WHAT: Partial eclipse of the Sun. Free telescope
viewing and eclipse glasses for students (while
supplies last).

WHEN: Friday evening, April 8, 2005 5:15 p.m. - 7:15
p.m. (weather permitting)

SCHEDULE FOR SOLAR ECLIPSE IN BOYNTON BEACH, FL
April 8, 2005
E.D.T. Eclipse stage
5:23 p.m. Partial eclipse begins
6:21 p.m. Maximum Eclipse 43.7% of the solar
disc occulted.
7:14 a.m. Partial eclipse ends
7:41 a.m. Sunset

WHERE: The Boynton Beach City Library located at 208
S. Seacrest Blvd., Boynton Beach FL 33435. Take I-95
to Boynton Beach Blvd. Drive east to Seacrest and turn
south. Library is 4 blocks on the left (east) side of
Seacrest. The parking lot and main entrance are on the
southeast corner of the building. Phone# 742-6390.

WHY: A partial eclipse of the Sun will grace the
skies of much of North America during the late
afternoon and evening hours of Friday, April 8, 2005.
The eclipse will be particularly dramatic in south
Florida, where half of the Sun's disk will be blocked
by the Moon. From the southern tip of Florida, about
50 percent of the Sun's diameter will be covered,
after 6 p.m. EDT.

For viewers in the southern and mid-Atlantic states,
the Sun will be setting while the eclipse is still in
progress, which offers photographers a splendid
opportunity to take spectacular pictures. Because the
eclipse will occur late in the day, make sure you have
an unobstructed view to the west, where the Sun will
be located. Maximum eclipse (when the highest
percentage of the Sun's diameter is blocked by the
Moon) occurs about one hour after the eclipse starts,
and the eclipse ends roughly an hour after maximum.

"During the period of maximum eclipse, the sky will
appear a little darker than it would normally be, and
shadows will be sharper," says Erich Landstrom, a NASA
Educator Ambassador and science teacher at Boynton
Beach Community High School. "People looking at the
Sun near maximum eclipse will definitely notice a
dramatic change. It will appear as if an invisible
monster has taken a huge bite out of our Sun."

Dr. Marc Flesher, optometrist with Eye-Site Optical
Studio in Boynton Beach, cautions that it is extremely
dangerous to look directly at the blinding light of
the Sun, especially during a partial eclipse. "A
partially-eclipsed Sun is just as dangerous to look at
as a non-eclipsed Sun," he warns. "The Sun's visible
and invisible rays can cause serious damage to
sensitive eye tissue, often without the person being
immediately aware of it. When an eclipse happens,
enthusiasm can overwhelm common sense, and people,
especially children, sometimes stare at the Sun for
too long."

Two methods for safe viewing of the solar eclipse will
be available at the Boynton Beach City Library
(weather permitting). The Science Department at
Boynton Beach Community High School will be providing
a 10” Dobsonian reflecting telescope, specially fitted
with a full-aperture glass solar filter designed to
block 99.999% of incoming sunlight. Astronomers from
the Astronomical Society of the Palm Beaches will be
on-hand, guiding the telescope viewing.

Dr. Flesher has donated 200 pairs of eclipse glasses
made from special aluminized polyester filters. The
glasses will be given away to students at the Boynton
Beach City Library during the eclipse, while supplies
last. He points out that pinhole cameras and indirect
projection from telescopes all provide safe ways to
watch the eclipse, but "viewing the eclipsed Sun
directly provides the most dramatic views. To do that,
you need a filter that blocks not just visible light
but also ultraviolet and infrared light. I'm happy to
help share with students the safe Sun."

He adds, "Partial eclipses are fun to watch, but only
if you know how to do so safely. Never look directly
at the Sun. Even a tiny bit of the Sun peeking out
from behind the Moon is enough to cause serious eye
damage. Even at sunset. Peering at the Sun through
sunglasses, compact discs, exposed film, and smoked
glass is NOT okay and is just NOT safe!"

One can view an eclipse safely by projecting an image
of the Sun. One easy way is to make a pinhole
projector. Take two pieces of cardboard or thick
paper. Prick a pinhole in one. Then stand with your
back to the Sun, and let sunlight pass through the
hole and onto the other sheet. You'll get a small but
distinct inverted image of the eclipsed Sun. Try using
different sized holes. A large hole gives a bright but
fuzzy image of the Sun, while a small hole yields a
dim but sharp image.

Here are times of deepest solar eclipse for selected
cities arranged by time zone, and the magnitude, or
fraction of the solar diameter covered by the Moon.

MST: Phoenix AZ 2:57 p.m. (0.04).
CDT: Houston TX 5:11 p.m. (0.30); Oklahoma City OK
5:11 p.m. (0.11); New Orleans LA 5:15 p.m. (0.31);
Memphis TN 5:15 p.m. (0.15); St. Louis MO 5:15 p.m.
(0.04);

EDT: Louisville KY 6:17 p.m. (0.07); Atlanta GA 6:18
p.m. (0.21); Tallahassee FL 6:19 p.m. (0.32);
Washington DC 6:19 p.m. (0.05); Philadelphia PA 6:19
p.m. (0.02); West Palm Beach, FL 6:21 p.m. (0.43);

The next North American total solar eclipse will
happen on August 21, 2017. Totality will last 2
minutes and 40 seconds.

Erich Landstrom, NASA SEU Educator Ambassador
http://universe.sonoma.edu
Seeing and Exploring the Structure and Evolution of the Universe

Science fiction & science fact stranger than fiction.
Listen Monday mornings on http://www.SCIFIOVERDRIVE.com



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