Eclipses are amazing to behold, but solar eclipses that result in totality are rare. So be prepared and make it a learning experience with your family. A lot of schools (in GA) are actually keeping the kids late so that they can watch it. Just remember, when you’re looking at the NASA Eclipse Map, the times are listed in Coordinated Universal Time and you will need to calculate what time the eclipse will be in your area.
A solar eclipse is when the moon travels between the earth and the sun creating a shadow across the planet. In parts of North America, it will be a total solar eclipse, but here in Georgia we will only have a partial eclipse. We won’t have another total solar eclipse in the US until August 2044!
We are celebrating by visiting an area that we can experience full totality together. Here are some of the fun things we are bringing with us.
- Solar Glasses – If you procrastinated on getting certified solar glasses, you might be out of luck. Make sure you buy certified solar glasses. Your eyes are nothing to play around with. Find NASA verified ones here. Don’t forget to get solar filters for your smartphone and camera lenses also. You can destroy your equipment if you don’t!
- Moon Pies
- Sun Chips
- Capri-sun
- Starburst
- Starcrunch
- Milky Way bars
- Lawn chairs
- Cooler – Gotta keep all our food cool!
- Sunscreen
- Stuff to do for the kids – If you are driving to totality, they are calling for crazy traffic. You may end up parked on the side of the road watching the eclipse. Pass the time with things to do for your kids. Coloring books, fully charged tablets, etc.
- A full tank of gas – As stated above, they are expecting heavy traffic which could result in no gas at gas stations.
Make sure you are tracking the weather. As unfortunate as it may be, you may not have enough visibility to even see the eclipse. There will be live streams on NASA and the Weather channel so that you won’t miss it.
Have fun, be prepared, and be safe!
