Don't look up!... without eye protection

Apr. 5, 2024

By Mary Wade Burnside

Perhaps you are specifically planning to watch the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse at an event or with friends.
Or maybe you just plan to go about your regular Monday.
Either way, there are some things you should know about what will be happening in the sky and how to stay safe.
Jason E. Ybarra is the director of the WVU Planetarium as well as a teaching assistant professor in the WVU Department of Physics and Astronomy.
The planetarium will be hosting an event on the back lawn of the WVU Mountainlair from 1:30 to 4 p.m., providing telescopes with eclipse filters and other types of equipment to allow attendees to safely view the eclipse.
And that’s the most important thing to remember: No matter what you are doing — participating in an event or running errands in your car or taking a walk — DO NOT look up at the eclipse without using special glasses or equipment.
“The level of light, even if it’s a partial eclipse, is enough to damage your retinas,” Dr. Ybarra said. “Even looking for just a second can be damaging, and you might not know the damage has happened for a while.”
Anyone who wants to look up and see what’s going on should use eclipse glasses that have been certified by the ISO, or the International Standard Organization.
In other safety tips, NASA’s website suggests donning a hat and protective clothing, as well as applying sunscreen, if you plan to be out watching the eclipse for its duration in order to avoid skin damage.
And hopefully this will be obvious to drivers, but the level of darkness will mean that using headlights is a good idea.
So what exactly will be going on, and when? The entire event will take place from about 2 to 4:30 p.m. in Morgantown. Times will vary among different places.
In Morgantown, the maximum coverage of the sun by the moon will be nearly 95%, taking place at 3:16 p.m. If you remember the eclipse in 2017, Morgantown was only at around 75% at the height of the eclipse.
Although we are not in the path of totality, nearby Cleveland and Erie are. People who watch from there will be able to take off their eclipse glasses for the few minutes of totality that they will experience.
As for the what, a solar eclipse happens when a new moon gets between the Earth and the sun, causing the moon to cast a shadow on the Earth.
According to NASA, a lunar eclipse takes place when the Earth is positioned precisely between the moon and sun, prompting Earth’s shadow to fall on the surface of the moon. This dims it and sometimes turns the moon’s surface red for a few hours.
In addition to turning dark in the afternoon, another aspect of the solar eclipse is that it could get 3 to 6 degrees cooler, depending on weather conditions and environmental factors. “If you are out in the country, you’ll probably feel it more than if you are in the city surrounded by asphalt and concrete,” Dr. Ybarra said.
If you get to see the eclipse from a place that experiences totality, it might get 10 degrees cooler.
As for totality, Dr. Ybarra has seen it once, viewing the 2017 eclipse from South
Carolina.
“It was an amazing experience,” Dr. Ybarra said. “I don’t think I have the words for it. I would say that it could be described as a spiritual experience.”
Mary Wade Burnside is the public information officer at Monongalia County Health Department.