse on his Web site as “one of the most awe inspiring spectacles in all of nature.”
People have long feared, honored and respected eclipses. The historian Herodotus recorded that in 585 B.C. an eclipse fell in the midst of a ferocious battle between the Medes and the Lydians. Both sides of the seven-year war were so terrified they laid down their arms, immediately declared peace and sealed it with a marriage between the son and daughter of opposing kings.
Today, some worry, with various levels of seriousness, that the Christmas eclipse signals some coming doom for the universe, or at least our planet.
“It’s either a miracle or the end of the world,” joked Tony Addison, sipping coffee in Old Town Alexandria with his family. “With Christmas, Ramadan and Hanukah and the eclipse all at the same time . . . gotta make you wonder.”
His family just laughed. They were driving to North Carolina and hoped to see the eclipse on their way.
Back in the South Alexandria neighborhood, there were no conspiracy theories. There was just happiness that the eclipse had brought the neighbors together on a day they usually spend apart.
Neighbors shook hands, joked about what they got for the holidays and shared viewing equipment.
With the glasses, Dianne Johnston was able to see a strange sun, one that looked like a piece of cheese that had been munched on from one side. The moon covered about 20 to 60 percent of it, astronomers said.
Richard Wainstein was able to see an image of a sun that looked like it was being carved away. “It looks like the sun has a bite taken out of it,” Wainstein explained to his son, Nathan, 12, who came out to take a peek but then scrambled back inside.
Nathan’s grandmother, Eleanor, 76, came out wrapped in a floppy purple hat and camel-colored coat.
“This is an eclipse better than any other, since it fell on Christmas and the entire family was gathered,” she said.
As she uttered those words, even the skeptical teenagers started to come out of their homes. Some came after the adults had gone in for a sip of hot chocolate and had bragged about the eclipse.
“I want to see. I want to see,” said Sarah Coolidge, 17.
Her family and her neighbors peered again at the eclipse through their glasses and their paper viewers. “Ohh,” they said in unison.
And for a few minutes, an entire neighborhood spent Christmas together under a partially eclipsed sun.
Curated by producer Katherine Arcement.


Rocking the red: A lunar eclipse bathes the moon in color Wednesday morning

This picture taken in Manassas, Virginia shows the moon during the peak of a total lunar eclipse on December, 21, 2010. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images) Now, even the moon will rock the red. On Wednesday morning Oct. 8 before sunrise, the moon wraps itself in reddish, copper tones thanks to a total lunar eclipse in the western sky. Standing between the sun and the moon, our planet throws a shadow as a result. This shadow has two parts: a penumbra and an umbra. The umbra is the central shadow and the penumbra is the perimeter shadow surrounding the umbra. Entering the partial phase (the penumbral shadow) at 5:15 a.m. EDT, the moon slowly gains a red glow. Our lunar colleague then moves into the umbral shadow by 6:25 a.m., and – and barring cloudy skies – consumes itself wholly in crimson. The full moon officially occurs at 6:51 a.m. (EDT), according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. And the middle of the total lunar eclipse occurs at 6:55 a.m., but note the sky will be lightening for sunrise (7:11 a.m.) in the east. The moon sets in the west a mere five minutes later at 7:16 a.m., according to the Naval Observatory. The moon will turn a lovely shade of "celestial red" when it passes through the shadow of Earth for a total lunar eclipse in the early morning hours of Oct. 8. Quartet in the cosmos This total lunar eclipse is the second of four total lunar eclipses in a row and that special quartet of events is called a tetrad. The first total lunar eclipse in the tetrad was April 15 and the next one will be April 4, 2015 and then Sept. 28, 2015. Between 1582 and 1908, there were no tetrads. In our modern age, there will be eight tetrads in this century. The last quartet was 2003-04, while the next one will occur in 2032-33. It’s a family affair Lunar eclipses occur in a series – or a family – every 18 years, 11 days and 8 hours, and these eclipse families are called “saros,” says NASA. The Oct. 8 eclipse belongs to lunar eclipse Saros 127, a series that dates back to July 9, 1275. The last eclipse in this family will happen on Sept. 2, 2555. Our ancestors enjoyed this series’ longest total lunar eclipse on July 23, 1888, when it lasted 1 hour and

This picture taken in Manassas, Virginia shows the moon during the peak of a total lunar eclipse on December, 21, 2010. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)
Now, even the moon will rock the red. On Wednesday morning Oct. 8 before sunrise, the moon wraps itself in reddish, copper tones thanks to a total lunar eclipse in the western sky.
Lunar eclipses – unlike solar eclipses – are safe to watch, says noted eclipse expert Fred Espenak. (Espenak’s EclipseWise website can be found here.) A lunar eclipse can be observed with nothing more than the naked eye, he says.
Standing between the sun and the moon, our planet throws a shadow as a result. This shadow has two parts: a penumbra and an umbra. The umbra is the central shadow and the penumbra is the perimeter shadow surrounding the umbra.
Entering the partial phase (the penumbral shadow) at 5:15 a.m. EDT, the moon slowly gains a red glow. Our lunar colleague then moves into the umbral shadow by 6:25 a.m., and – and barring cloudy skies – consumes itself wholly in crimson.
The full moon officially occurs at 6:51 a.m. (EDT), according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. And the middle of the total lunar eclipse occurs at 6:55 a.m., but note the sky will be lightening for sunrise (7:11 a.m.) in the east. The moon sets in the west a mere five minutes later at 7:16 a.m., according to the Naval Observatory.
The moon will turn a lovely shade of "celestial red" when it passes through the shadow of Earth for a total lunar eclipse in the early morning hours of Oct. 8.

Quartet in the cosmos
This total lunar eclipse is the second of four total lunar eclipses in a row and that special quartet of events is called a tetrad. The first total lunar eclipse in the tetrad was April 15 and the next one will be April 4, 2015 and then Sept. 28, 2015.
Between 1582 and 1908, there were no tetrads. In our modern age, there will be eight tetrads in this century. The last quartet was 2003-04, while the next one will occur in 2032-33.
It’s a family affair
Lunar eclipses occur in a series – or a family – every 18 years, 11 days and 8 hours, and these eclipse families are called “saros,” says NASA. The Oct. 8 eclipse belongs to lunar eclipse Saros 127, a series that dates back to July 9, 1275. The last eclipse in this family will happen on Sept. 2, 2555.
Our ancestors enjoyed this series’ longest total lunar eclipse on July 23, 1888, when it lasted 1 hour and 46 minutes. The shortest total eclipse in Saros 127 will be Nov. 9, 2068, when it will last just over 18 minutes. Saros 127 continues with its next total lunar eclipse on Oct. 18, 2032.
View online in case of clouds
In case of clouds, look online to Slooh.com, where the eclipse will be webcast live starting at 5 a.m. EDT, on Wednesday.
In about two weeks, the Washington gets another cosmic treat: A partial solar eclipse at the end of daylight on Thursday, Oct. 23.
(Fred Espenak, EclipseWise.com)


Want to see this summer’s solar eclipse? Here are some viewing options across the U.S.

Many communities across the U.S. are hosting parties and events to celebrate the total solar eclipse on August 21. (Associated Press)
Correction:
Michelle Nichols speaks with such passion and poetry about the moon passing in front of the sun that she can inspire someone with even the smallest sliver of astronomical knowledge (such as this travel writer) to begin planning a trip to see the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21.
“It looks like a hole in the sky. In the middle of the day, the sky goes dark and you can see stars and planets,” says Nichols, who is director of public observing at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. “I’ve seen one total solar eclipse, which was mind-blowing.”
The August eclipse is especially exciting for people in the United States because this country will be the only place where something called the “path of totality” can be seen. That’s where the moon will completely cover the sun, casting the land in darkness. That path is within a day’s driving distance for millions of people.
The path of totality will pass over 14 states, starting in the morning on the coast of Oregon, near Newport, at 10:15 a.m. Pacific daylight time, with the shadow leaving American soil via McClellanville, S.C., at 2:49 p.m., Eastern daylight time. In between, it will cross cities in Oregon, Idaho, a sliver of Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, a sliver of Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Darkness will last anywhere from a few seconds to two minutes 41 seconds, depending on the location.

While eclipses are fairly common — they happen about once a year, sometimes more — they’re often in remote areas or over water. This will be the first total solar eclipse that has been visible in the continental United States since 1979, and it’s the first to cross the country coast to coast in 99 years. Throughout the country, universities, parks, farms, museums, hotels and other venues are hosting festivals and viewing parties to celebrate the phenomenon.
Nichols will be traveling with a team from the Adler Planetarium about 330 miles south of Chicago to Carbondale, Ill., which is located in the path of totality. She ticks off the things she’s excited to see, such as getting a glimpse of the wispy outer atmosphere of the sun, called the corona.
“This is the jewel of a total solar eclipse and the only time on Earth that the corona can be seen with the naked eye,” Nichols says. (Outside of the path of totality, a partial eclipse will be visible, and it will be too bright to see the corona; it will appear more like an ordinary day. You can watch the total solar eclipse on NASA’s website.)
And then there are the animals. It will be the first total solar eclipse Nichols has seen from the land — she watched the eclipse of Aug. 11, 1999, from a ship in the Black Sea — and she says that she’s curious what will happen.
“Animals think it’s time to go to bed. So cows might start walking toward the barn because they think it’s nighttime. And birds might go to roost because they think it’s nighttime. And crickets might start chirping because they think it’s nighttime,” she says.
It’s a reminder of the interconnectedness of the universe.
“Something in space is literally directly affecting stuff here on Earth. That’s the most amazing part to me,” Nichols says.
The path of the moon’s umbral shadow across South Carolina during the upcoming total solar eclipse. (Courtesy of NASA)
Wherever you are, Nichols cautions, never look directly at the sun unless you are within the path of totality and it is completely covered by the moon. She recommends purchasing a pair of eclipse glasses made by one of four companies: Lunt Solar Systems, Rainbow Symphony, American Paper Optics, and Thousand Oaks Optical.
Some people have been planning for this eclipse since 1979, Nichols says. City officials in the path of totality anticipate heavy traffic and many hotels across the country have been long sold out. (Camping may not be a bad idea.) Still, she encourages people to find a way to see the sky show.
If you can’t make it, cheer up: There’s another total solar eclipse coming on April 8, 2024, which will travel the country from southwest to the northeast.
Ready to chase the eclipse? Here are highlights of what’s happening around the country within the path of totality:
●Camping spots are still available (five days, $150-$3,500) in Madras, Ore., for Solarfest , a music and camping celebration that’s operating in partnership with NASA for premier eclipse viewing.
●Open spaces and parkland in Wyoming are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors. In Casper, where elevation is 5,000 feet, viewing parties will go on across town, from the fairgrounds and area churches to a distillery — Backwards Distilling, which is planning distillery tours, live music, food and cocktails. In Jackson Hole, the nonprofit organization Wyoming Stargazing is hosting two pre-eclipse mountain parties that include a chairlift ride, presentations from astronomy experts, mingling with retired astronaut Scott Altman, refreshments and stargazing through telescopes (tickets $375).
●On the day of the eclipse, Spring Creek Ranch is hosting a party in partnership with Wyoming Stargazing, which will include brunch, cocktails, eclipse glasses, and talks and interpretations by experts ($175 per person ; condos are still available at the property starting at $1,600 a night).
●In Weston, Mo., a farm festival is the place to be. Green Dirt Farm and Chef Howard Hanna of the Rieger restaurant in Kansas City will co-host an all-day, adults-only festival, cleverly named “Black Sheep in the Shadow – a Total Eclipse of the Farm,” which will include food (roasted pig and lamb), live music and “freakshow-style” performances.
Rooms are still available at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center, where guests can also view the sky from the event space on the 42nd floor (rates start at $221 per night). Columbia, Mo., will be celebrating the darkness with the “Show Me Totality” party including food and music festivals, a run, golf tournament, bicycle ride, a concert and viewing parties at multiple locations.
●In Carbondale, Ill., a festival art and craft fair, eclipse comic-con and more are in the works and a team from Chicago’s Adler Planetarium will be onsite to answer questions and lead events. NASA will be streaming a live feed and the public is invited to Saluki Stadium, where Matt Kaplan of Planetary Radio will act as a guide for the main event (tickets are $25). If you can’t find a room at a local hotel, Southern Illinois University is offering dorm suite rentals — four single beds for three nights — for $800 (visit housing.siu.edu/eclipse).
●Nashville
●As its grand finale, the path of totality will cross South Carolina. In Columbia, the South Carolina State Museum will host a weekend-long celebration with eclipse and astronomy activities, talks and expert appearances , and nearly 100 events are planned in and around Charleston, including a family-friendly viewing party at the Bend on the Ashley River featuring live music, STEM activities (a robotics demonstration, paper airplane building), astronomers on site and a live feed of NASA launching high-altitude balloons in Charleston. There are also events at museums (“Eclipse on a Warship” at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum) and yoga gatherings (SunShadow Yoga at Mount Pleasant Pier), and hotels with remaining rooms are offering eclipse packages — visit charlestoncvb.com/eclipse.
To learn more about the eclipse and events surrounding it, visit NASA’s eclipse page at eclipse2017.nasa.gov.
Silver is a writer based in Chicago. Find her on Twitter: @K8Silver.
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Here’s what will happen to the weather during the total solar eclipse

Capital Weather Gang's Angela Fritz breaks down what will happen when a total solar eclipse crosses the U.S. on Aug. 21.
As skywatchers nationwide unwrap their eclipse glasses Aug. 21 and photographers polish their lenses, weather forecasters will be gearing up for a curveball many have never faced before: the shadow.
With a miniature nightfall slated within an hour of lunchtime along the path of the solar eclipse next Monday, the looming darkness beneath the moon will interrupt the steady stream of solar radiation ordinarily delivered to Earth. The result? Temperatures will fall and fall fast.
What makes the mercury plummet with such speed during the onset of a total eclipse is just how localized the shadow is, and how quickly it’s moving. After all, imagine someone whipping a blanket across the sky at over 2,400 miles per hour! During ordinary nightfall in the summertime, any given location may transition through an hour or two of twilight en route to darkness. In the case of an eclipse, however, the difference is literally night and day — jumping between the two in under 90 seconds!
This is how the total solar #Eclipse2017 will affect incoming solar radiation on August 21st, 2017. https://t.co/p9MqGqmWGC
The common consensus across the meteorological community is that those fully immersed within the umbra — the darkest part of the moon’s shadow — will experience a temperature drop of about 10 degrees, maybe more. Along the periphery of the shadow, and in the regions treated only to a partial eclipse, this will likely be on the order of just three to five degrees. Even though incoming sunlight will return in full force after the eclipse, most places will fall short of reaching their average daily high temperatures before sunset, thanks to valuable time lost in the darkness.
“We have certainly been thinking about this,” said Dan Satterfield, chief meteorologist at WBOC, the CBS television affiliate in Salisbury, Md. “Since the eclipse will happen near the time of our max heating, it looks like we’ll need to lower our temperature forecasts somewhat.” Satterfield expects that this could be “at least several degrees, and maybe more.”
Mid-afternoon is, on average, our peak time to soak up the sun, but the normal rise in temperature will be interrupted. “Temperatures will certainly stop climbing in the afternoon, and I suspect they’ll drop a few degrees as we approach maximum eclipse,” Satterfield said.
NASA has conducted experiments
(NASA)
Space.com documented
During the total solar eclipse on Dec. 9, 1834, the Gettysburg Republican Banner reported that in some places, the eclipse caused the temperature to drop by as much as 28 degrees Fahrenheit, from 78 degrees F to 50 degrees F (25 degrees Celsius to 10 degrees C). During a total solar eclipse on the Norwegian island of Svalbard in March 2015, temperatures dropped from 8 degrees F to minus 7 degrees F (minus 13 C to minus 21 degrees C).
Note that a drier atmosphere will lead to more dramatic swings on the thermometer. So less humid locations along the path of totality — for example, in the Intermountain West — will tend to witness sharper temperature drops than the muggier places in the Southeast.
If you plan on watching the eclipse along the path, bring a light jacket, because you’ll basically be stepping out into the dead of night for a few short, awe-inspiring minutes.
Interestingly, the coolest temperatures during the eclipse won’t occur when it is darkest. Data obtained by Environment Canada back on Feb. 26, 1979, during a total eclipse that engulfed Hecla Island, Canada, suggest a roughly eight-minute “lag” between a reduction in incident solar rays and a subsequent drop in temperature.
During the eclipse, even the radiation we can’t see, such as ultraviolet light, is blocked from penetrating down to the ground. An experiment conducted in the United Kingdom in 1954 illustrated a fall from 500 watts per meter squared of incoming radiation down to a mere 200. This occurred with a 71 percent partial eclipse in London. The watts per meter squared is analogous to suspending a light bulb with the given wattage over each square meter of land surface; while that would seem absurdly bright (for comparison, most of the bulbs that illuminate our homes top out around 75 watts), we must remember that a significant percentage of solar radiation is outside the visible spectrum. The good news? It’ll be tougher to catch a sunburn!
That said, even if it looks darker, attempting to directly view the sun during the partial phases of the eclipse is still extremely dangerous! Until the last beads of visible light disappear and totality commences, you are still susceptible to high-energy rays of very short wavelength.
In the meantime, meteorologists across the nation will continue preparing for a bit of a plot twist in their temperature forecasts. Nobody seems to mind, though, because the added challenge is just a small price to pay for this celestial spectacle.
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Follow Matthew Cappucci on Twitter @MatthewCappucci.


Can’t find the protective glasses to watch the solar eclipse? Go old school.

The first coast-to-coast solar eclipse in almost 100 years moved across the U.S. at 2,000 mph on Aug. 21. Here are some highlights. To savor the solar eclipse, you don’t need special equipment. Go old school. Go low-tech. A partial or total eclipse can still be a memorable experience if you’re crafty and canny. For the Washington area, this event is a partial eclipse with about 80 percent of the sun obscured, according to the observatory. The eclipse starts at 1:17 p.m. Eastern time, and the middle of the eclipse occurs at 2:42 p.m. It all ends at 4:01 p.m. President Trump speaks at a Make America Great Again rally in Phoenix. Here are some old-school, low-tech ideas: Cereal Box Personal Theater The cereal box solar eclipse theater is a good way to safely view the Aug. 21 solar eclipse. Here's how to make one at home. Clear the kitchen table and find the craft scissors. Have the kids make their own cereal box solar eclipse theater. It’s a terrific way to capture the eclipse action and safe for viewing. You’ll need a cereal box, a piece of aluminum foil, tape and a small nail or pushpin. First, eat your Wheaties — or whatever toasted grain you prefer — and keep the box. On a white piece of paper or white cardboard, trace the bottom of the box. Then, clip out the traced rectangle from the paper and put it in the bottom of the opened box. That’s your screen. Cut out two squares (1.5 inches should suffice) on the lid of the box and then tape the lid back together. For one square, cover the hole in foil and tape it down. Gently put a pushpin or small nail hole through it, as that is your lens. The smaller the hole, the sharper the projected image. Millions of people watched as the eclipse cut a path of totality 70 miles wide across the United States from Oregon to South Carolina on Monday. When using your personal box theater, turn away from the sun — and let the sun’s rays shine through the tiny pin hole. Look through the other hole in the lid to see the eclipse action — during the eclipse you’ll see the moon biting a chunk from the sun. Other kinds of small boxes — such as shoe boxes or small package boxes — work well,

The first coast-to-coast solar eclipse in almost 100 years moved across the U.S. at 2,000 mph on Aug. 21. Here are some highlights.
To savor the solar eclipse, you don’t need special equipment. Go old school. Go low-tech. A partial or total eclipse can still be a memorable experience if you’re crafty and canny.
As this Monday’s total solar eclipse will create a ribbon of shadow stretching from Oregon to South Carolina, other locations in the continental United States will see varying degrees of a partial eclipse. You can find your specific circumstances at the U.S. Naval Observatory’s Solar Eclipse Web page.
Some places closer to the eclipse path of totality will have over 90 percent of the sun covered by the moon, while other places in the Northeast and Midwest will have less than 85 percent of the sun’s face covered.
For the Washington area, this event is a partial eclipse with about 80 percent of the sun obscured, according to the observatory. The eclipse starts at 1:17 p.m. Eastern time, and the middle of the eclipse occurs at 2:42 p.m. It all ends at 4:01 p.m.
President Trump speaks at a Make America Great Again rally in Phoenix.
The first rule of enjoying the eclipse is to never look directly at the sun, never look at the sun through a telescope or binoculars — unless these instruments have proper (emphasis on proper!) filters. Retired NASA eclipse expert Fred Espenek gets specific and warns to never look directly at the partial phases of any solar eclipse, or the maximum phases of an annular (ring of fire) solar eclipse with your unprotected or naked eye. He said that even when most of the sun’s surface is blocked during the partial phases of a solar eclipse, the remaining, visible crescent is intensely bright and cannot be safely viewed without eye protection.
Here are some old-school, low-tech ideas:
Cereal Box Personal Theater
The cereal box solar eclipse theater is a good way to safely view the Aug. 21 solar eclipse. Here's how to make one at home.
Clear the kitchen table and find the craft scissors. Have the kids make their own cereal box solar eclipse theater. It’s a terrific way to capture the eclipse action and safe for viewing. You’ll need a cereal box, a piece of aluminum foil, tape and a small nail or pushpin.
First, eat your Wheaties — or whatever toasted grain you prefer — and keep the box. On a white piece of paper or white cardboard, trace the bottom of the box. Then, clip out the traced rectangle from the paper and put it in the bottom of the opened box. That’s your screen.
Cut out two squares (1.5 inches should suffice) on the lid of the box and then tape the lid back together. For one square, cover the hole in foil and tape it down. Gently put a pushpin or small nail hole through it, as that is your lens. The smaller the hole, the sharper the projected image.
Millions of people watched as the eclipse cut a path of totality 70 miles wide across the United States from Oregon to South Carolina on Monday.
When using your personal box theater, turn away from the sun — and let the sun’s rays shine through the tiny pin hole. Look through the other hole in the lid to see the eclipse action — during the eclipse you’ll see the moon biting a chunk from the sun.
Other kinds of small boxes — such as shoe boxes or small package boxes — work well, too. And over the weekend, have the kids decorate them for fun.
(NASA)
Waffle fingers
If you have nothing handy with which to watch, don’t fret. Use your hands. Make waffle fingers! Look away from the sun and crosshatch your fingers, so they make little holes, so you can project the sun’s rays onto the side of a building or sidewalk. Check these suggestions from the American Astronomical Society. Do not look at the sun through your fingers! Let your fingers work for you and project the sun onto a surface.
Everyday kitchen gadgets work beautifully. Your favorite colander, a flat cheese grater, a serving spoon with small holes all serve to project the sun onto a wall, driveway or cardboard. Do not look at the sun through colanders, graters or slotted spoons! Again, hold up your device and project the sun onto a surface.
Or, stand under a leafy tree and look to the ground. You can see hundreds of eclipse projections right at your feet.
Capital Weather Gang’s Angela Fritz explains what could happen to your eyes if you were to watch the Aug. 21 eclipse without special sunglasses and how to spot the ones that work.
Read more:
How to watch today’s solar eclipse in Washington, Va., and Md.
Interactive: How rare is the Aug. 21 eclipse path?
The great American eclipse is finally here: What you need to know
During the solar eclipse, animals (including pets) will be extremely confused
‘20 seconds of burning’: Friends partly blinded after watching solar eclipse warn of dangers


A full moon, lunar eclipse and comet all in one evening? It happens tonight.

A lunar eclipse, a full moon and a comet all happening in one night. Turn this evening into a cosmic experience — a full moon, lunar eclipse and the chance to see a pale green comet as it streaks by Earth. Oh, and beg for clear skies. This month’s so-called “Snow Moon” will pass through Earth’s outer shadow just after sunset, turning its face varying shades of grey. Lunar eclipses occur when the Earth is optimally placed between the sun and the moon. With an added dose of serendipity, we’re on our planet’s primo dark side with front-row seats. After mid-eclipse, the graying begins to yield to the moon’s normal brightness. The moon fully leaves the penumbral shadow at 9:55 p.m. During the lunar eclipse Friday, the moon nicks the outside of Earth’s dark umbral shadow, causing deep gray shading around 7:44 p.m. (Sky & Telescope) But wait — there’s more! Let the kids stay up late, because Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusáková (don’t ask us how to pronounce all those names) makes its closest approach to Earth Friday night. You’ll be able to see the greenish comet by telescope and binoculars in a dark location, but not with the naked eye. Depending on where you’re located, clouds may also prove to be a hindrance. A fairly large portion of the Northeast is forecast to be shrouded this evening, as well as the Great Lakes region and parts of the Southwest. Fortunately you can still watch, because the great folks at slooh.com will be webcasting the eclipse and the comet. And really, even if the skies were clear, that might be the best option if you want to see both events up-close. Cloud cover forecast for Friday evening. Slooh’s live feed This eclipse is Saros 114. It has been around since the year 971 and it will last until June 22, 2233 (at 22:22:33 Universal Time!), according to NASA tables. The previous eclipse in this series occurred on Jan. 31, 1999, and before that, the eclipse occurred in the waning hours of Jimmy Carter’s presidency on Jan. 20, 1981. Facts do not lie, as the next lunar eclipse in this series is Feb. 22, 2035 — George Washington’s 303rd birthday.

A lunar eclipse, a full moon and a comet all happening in one night.
Turn this evening into a cosmic experience — a full moon, lunar eclipse and the chance to see a pale green comet as it streaks by Earth. Oh, and beg for clear skies.
This month’s so-called “Snow Moon” will pass through Earth’s outer shadow just after sunset, turning its face varying shades of grey. Lunar eclipses occur when the Earth is optimally placed between the sun and the moon. With an added dose of serendipity, we’re on our planet’s primo dark side with front-row seats.
On the East Coast, the full moon climbs above the horizon around 5:30 p.m., just as it enters Earth’s penumbral (outer) shadow and — ever so slowly — the lunar disk will start to dim and turn gray. Late afternoon twilight gives way to the evening dark skies. For practical purposes, the Eastern time zone will likely perceive the gray shading around 6:14 p.m., according to Alan MacRobert and Kelly Beatty, senior editors at Sky & Telescope magazine.
By the middle of the eclipse, at 7:44 p.m. Eastern time, the northern third of moon will be a noticeably darker gray, said astronomer Geoff Chester of the U.S. Naval Observatory.
After mid-eclipse, the graying begins to yield to the moon’s normal brightness. The moon fully leaves the penumbral shadow at 9:55 p.m.
During the lunar eclipse Friday, the moon nicks the outside of Earth’s dark umbral shadow, causing deep gray shading around 7:44 p.m. (Sky & Telescope)
But wait — there’s more!
Let the kids stay up late, because Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusáková (don’t ask us how to pronounce all those names) makes its closest approach to Earth Friday night. You’ll be able to see the greenish comet by telescope and binoculars in a dark location, but not with the naked eye.
Depending on where you’re located, clouds may also prove to be a hindrance. A fairly large portion of the Northeast is forecast to be shrouded this evening, as well as the Great Lakes region and parts of the Southwest. Fortunately you can still watch, because the great folks at slooh.com will be webcasting the eclipse and the comet. And really, even if the skies were clear, that might be the best option if you want to see both events up-close.
Cloud cover forecast for Friday evening.
Slooh’s live feed
For both live shows, send photos of the eclipse and comet to @Slooh on Twitter for a chance to be featured during the webcast.
This eclipse is a little like deja vu. Yes, you’ve seen it before — eclipses are dictated by the Saros cycle, where 6,585.3 days slip in between eclipses, according to retired NASA eclipse expert, Fred Espenak. This eclipse series lasts 12 to 15 centuries.
This eclipse is Saros 114. It has been around since the year 971 and it will last until June 22, 2233 (at 22:22:33 Universal Time!), according to NASA tables. The previous eclipse in this series occurred on Jan. 31, 1999, and before that, the eclipse occurred in the waning hours of Jimmy Carter’s presidency on Jan. 20, 1981.
Facts do not lie, as the next lunar eclipse in this series is Feb. 22, 2035 — George Washington’s 303rd birthday.


Facts about our sun and moon that you’re embarrassed to admit you don’t know

Capital Weather Gang’s Angela Fritz explains how math is used to determine the timing and location of the total solar eclipse crossing the U.S. on Aug. 21. But how much do you really know — or how much do you remember from science class — about the sun and moon, both of which make life on Earth possible? THE SUN This image depicts NASA’s planned Solar Probe Plus spacecraft approaching the sun. (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Associated Press) SIZE: So while it is special to us, our sun is an average-size star in the universe. Its diameter is about 864,000 miles. About 1.3 million Earths could fit into the sun. DISTANCE FROM EARTH: How many Earth's can fit inside the Sun? AGE: HOW IT WAS FORMED: Although it may look empty, space is filled with gas and dust. Most of the material was hydrogen and helium, but some of it was made up of leftover remnants from the violent deaths of stars. Waves of energy traveling through space pressed clouds of such particles closer together, and gravity causes them to collapse in on themselves. As the material drew together, gravity caused it to spin. The spin caused the cloud to flatten into a disk like a pancake. In the center, the material clumped together to form a protostar that would eventually become the sun. The young protostar was a ball of hydrogen and helium not yet powered by fusion. Over the course of about 50 million years, the temperature and pressure of the material inside increased, jump-starting the fusion of hydrogen that drives the sun today. COMPOSITION: Plasma is known as the fourth state of matter, following solid, which is the first and coldest state. Heat up a solid and you get a liquid, the second state of matter. Heat up liquid and you get gas, the third state of matter. Plasma is created when the atoms in gas become so hot that they separate and the electrons and protons coexist individually. Nearly 75 percent of the charged particles are hydrogen, about 25 percent are helium, and there are trace amounts of oxygen, carbon, neon and iron. TEMPERATURE: WHY IT MATTERS TO EARTH: WILL IT LAST FOREVER? BEST SONGS ABOUT THE SUN: THE MOON The August full moon rises above the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounio, south of Athens. (Petros Giannakouris/Associated Press) DISTANCE FROM EARTH: SIZE: AGE: TEMPERATURE:

Capital Weather Gang’s Angela Fritz explains how math is used to determine the timing and location of the total solar eclipse crossing the U.S. on Aug. 21.
Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you know by now that the sun and the moon will be the stars of the Great American Eclipse of 2017. It happens Aug. 21, when the moon will pass between the sun and Earth, and, depending on where you are in the United States and a few other countries, the moon can be seen completely, or partially, blocking the sun.
But how much do you really know — or how much do you remember from science class — about the sun and moon, both of which make life on Earth possible?
What is the sun made of? How big and hot is it? How old is it, where did it come from, and when will it die?
What is the moon made of? How big and hot (or cold) is it? How old is it, where did it come from, and when will it stop orbiting Earth?
Here are some basic facts — from NASA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the James Madison University’s John C. Wells Planetarium, the Smithsonian Institution, Space.com and the Stanford Solar Center — to remind yourself of what you probably once learned but can’t quite retrieve from your long-term memory:
THE SUN
This image depicts NASA’s planned Solar Probe Plus spacecraft approaching the sun. (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Associated Press)
SIZE:
So while it is special to us, our sun is an average-size star in the universe. Its diameter is about 864,000 miles. About 1.3 million Earths could fit into the sun.
DISTANCE FROM EARTH:
How many Earth's can fit inside the Sun?
AGE:
HOW IT WAS FORMED:
Although it may look empty, space is filled with gas and dust. Most of the material was hydrogen and helium, but some of it was made up of leftover remnants from the violent deaths of stars. Waves of energy traveling through space pressed clouds of such particles closer together, and gravity causes them to collapse in on themselves. As the material drew together, gravity caused it to spin. The spin caused the cloud to flatten into a disk like a pancake. In the center, the material clumped together to form a protostar that would eventually become the sun.
The young protostar was a ball of hydrogen and helium not yet powered by fusion. Over the course of about 50 million years, the temperature and pressure of the material inside increased, jump-starting the fusion of hydrogen that drives the sun today.
COMPOSITION:
Plasma is known as the fourth state of matter, following solid, which is the first and coldest state. Heat up a solid and you get a liquid, the second state of matter. Heat up liquid and you get gas, the third state of matter. Plasma is created when the atoms in gas become so hot that they separate and the electrons and protons coexist individually. Nearly 75 percent of the charged particles are hydrogen, about 25 percent are helium, and there are trace amounts of oxygen, carbon, neon and iron.
There’s this from a 2012 story in Smithsonian magazine:
When the band They Might Be Giants rerecorded the 1959 song “Why Does the Sun Shine?” for its 1993 EP, they played to a much-repeated piece of science fiction. The track, subtitled “
The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas,” gets some basic sun science wrong. “A gas is a state of matter in which the material is not ionized, so all of the atoms still have all of their electrons and really the sun’s gas is in a state called plasma,” says Smithsonian astrophysicist Mark Weber.
Though scientists had known this for quite some time, once it was pointed out to the band, it promptly issued an updated track in 2009, “
Why Does the Sun Really Shine? The Sun is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma.”
TEMPERATURE:
WHY IT MATTERS TO EARTH:
WILL IT LAST FOREVER?
BEST SONGS ABOUT THE SUN:
THE MOON
The August full moon rises above the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounio, south of Athens. (Petros Giannakouris/Associated Press)
DISTANCE FROM EARTH:
SIZE:
AGE:
TEMPERATURE:
HOW IT WAS FORMED:
GEOGRAPHY:
HOW OFTEN IT ORBITS EARTH:
IF THE MOON DISAPPEARED TOMORROW:
THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON:
WHY THE MOON SEEMS TO CHANGE SHAPE:
NUMBER OF HUMANS WHO HAVE WALKED ON THE MOON:
WHY ASTRONAUTS TOOK LEAPING STRIDES ON THE MOON:
STUFF HUMANS LEFT ON THE SURFACE:
Astronaut Gene Cernan became the last man to walk on the moon during NASA's Apollo 17 mission more than 40 years ago. After a life dedicated to pushing the limits of space travel, he died on Jan. 16, at the age of 82.
FUTURE:
BEST SONGS ABOUT THE MOON:

Correction: Earlier version incorrectly discussed the moon mass and phases.
Read more:
Why some schools are closing for the solar eclipse — but others are staying open
Interactive: Travel the path of the solar eclipse
How to use your smartphone to photograph the solar eclipse
You have questions about the total solar eclipse. And we have answers.


Solar eclipse maps are not exact, scientists say

Maps of the solar eclipse on August 21 show a 70-mile-wide path (in yellow) in which viewers can see the moon completely block the sun. But because current measurements of the sun aren’t exact, that path will actually be a bit smaller. (Michael Zeiler/GreatAmericanEclipse.com /American Astronomical Society)
Anyone who has been using online maps to decide where they intend to view the historic August 21 total eclipse of the sun may want to take another look.
Those maps, provided by NASA and others, show a crisply defined, 70-mile-wide path of totality where the moon will block 100 percent of the sun. But they are not as precise as they appear, at least on their edges.
The southern edge of the path as shown on the maps could be off by as little as the length of a football field or as much as a half-mile, eclipse mapping experts say. Likewise for the northern edge, meaning the path of totality might be just 69 miles wide.
“This is an issue. This is really an issue, but it’s not advertised … Yeah, all the maps are wrong,” Mike Kentrianakis, who is the solar eclipse project manager for the American Astronomical Society and who routinely consults with NASA, told the Kansas City Star.
Students wear eclipse glasses at the Royal Observatory Greenwich during the 2015 solar eclipse in London, England. Only those who are in the path of totality can remove protective eyewear during the short period in which the moon completely blocks the sun. (Rob Stothard/Getty Images)
It effectively means that people who assumed, based on the Google maps, that their location was just within the path of totality — thus expecting to witness a few seconds of total eclipse — will instead see a partial eclipse. That could turn out to be a total disappointment, according to eclipse experts, who say that observing even a 99.9 percent partial eclipse is not at all the same as viewing a total eclipse.
Current maps show the eclipse’s southern edge cutting through downtown Kansas City, Missouri, slicing across buildings. And they do it with great precision, noting the time of total eclipse down to the tenth of a second.
But Kentrianakis, who discusses the issue as part of a new documentary, “Totality: The American Eclipse,” said a more accurate line runs about a half-mile north.
Current maps also show the path cutting a sharp line through parts of St. Louis, Missouri.
“St. Louis also is wrong,” Kentrianakis said. Indeed, the map’s edges are off along the entire path from Oregon through South Carolina.
Xavier Jubier, a French engineer whose calculations have been used to create the interactive Google maps of the eclipse, confirmed by email that the actual path of the totality is slightly narrower than the 70 miles shown on current maps.
Ernest Wright, who created maps and other multimedia presentations on the eclipse for NASA, said he thought the map might be narrower by about 110 yards, slightly longer than a football field.
He also said it’s possible that Kentrianakis is correct in his estimation that the path is narrower by a half-mile or more.
“He could be,” Wright said.
The reason the maps are slightly off has nothing to do with mistakes, all agree. Wright explained that eclipse maps are made based on what is known about the relative sizes and positions of the moon and the sun.
“We have really good information about the orbit of the moon, the positions of the sun, the positions of the Earth. All of that is really well nailed down,” Wright said. “In order to get more accuracy, we need to take into account the mountains and valleys on the moon, and the elevations on the Earth. And we’re starting to do that, as well.”
The size of the moon, in fact, has been measured to within a meter, and its position in the heavens has been measured to within a centimeter.
“But the last sort of uncertainty might surprise you,” Wright said. “It’s the size of the sun.”
It’s a roiling ball of gas. “It doesn’t have a solid surface,” he said, making its size hard to pin down.
Scientists have calculated the sun’s radius at roughly 696,000 kilometers (about 432,500 miles) from edge to center, but they do not know its size with precision.
A bigger sun would make the moon’s shadow, and thus the path of totality, narrower.
“You would think you could send a satellite up there, take a picture of the sun and put a ruler on the picture and decide how big the sun is,” Wright said.
But it doesn’t work that way. Scientists have space-based and Earth-based telescopes constantly trained on the sun. Earth-based telescopes must contend with atmospheric interference. Space-based telescopes also have limitations.
Jubier does not think the small difference will change much for the average eclipse viewer, “as usually people don’t go near the edges of the eclipse path.”
But for thousands of people who live near the edge, Wright with NASA and Kentrianakis with the American Astronomical Society offer this advice: Do your best to move closer toward the middle of the path of totality.
The closer one gets to the middle of the path, the longer the totality will last, up to a maximum of about 2 minutes and 40 seconds. At the edge, totality lasts less than 10 seconds.
“There are cool things to see at the edge, too,” Wright said. Some astronomers argue that viewing a solar eclipse from the edge of the path of totality offers wonderful views, including a protracted view of the sun’s rosy-red chromosphere, a layer of atmosphere just above its surface.
“But the big show,” Wright said, “is going to be the closer you are to the center. And you don’t have to drive 35 miles. You can go 10 miles and get up to a minute of totality. If you stay at the edge, you’re only going to get a couple of seconds.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the name of the 2017 documentary “Totality: The American Eclipse.” The story has been updated.


Fire on high: An annular solar eclipse that only penguins might love

The sun is obscured by the moon during an annular solar eclipse in Tokyo May 21, 2012. (Tomohiro Ohsumi / Bloomberg) The quest for fire meets the march of the penguins. In a kind of cosmic oddity, the annular solar eclipse late tonight – or more precisely tomorrow morning, Eastern time – can be seen by human eyes only in the remote reaches of Antarctica. For this annular eclipse, noted likely by its short-lived “ring of fire,” may have but an audience of penguins, since humanity lacks representation. This is the first solar eclipse of 2014. Solar eclipses occur when the moon passes between Earth and the sun. Total eclipses, which produce the “diamond ring” effect, happen when the moon is closer to Earth and precisely covers the sun. For annular eclipses, the moon is a tiny bit further from earth, but still fits within the sun’s disc and has a skosh more room. Thus a “ring of fire” forms around moon’s silhouette. Video: Ring of Fire – May 10 2013 Annular Solar Eclipse, Pilbara, Western Australia Ring of Fire - May 10 2013 Annular Solar Eclipse, Pilbara, Western Australia The northern edge of the antumbral shadow – that portion of the Moon’s shadow that extends beyond the umbra – first touches Antarctica at 1:57 a.m. Eastern time (5:57 Universal Time). Greatest eclipse is at 2:03 a.m. Eastern time, according to retired NASA eclipse expert Fred Espenak. At that point the sun appears on the Antarctic horizon for a 49-second annular phase. At 2:09 a.m. Eastern time, the shadow leaves Earth’s surface and the annular eclipse ends. Link But … you can view the partial phases Coverage begins tonight at 2 a.m. Eastern, as the live image stream with discussions led by Slooh host Geoff Fox, with expertise from astronomer Paul Cox and solar researcher Lucie Green. Ask questions during the webcast by using hashtag #Slooh A non-central rarity Espenak says this eclipse is unusual “because the central axis of the Moon’s antumbral shadow misses Earth entirely while the shadow edge grazes the planet.” In other words, the central axis just missed landing on Earth, or as a baseball broadcaster might explain, the shadow “is a just a bit outside.” In simple terms, this is a non-central annular eclipse. During the 5,000-year period from 2000 B.C. to 3000 AD, the earth only sees 68 non-central versions out of 3,956 annular

The sun is obscured by the moon during an annular solar eclipse in Tokyo May 21, 2012. (Tomohiro Ohsumi / Bloomberg)
The quest for fire meets the march of the penguins.
In a kind of cosmic oddity, the annular solar eclipse late tonight – or more precisely tomorrow morning, Eastern time – can be seen by human eyes only in the remote reaches of Antarctica.  For this annular eclipse, noted likely by its short-lived “ring of fire,” may have but an audience of penguins, since humanity lacks representation.
This is the first solar eclipse of 2014. Solar eclipses occur when the moon passes between Earth and the sun.  Total eclipses, which produce the “diamond ring” effect, happen when the moon is closer to Earth and precisely covers the sun. For annular eclipses, the moon is a tiny bit further from earth, but still fits within the sun’s disc and has a skosh more room. Thus a “ring of fire” forms around moon’s silhouette.
Video: Ring of Fire – May 10 2013 Annular Solar Eclipse, Pilbara, Western Australia
Ring of Fire - May 10 2013 Annular Solar Eclipse, Pilbara, Western Australia
The northern edge of the antumbral shadow – that portion of the Moon’s shadow that extends beyond the umbra – first touches Antarctica at 1:57 a.m. Eastern time (5:57 Universal Time).  Greatest eclipse is at 2:03 a.m. Eastern time, according to retired NASA eclipse expert Fred Espenak.  At that point the sun appears on the Antarctic horizon for a 49-second annular phase. At 2:09 a.m. Eastern time, the shadow leaves Earth’s surface and the annular eclipse ends.
Link
But … you can view the partial phases
You can view the partial eclipse phases from Australia live from the comfort of your home computer at Slooh.com.
Coverage begins tonight at 2 a.m. Eastern, as the live image stream with discussions led by Slooh host Geoff Fox, with expertise from astronomer Paul Cox and solar researcher Lucie Green. Ask questions during the webcast by using hashtag #Slooh
The Slooh webcast is also available via YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/embed/h342KVTsQMg
A non-central rarity
Espenak says this eclipse is unusual “because the central axis of the Moon’s antumbral shadow misses Earth entirely while the shadow edge grazes the planet.”
In other words, the central axis just missed landing on Earth, or as a baseball broadcaster might explain, the shadow “is a just a bit outside.”  In simple terms, this is a non-central annular eclipse. During the 5,000-year period from 2000 B.C. to 3000 AD, the earth only sees 68 non-central versions out of 3,956 annular eclipses, according to Espenak.
A family affair
Every eclipse, whether lunar or solar, belongs to a “saros” – or family of eclipses.  After a series of partial solar eclipses for solar Saros 148, dating back to Sept. 21, 1653, the penguins get to witness live the first annular eclipse of the series. From this series, the next eclipse (annular, again) will take place in May 2032.
In May 2068, Earth can enjoy the first total eclipse from Saros 148 and that eclipse will be first of 39 consecutive Saros 148 total solar eclipses – through Aug. 3, 2771.  That’s 703 years of total eclipses from one eclipse family.  The saros ends Dec. 12, 2987.
Out of 75 eclipses in this family, this eclipse is the only non-central annular.
Eye safety
NASA offers instructions on eye safety during solar eclipses: Eye safety during solar eclipses


When will there be a lunar eclipse visible from DC?

The total solar eclipse is part of a ‘family.’ Here’s what that means.

(Kevin Ambrose)
An eclipse is not a singular event. It is always one in a family, and all of its kin have a unique personality. Monday’s solar eclipse has 76 cousins — partial, annular, hybrid and total eclipses. The family was born in 1639 and its lineage will end in 3009.
To keep track of the families, astronomers assign them a number. In the case of Monday’s eclipse, its familial lineage is Solar Saros 145.
These cycles, first identified by the ancient Babylonians and Chinese, last up to 13 centuries and contain 70 or more events. Each saros series starts with a partial eclipse. With each successive eclipse, the moon covers more and more of the sun, until — in the middle of the saros series — only total eclipses are occurring. As the process continues, the moon will eventually not cover up the sun anymore, and the series will end with partial eclipses.
Saros 145 is a series of 77 eclipses of varying characteristics and lengths. Its duration is 18 years, 11 days and eight hours, according to Fred Espenak, a retired NASA eclipse expert. It began in January 1639, and it will end on April 17, 3009, making this series 1370 years long. Monday’s eclipse is the 22nd eclipse of this 77-event run.
Capital Weather Gang’s Angela Fritz explains how math is used to determine the timing and location of the total solar eclipse crossing the U.S. on Aug. 21.
Before the solar eclipse on Aug. 21, the previous one in this series was Aug. 11, 1999, where the path of totality curved through northern France, Austria, Iran and India. The 2017 American edition shares those shapely characteristics, as the shadow wends its way from Oregon to South Carolina. When two eclipses are separated by a period of one saros, they share similar geometry, Espenak explained.
An animation of all the eclipses in Saros 145. (NASA)
For the next eclipse in Saros 145, fast forward to Sept. 2, 2035, when that familiar curve saunters from western China through North Korea, into the Sea of Japan, north of Tokyo and then finally sweeping into the Pacific Ocean. On Sept. 12, 2053, the eclipse centerline slices perfectly through the Straight of Gibraltar, curving along the top contour of Africa, through Egypt and Saudi Arabia into Indonesia.
Not all solar eclipses are total. Of the 77 eclipses in this Saros 145 family, only 44 are total, 34 are partial, one is annular (a ring of fire eclipse, June 6, 1891), and one hybrid (June 17, 1909) — which means that in some places, sky gazers saw an annular eclipse while people saw totality in other places. Totality in 1909 lasted 24 seconds.
The total solar eclipses of Saros 145. (greatamericaneclipse.com)
The first eclipse in this series — a minuscule partial eclipse in 1639 — occurred over the North Pole, barely. In 2017, maximum totality will be 2 minutes, 40 seconds. Earth will have 16 more 18-year cycles before we get to four minutes of totality for this family. We will be long-forgotten when our distant descendants will enjoy over 7 minutes of totality in 2504, 2522 and 2540. (In the year 2486, the eclipse will miss the seven-minute mark by a beat, with 6 minutes and 59 seconds of totality.)
For North America, there will be a total solar eclipse going from Mexico through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and western New York on April 8, 2024 — that’s Saros 139. A big fat ribbon of eclipse shadow (Saros 136) — producing over six minutes of totality — will cross from Northern California, Nevada, Oklahoma and through most of Florida on Aug. 12, 2045.
Between 2666 and the end year 3009, Saros 145 will be a series of partial eclipses. The last total eclipse for Saros 145 occurs in September 2648 in Antarctica. The penguins will love it.


Dear Science: Is the eclipse moving backward?

The total solar eclipse in August 2017 will travel across the United States from Oregon to South Carolina. But if the moon rises in the east and sets in the west, why does the eclipse shadow travel from west to east? Dear Science is on the case.
Dear Science,
I'm really excited about the total solar eclipse that's going to happen in the U.S. on Aug. 21. But some of the details have me confused. People say that the eclipse will start on the West Coast, in Oregon, and travel southeast toward South Carolina. But if the moon rises in the east and sets in the west, shouldn't the eclipse go in that direction too? Is the eclipse moving backward?
Here's what science has to say:
No, the moon will not reverse its course around the Earth for a few hours on Aug. 21. But we don't blame you for feeling confused. This definitely falls into the category of Space Questions That Are Really Tough to Wrap Your Mind Around.
“It is actually something even astronomers struggle to see,” said C. Alex Young, a heliophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. When the issue came up at a recent conference, “it wound up with a bunch of astronomers sitting around trying to figure out how to explain it.”
When the moon passes in front of the sun on Aug. 21, it will cast a long shadow across the Earth's surface. As the moon moves in its orbit, that shadow will race from the west coast of the U.S. to the east — the opposite path we're used to watching the moon take.
The phenomenon is so difficult to understand because it shifts our perspective. Even though we learned in elementary school that everything in space, including the Earth, is in motion, we are very bad at remembering that we are not standing still at the center of things. When we look up at night and see the moon rising in the east, we assume that's because the moon is circling from east to west around our planet.
The Hinode spacecraft captured this image of the January 6, 2011 solar eclipse. (NASA)
In reality, the moon appears to rise in the east because that's the way the Earth is spinning. If you looked down on Earth from above the North Pole, our planet would be rotating counterclockwise — or spinning toward the east. That's why you catch sight of the moon first peeping above the eastern horizon, and your last view of it is as it sets in the west.
Meanwhile, the moon is actually revolving in the same direction that Earth spins — and twice as fast. The moon is traveling eastward in its orbit at about 2,100 miles per hour, while the Earth spins at a sluggish 1,040 mph (at the equator). So the path of the moon's shadow will track eastward across the Earth's surface at a speed of about 2,100 minus 1,040 mph — roughly 1,060 mph.
Head still spinning? That's understandable — this issue is easier to understand if you can visualize it. Take a look at this video of the moon taken by a camera aboard NASA's Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite last year.
NASA released images July 11 of the moon crossing the face of the Earth for the second time this year. The images were captured by NASA's Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite between July 4-5
See how the moon travels quickly from west to east across the globe?
The moon doesn't do anything differently during the eclipse. Instead, the eclipse is exposing us to a reality that exists every day of the year. For many of us, for the first time in our lives, the eclipse will let us witness the movement of the moon in its own orbit, and not as a result of the Earth's rotation. That's part of what makes astronomical events like this so cool: they are a reminder of our place in the universe.
Have a question for Dear Science? Ask it here.
More eclipse coverage:
The first solar eclipse to cross America in 99 years is coming. To some, it's an act of God.
Don't let clouds ruin your solar eclipse — here's where it's most likely to be clear
Scientists are gearing up to take the longest-ever video of a solar eclipse


September begins with a ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse over Africa

(NASA) Nature provides a cosmic gift to open September: A heavenly ring of fire around the moon. The last time an annular eclipse occurred was on Apr. 29, 2014. An annular eclipse is very similar to a total eclipse. The moon glides between the Earth and the sun, but the moon is slightly farther out now, so it does not fully block the sun. Because of this, a ring of fire is created around the moon as it passes in front of the sun. Slooh.com is a webcasting site specializing is astronomical events. Their broadcast starts Wednesday night at 2:45 a.m. Eastern Time. Paul Cox provides the cosmic play-by-play, as astronomers Bob Berman and Eric Edelman add color. Joining the broadcast will be Fr. James Kurzynski of the Vatican Observatory, Shaykh Abdulbary Yahya of the Al Maghrib Institute, and psychologist Kate Russo – as all will share human dimensions to the eclipse experience. Meanwhile, the Astronomical Society Southern Africa’s YouTube stream begins at 3 a.m., where the group will have properly filtered cameras providing visual feeds during the mostly partial phases. Each eclipse belongs to a series – called a saros – and this is number 39 out of 71 eclipses in Saros 135 Each eclipse within a saros is separated by 18 years. The first eclipse in the Saros 135 family happened on July 5, 1331 and the last one will be Aug. 17, 2593. This family’s previous eclipse was an annular event on Aug. 22, 1998 and the next one will be annular on Sept. 12, 2034. On Thursday, the eclipse center line path includes include Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar, while a partial solar eclipse can be seen through most of Africa, including the southern part of Saudi Arabia, according to Espenak. For sky gazers in southern Tanzania, the greatest eclipse starts at 09:07 Universal Time (5:07 a.m. Eastern Time) when it peaks at 3 minutes and 6 seconds, and the shadowy path is 62 miles wide, says Espenak. If you’re reading this from Africa, always protect your eyes during any type of solar eclipse. In mid September, Earth’s sky gazers can enjoy a Harvest Moon penumbral lunar eclipse (the moon gets slightly darker) on Sept. 16. For those of us here in North America, we won’t be able to see the eclipse live – although we can enjoy the romantic,

(NASA)
Nature provides a cosmic gift to open September: A heavenly ring of fire around the moon. The last time an annular eclipse occurred was on Apr. 29, 2014.
An annular eclipse is very similar to a total eclipse. The moon glides between the Earth and the sun, but the moon is slightly farther out now, so it does not fully block the sun. Because of this, a ring of fire is created around the moon as it passes in front of the sun.
Observers in the central region of Africa can see it in person, but the rest of us will have to watch online. In the U.S., you can watch two ways – Slooh.com and the Astronomical Society Southern Africa’s YouTube channel. Get a nap and set the alarm – it’s very early.
Slooh.com is a webcasting site specializing is astronomical events. Their broadcast starts Wednesday night at 2:45 a.m. Eastern Time. Paul Cox provides the cosmic play-by-play, as astronomers Bob Berman and Eric Edelman add color. Joining the broadcast will be Fr. James Kurzynski of the Vatican Observatory, Shaykh Abdulbary Yahya of the Al Maghrib Institute, and psychologist Kate Russo – as all will share human dimensions to the eclipse experience.
Meanwhile, the Astronomical Society Southern Africa’s YouTube stream begins at 3 a.m., where the group will have properly filtered cameras providing visual feeds during the mostly partial phases.
Each eclipse belongs to a series – called a saros – and this is number 39 out of 71 eclipses in Saros 135 Each eclipse within a saros is separated by 18 years. The first eclipse in the Saros 135 family happened on July 5, 1331 and the last one will be Aug. 17, 2593.
This family’s previous eclipse was an annular event on Aug. 22, 1998 and the next one will be annular on Sept. 12, 2034.
On Thursday, the eclipse center line path includes include Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar, while a partial solar eclipse can be seen through most of Africa, including the southern part of Saudi Arabia, according to Espenak.
For sky gazers in southern Tanzania, the greatest eclipse starts at 09:07 Universal Time (5:07 a.m. Eastern Time) when it peaks at 3 minutes and 6 seconds, and the shadowy path is 62 miles wide, says Espenak.
If you’re reading this from Africa, always protect your eyes during any type of solar eclipse.
In mid September, Earth’s sky gazers can enjoy a Harvest Moon penumbral lunar eclipse (the moon gets slightly darker) on Sept. 16. For those of us here in North America, we won’t be able to see the eclipse live – although we can enjoy the romantic, full Harvest Moon. Slooh.com will carry that cosmic action starting at 3 p.m. Eastern time.


Rare and red supermoon lunar eclipse to present Sunday night spectacle

Stargazers were treated to a rare astronomical phenomenon on the night of Sept. 27 when a total lunar eclipse combined with a "supermoon," the closest full moon of the year, to create a "blood moon."
With clear skies on the evening of Sept. 27, the plump Harvest Moon takes on crimson coloring – during a total lunar eclipse. Don your fall jackets, grab a hot mug of hot chocolate – with marshmallows, of course – and meet the neighbors outside for a cosmic chat. Watch heavenly glory unfold.
To make matters more interesting, the reddish, eclipsing moon will be in “perigee” phase – which means it is closest to the Earth for September, and in fact, it is the closest point all year – what some call a “supermoon.” A so-called supermoon appears 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than when the moon is farthest away from Earth.
“There’s no physical difference in the moon,” explains Noah Petro, a NASA scientist. “It just appears slightly bigger in the sky. It’s not dramatic, but it does look larger.”
[NASA captures supersonic shockwave of jet eclipsing the sun]
The coincidence of a supermoon and lunar eclipse is a rare one. It last occurred 33 years ago, and won’t happen again for 18 more.
On Sept. 27, 2015, there will be a very rare event in the night sky – a supermoon lunar eclipse. Watch this animated feature to learn more.

The eclipse will commence once the Earth comes between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow into space. As the moon moves across that shadow (called an umbra) Sunday evening, we are perfectly placed for the lunar eclipse.
(Fred Espenak)
For the Eastern time zone, the partial eclipse phase starts at 9:07 p.m., when the moon moves into the Earth’s penumbral shadow, according to NASA. Our lunar neighbor – over the next hour – advances into the dark umbral shadow. At 10:11 p.m., the moon reaches totality, completely immersed in the umbral shadow – and that’s when sky watchers will see a rusty-red or “blood” moon.
The reddish totality lasts an hour and 12 minutes, according to noted eclipse expert Fred Espenak, who retired from NASA, going from 10:11 p.m. until 11:23 p.m. Mid-eclipse occurs at 10:47 p.m. Entering the second partial phase, you’ll see the moon lose its red cloak – and that partial phase ends at 12:27 a.m.
Science at NASA released this explainer ahead of super Harvest Moon on the night of Sep. 27. The moon will pass through the shadow of Earth, producing a lovely amber total lunar eclipse.

Watching the eclipse
To watch the lunar eclipse, it’s easy: Go outside and look up. But there are several places on the web where you can see it live.
Griffith Observatory
In Virginia, the Shenandoah National Park will host a total lunar eclipse “star party” on Sunday, September 27 at the Byrd Visitor Center, Stanley, Virginia, as park rangers, local astronomers and Greg Redfern of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory gather at the Byrd Visitor Center (mile 51, Skyline Drive) for an evening of astronomy presentations and dark-sky viewing. See the lunar eclipse and learn about the importance of protecting dark skies. Redfern will present a talk, “This Isn’t Your Granddaddy’s Moon” at the Byrd Visitor Center auditorium, 6:30 p.m.
At Slooh.com, the online astronomy event website, they’re expecting a few million viewers from around the world, according to Slooh’s Michael Paolucci. Join astronomers Paul Cox and Bob Berman for the cosmic play-by-play.
On Sunday, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center will webcast the eclipse live.
Of Saros and Tetrads
All eclipses belong in a patterned series of eclipses – a family of them are called “saros.” This Sept. 27-28 total lunar eclipse belongs to Saros 137, and it is eclipse No. 26 out of 78. The series started on Dec. 17, 1564 – stretching out for 1,389 years – and slated to end on April 20, 2953.
This eclipse is the fourth of four total lunar eclipses-in-a-row, which is called a tetrad. The three previous total lunar eclipses were seen around the world on April 15, 2014; Oct. 8, 2014; and last spring on April 4, 2015.
[Photos: Lunar eclipse turns moon blood red over Washington, D.C.]
Tetrads are part of a 565-year cycle where our planet enjoys many tetrads – or none at all. Between 1582 and 1908, there were no tetrads. The next quartet will be 2032-33.


A ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse occurs Sunday morning — here’s how to watch

(NASA) You’re gonna need a bigger mug of coffee. This Sunday morning, when the moon gets between Earth and the sun, enjoy breakfast with an annular solar eclipse. The “greatest duration” of the eclipse — west of Chile in the South Pacific Ocean — occurs at 8:16 a.m. ET, which lasts about 1 minute and 22 seconds, when the eclipse ribbon is 59 miles wide. The “greatest eclipse” part, when the moon shadow’s axis passes closest to Earth’s center — east of Buenos Aires in the Atlantic Ocean — happens at 9:54 a.m. ET, and that lasts about 44 seconds, according to Espenak. Thanks to perfect celestial mechanics, a total solar eclipse covers the entirety of the sun’s disk. Sunday’s event is an annular eclipse (derived from Latin, the word annular means ring-shaped). Since this eclipse occurs about five days before the moon’s perigee (when it is at its farthest this month away from Earth, March 3) the moon covers most but not all of the sun, leaving a smidgen of the sun uncovered — the effect is a “ring of fire.” In a moment similar to that of the "double rainbow" viral video, an astronomer on an Alaska Airlines flight is overcome with glee while witnessing a total solar eclipse on Mar. 8. Alaska Airlines adjusted its flight schedule by 25 minutes to allow 'eclipse chasers' onboard the perfect view. If you are fortunate enough to see it in person, please be cautious. Do not look at the sun directly or through binoculars or a telescope (unless there is proper solar filtration) at the sun. As always, the eclipse has a family. It belongs to Saros 140, a series that started April 16, 1512. We saw an eclipse from this series on Feb. 16, 1999. We are long past the total eclipses from Saros 140, as the last one was Nov. 9, 1836 — the day after board game maker Milton Bradley was born. The next eclipse in this series will be March 9, 2035 — another annular eclipse. Of course, this annular eclipse is a teasing preview. Less than six months from now, the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse will be visible from the Pacific Northwest through the heart of the Midwest to a big chunk of South Carolina. Here's how the Earth, moon and sun move during a solar eclipse.

(NASA)
You’re gonna need a bigger mug of coffee. This Sunday morning, when the moon gets between Earth and the sun, enjoy breakfast with an annular solar eclipse.
This eclipse’s path stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic and Africa, through Chile, Argentina, Angola, Zambia and the Congo, according to Fred Espenak, a retired NASA eclipse expert.
Go online to the astronomy website Slooh.com, if you have hopes of catching this “ring of fire” cosmic event. The live stream begins at 7 a.m. ET.
The “greatest duration” of the eclipse — west of Chile in the South Pacific Ocean — occurs at 8:16 a.m. ET, which lasts about 1 minute and 22 seconds, when the eclipse ribbon is 59 miles wide. The “greatest eclipse” part, when the moon shadow’s axis passes closest to Earth’s center — east of Buenos Aires in the Atlantic Ocean — happens at 9:54 a.m. ET, and that lasts about 44 seconds, according to Espenak.
Thanks to perfect celestial mechanics, a total solar eclipse covers the entirety of the sun’s disk. Sunday’s event is an annular eclipse (derived from Latin, the word annular means ring-shaped). Since this eclipse occurs about five days before the moon’s perigee (when it is at its farthest this month away from Earth, March 3) the moon covers most but not all of the sun, leaving a smidgen of the sun uncovered — the effect is a “ring of fire.”
In a moment similar to that of the "double rainbow" viral video, an astronomer on an Alaska Airlines flight is overcome with glee while witnessing a total solar eclipse on Mar. 8. Alaska Airlines adjusted its flight schedule by 25 minutes to allow 'eclipse chasers' onboard the perfect view.
If you are fortunate enough to see it in person, please be cautious. Do not look at the sun directly or through binoculars or a telescope (unless there is proper solar filtration) at the sun.
As always, the eclipse has a family. It belongs to Saros 140, a series that started April 16, 1512. We saw an eclipse from this series on Feb. 16, 1999. We are long past the total eclipses from Saros 140, as the last one was Nov. 9, 1836 — the day after board game maker Milton Bradley was born. The next eclipse in this series will be March 9, 2035 — another annular eclipse.
Of course, this annular eclipse is a teasing preview. Less than six months from now, the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse will be visible from the Pacific Northwest through the heart of the Midwest to a big chunk of South Carolina.
At the greatest eclipse, you can possibly enjoy 2 minutes, 40 seconds of totality. NASA has devoted a full website to the August eclipse, and it provides detailed maps and general information. The U.S. Naval Observatory’s website also gives details on that eclipse.
Here's how the Earth, moon and sun move during a solar eclipse.


Describe US sanctions on Oleg Deripaska

US sanctions against companies owned by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska have been lifted.  What prompted imposition of the sanctions?  Why were sanctions lifted?  What Deripaska-owned companies were involved?  What impact did the sanctions have on Deripaska?  European sanctions on Deripaska are not relevant nor are European reactions to US sanctions.  Deripaska's relationship with Paul Manfort and Konstantin Kilimnik are not pertinent.

US sanctions against companies owned by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska have been lifted.  What prompted imposition of the sanctions?  Why were sanctions lifted?  What Deripaska-owned companies were involved?  What impact did the sanctions have on Deripaska?  European sanctions on Deripaska are not relevant nor are European reactions to US sanctions.  Deripaska's relationship with Paul Manfort and Konstantin Kilimnik are not pertinent and should not be mentioned in any relevant document.

Find information online that answers this multifaceted question.

GOP senators protect Trump administration’s plan to lift Russian sanctions

Republican senators Wednesday successfully defended the Trump administration’s plan to lift sanctions on companies controlled by a Vladimir Putin ally — despite the defection of nearly a dozen Republicans who broke ranks to vote with the Democrats.
The Democratic effort to block the relaxation of sanctions on the companies of Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska fell just a few votes shy of the 60 needed to advance the resolution to a final vote, even after attracting the support of eleven Republican senators including Marco Rubio of Florida, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ben Sasse of Nebraska.
The defeat means the Treasury Department is likely to lift the sanctions in the coming days. Treasury, Deripaska and his companies didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The U.S. sanctioned Deripaska and his companies in 2018, among a group of Russian elites the U.S. said had furthered “the Kremlin’s global malign activities, including its attempts to subvert Western democracy.”
Some Democrats said they were wary about relaxing sanctions on Deripaska’s companies, in part because of his ties to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to defraud the United States and obstruct justice in the investigation of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Deripaska helped fund consulting work Manafort did for a Ukrainian political party, invested in a Manafort investment fund and lent Manafort millions of dollars, according to court records.
The Treasury Department in December proposed lifting sanctions against the companies while leaving those against Deripaska intact, after protests from European countries that the company sanctions were causing havoc in aluminum markets.
Treasury notified Congress on Dec. 19 that it intended to lift the sanctions because Deripaska had agreed to reduce his stake in En+ Group, the holding company that controls the aluminum giant Rusal, from about 70 percent to 44.95 percent, and to limit his voting shares to 35 percent. This would protect the companies “from the controlling influence of a Kremlin insider,” which had been the goal of punishing the firms, Treasury said.
But Senate Democrats balked at the plan, and tried to stop it through a resolution of disapproval. Some Republicans agreed, breaking with the Trump administration and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“I’ll vote to disapprove Treasury’s easing of sanctions on Russian businesses involving oligarch & Putin ally Oleg Deripaska. He still would maintain significant control given his ties to Putin. Easing the sanctions sends the wrong message to Russia & to Deripaska,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) tweeted, before voting with Democrats to try to block the Treasury action.
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) said he supported the resolution to “keep pressure on the Kremlin for their aggressive actions toward Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and around the world.”
Sen. Rubio criticized Treasury’s plan to shift some of Deripaska’s shares to a Russian state-owned bank. Under the Treasury plan to reduce Deripaska’s ownership, Russia’s state-owned VTB Bank or another Treasury-approved entity will take ownership of a block of Deripaska’s shares in En+ that had been pledged against a loan.
The Obama administration added VTB Bank to a sanctions list in 2014, as punishment for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Trump administration issued sanctions against VTB’s chairman, Andrey Kostin, last year, as part of the actions against Deripaska and others.
“Under this agreement Oleg Deripaska loses shares but not influence or effective control of Rusal,” Sen. Rubio said Wednesday. “Between his 35 percent of voting shares and those held by others close to him, including 7 percent by Putin’s bank, his control over the company remains.”
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin disputed this criticism, saying Deripaska’s influence will be curbed. Mnuchin said career Treasury officials who had worked at the agency more than twenty years negotiated the deal to reduce Deripaska’s ownership, and that it wasn’t a political decision or a favor to Putin to lift the sanctions.
“The only reasons why the companies were [sanctioned] is because they meet certain ownership and control by Deripaska,” which will be reduced, Mnuchin told reporters Tuesday.
Schumer and other Democrats raised concerns about Deripaska’s ties to Manafort. “At the time when it’s becoming public how deep Deripaska’s ties are to Putin, organized crime, but also Paul Manafort, to do this would be a disgrace,” Schumer said Tuesday.
The Treasury Department last year said Deripaska has been “investigated for money laundering, and has been accused of threatening the lives of business rivals” and having ties to organized crime.
Deripaska has denied those allegations in the past. He and his companies did not respond to requests for comment.
Washington’s sanctions on Rusal and En+ Group clobbered the oligarch financially, sinking the market value of his publicly traded companies. En+ Group lobbied the Trump administration heavily to lift the sanctions. The British chairman of the company, Gregory Barker, hired Mercury Public Affairs and former U.S. senator David Vitter to try to gain the support of the State Department and other agencies.
Tom Hamburger contributed to this report.