The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, New Jersey may not find itself in the path of totality for the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, but residents will still witness a significant partial eclipse.
Continue reading The Last Total Solar Eclipse in New Jersey Occurred in January 1925
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, as the world eagerly anticipates the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, NASA is preparing for an extraordinary opportunity for scientific discovery, open collaboration, and public engagement.
Continue reading Unveiling the Mystery: Myths and Superstitions Around Solar Eclipses
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Livingston NJ, the Livingston Public Schools has announced an early dismissal on April 8th due to the solar eclipse scheduled to occur later that afternoon, as noted on the academic calendar.
photo by Margaret Morse
August 20,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Americans will be treated to a spectacular total solar eclipse on Aug. 21 in an approximately 70-mile-wide zone stretching from the Northwest to the Southeast.
In New Jersey, a partial eclipse will begin at about 1:20 p.m., peak at about 2:45 p.m. and end shortly before 4 p.m. that day.
The moon will block about 70 percent of the sun at the state’s northern border to 80 percent in Cape May, according to Carlton “Tad” Pryor, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.
“A total solar eclipse is always very dramatic,” Pryor said. “The sky gets dark, animals and birds go quiet as if it’s nighttime and it’s a little bit cooler outside. The partial solar eclipse that will be visible in New Jersey is much more subtle, but will be noticeable if you know what to look for.”
Watch a YouTube video on the solar eclipse
Tips for Safe Eclipse Viewing
Because it is unsafe to look directly at the sun, Pryor said anyone wishing to see the phenomenon must protect their eyes with specially made and certified filters, or by observing the eclipse indirectly.
Direct viewing can be done safely with No. 14 arc welder glass or with eclipse viewing glasses that meet the following criteria outlined by NASA:
Homemade filters or sunglasses – even very dark ones – are NEVER safe for looking directly at the sun. There are reports of potentially unsafe eclipse glasses appearing for sale, so be sure to buy eclipse viewers from reputable vendors.
Pryor offered a few suggestions for safe, indirect viewing.
If the sky is clear at around 2:45 p.m. on the day of the eclipse, stand in a leafy tree’s shadow and look at the ground. The smallest spots of sunlight will make little crescent shapes, showing the sun’s apparent shape as the moon crosses in front.
Another method is to make a small hole in a piece of cardboard with the tip of a pencil or pen and project the light onto a white piece of paper, he said. For a better view, put the hole over a mirror and reflect the light onto a more distant white piece of paper or white surface.
Total eclipses in the Continental U.S. are unusual, with the last one unfolding in 1979, Pryor said. Hawaii experienced one in 1991, and New Jersey will have to wait until May 1, 2079, to get one. Even then, the total eclipse will be visible only in the northern two-thirds of the state and will occur only a few minutes after sunrise, so it won’t be easily visible.
“An eclipse is a remarkable phenomenon,” Pryor said. “It was always regarded as signifying something important. Some people thought something was eating the sun and tried to make noise to scare it away. But the ancient Greeks understood what was happening and could start to predict some of these phenomena.”
August 17, 2017
by
Alesha Hernandez
Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
Ridgewood NJ, On Monday, August 21, 2017, sky-gazers across the country will watch the solar eclipse. If you’re planning to watch, you’ll need to use eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewers. Be sure to get the kind that actually protects your eyes.
Start by making sure that the glasses or viewers you’re considering have the manufacturer’s name and address printed somewhere on the product, and are certified as safe. The certification means the glasses and solar viewers have met an international safety standard and are safe for your eyes. Only consider products marked with ISO 12312-2, which means that the product has met the international safety standard. Check out this list from the American Astronomical Society of brands that meet the international safety standard.
What else do you need to know to watch the eclipse safely?
Be sure your glasses or viewers are new: glasses that are more than 3 years old, or are wrinkled or scratched, won’t protect your eyes.
Read – and follow – the instructions carefully. Don’t use homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses.
Never look directly at the sun without eclipse glasses or solar viewers that are certified as safe. (Again, look for ISO 12312-2 to be printed on the product.) It can lead to serious injury.
Don’t look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device – even using your eclipse glasses or viewer. Those optical devices concentrate the solar rays, will damage your eclipse glasses or viewer, and seriously injure your eyes.
This rare event will be exciting – and even better when you view the eclipse safely. Check out NASA’s Eclipse 101 for even more on the eclipse.
By LEAH SCALZADONNA
July 23, 2017 at 8:59 PM
CRANFORD, NJ – On August 21, a solar eclipse is predicted to cross the country from Oregon to South Carolina, and be partly visible throughout the country. John Sichel, corresponding secretary of Amateur Astronomers Incorporated, shares how Cranford residents can enjoy the action.
AAI is one of the largest astronomy clubs in the country and meets at the William Miller Sperry Observatory on the Cranford campus of Union County College every Friday evening.
“In New Jersey the eclipse will reach only about 77 percent of totality—so the sun will look like a crescent at the height of the event,” Sichel said. “Most of our members are traveling to points south and west to observe totality.”
