Solar Eclipse Reflection

Our AP Biology class was very excited for the total solar eclipse that occurred on Monday, August 21, 2017. Prior to this date, we did research on and discussed the total solar eclipse. A total solar eclipse is very rare in the United States. The last one occurred almost 100 years ago in 1918. Although it makes sense that the moon would cover the sun often, total solar eclipses are rare because the moon and earth are at a certain angle, making it rare for the sun and the moon to perfectly align. I was curious about why the solar eclipse is more harmful to look at than the sun on a normal day. After doing some research and discussing in class, I learned that eclipses are harmful to the eyes because the ultraviolet rays from the sun are still penetrating the earth when the moon covers the sun. Normally, when looking at the sun, our pupils will get smaller to protect our eyes from the large amount of light. However, during an eclipse, because the moon is covering the light, our pupils won’t dilate, and the UV lights will enter our eyes, damaging out retinas. In addition, humans aren’t able to process pain in the retinas of our eyes, so we would keep looking at the eclipse, unaware that the UV rays from the sun are damaging to our eyes. Therefore, it is essential that we wear special glasses that block out UV rays when watching the eclipse.

On the day of the eclipse, we went outside at around 9:30 a.m with our glasses and DIY pinhole projectors. When we went outside, the eclipse had already started, but the weather was cloudy, making it difficult to see the eclipse clearly. However, the clouds soon cleared and the eclipse was visible. We took turns viewing the eclipse through the glasses and shifted around to find the perfect spot to view the eclipse through the pinhole projectors. In the Bay Area, the moon had around 70% coverage of the sun. At the peak of the eclipse, the temperature dropped a bit and we felt drafts of wind. In addition, there were no animals visible during the eclipse. Although we don’t know if the absence of animals was due to the eclipse, or just by coincidence, research shows that animals do react to eclipse and notice the changes made by it.

Above is an animation of what the eclipse looked like from the Bay Area.

Below is a picture of the solar eclipse taken from San Fransisco. This image was posted on Instagram by @steelbluesf.