Solar Eclipse

So this summer, I have been watching a lot of Avatar lately and I’m almost finished with the whole show. Toward the end, the Avatar tries to defeat the Fire Nation on their weakest moment–when the sun is completely blocked by the moon (AKA the solar eclipse). It is quite ironic that in reality, a real solar eclipse is about to happen too! For North America, it’s been decades since we’ve had a total (not annular) eclipse, so I’m pretty excited about all of this, even if it does only last like 5-8 minutes…

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The solar eclipse is quite rare, to be honest. With a universe this big and grand, the chances of the moon aligning with the sun so close to us (the Midwest) near 100% totality, is slim. We may be accustomed to seeing the moon during the nighttime and maybe a faded moon during the daytime, but we never see the moon so prominent as we will see this upcoming Monday. When we think about darkness during the daytime, the closest we get to that, is if we had a cloudy thunderstorm covering the sun. But to imagine the moon blocking out the sun on a cloudy-less day (let’s hope its not cloudy…), its quite fascinating if you are a geek-freak like me.

Being a native Chicagoan and living in the city, I know there’s been so much hype about this event. From the Adler Planetarium, there’s a ton of preparations for a celebration and “block party” for a viewing of the eclipse. Most Chicago Public Libraries are handing out solar eclipse glasses and they are flying out FAST. Me being a slow-poke, I don’t have a pair myself and I need to find some soon! Some stores are also selling them and they are also flying off the shelf fast! On some new articles, I’ve heard some vendors selling 3 pairs of those glasses for close to $200….ridiculous, right? These cheap glasses are so popular because obviously staring into the sun is bad, but staring at it for the entire eclipse (5-8 minutes) is really really really really bad. You know that. Sunglasses aren’t meant for sun-staring, and are weak for this purpose. With that being said, it is required to get these glasses that are equipped for UV ray protection to this magnitude. In other words, GET A PAIR SOON! 🙂

Maybe I am a bit too hyped for this event, but why not… It’s fun, I’ve never experienced it in my lifetime, and nevertheless, it is rare. Plus, school hasn’t started yet, so go all out and crazy! Enjoy yourself!