- The April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse will be here in 19 days. This is a reminder for all of you who want to view it safely using the proper eyewear to order them now before they are sold out and you are being price gouged. I ordered mine last week and received them yesterday. Make sure to get them from a reliable source like EclipseGlasses.com. If you prefer to find some on Amazon, here is a long list of Amazon Approved Vendors. No matter where you buy them, at a minimum, make sure you see “ISO 12312-2” on them.Destin from SmarterEveryDay has a great video to get you prepared. If you are interested in some science experiments, check out this part of the video. What I like is that he doesn’t just focus on the moment of totality of the eclipse but the partial phase phenomena, the time leading up to the eclipse and immediately after. For instance, you’ll learn due to air circulation why the ground temperature will decrease before the temperature 20 feet in the air. You’ll feel an “eclipse breeze.” As the cooler air is more dense, it will roll down hills.
I’m going to be interested in animal behavior. I hear stories of the sounds of locusts or cicadas dying off and about ten or fifteen minutes before totality, the crickets will start, their sound will die off, and then you’ll hear the locusts or cicadas again. If you see a group of birds flying in the 15 minutes before totality, like they look like they’re going somewhere, that’s a behavior. They’re going to their nighttime resting spot.
There’s a great app to help you experience the event, especially if you plan on taking pictures or recording it. Basically, you go to a location, pull out your phone, and hit your GPS location. The app does all the math for you and talks you through the experience. There’s even a practice video for all of you who really like to be prepared.
Solar Eclipse Timer App iOS | Solar Eclipse Timer App Android
This is probably the best review since it compares viewing the 2017 Eclipse without the app and then experiencing the 2019 Eclipse with the app.
