Students should be able to observe the eclipse as it happens through their viewers. If you are in the correct location on Earth and the moon totally blocks the sun, you will be in the umbra. If you are planning to view an actual solar eclipse, ask students to look for the following: As the moon begins to move in front of the sun and the eclipse begins, students will be able to see the penumbra (or a shadowing on Earth and a partial solar eclipse). Take students outside and remind them of the safety precautions they must take. Distribute a copy of the worksheet Observe the Sun Using a Solar Viewer. Have students go outdoors and use their viewers.Ĭheck to make sure groups built their viewers correctly. Allow groups enough time to assemble their viewers.ĥ. Distribute one copy of the handout Build a Solar Eclipse Viewer to each group. Have students assemble their solar eclipse viewers.ĭivide students into small groups.
Looking directly at the sun can quickly result in permanent eye damage or blindness.Ĥ.
Even when 99% of the sun’s surface is obscured during the partial phases of a total eclipse, the remaining crescent is intensely bright and cannot be viewed safely without eye protection. Partial eclipses, annular eclipses, and the partial phases of total eclipses are never safe to watch without taking special precautions. Remind students to never look directly at the sun, even during a total solar eclipse. One safe way of viewing the sun during a partial eclipse, or anytime, is a pinhole camera, which allows users to view a projected image of the sun. Tell students that they are going to investigate solar activity and build a viewer to allow them to observe a solar eclipse. Explain that this demonstrates an eclipse if their heads were the Earth and their thumbs were our moon. Have them move their thumbs slightly left or right to try to block the image. Have students cover or close one eye and hold up their thumbs very close to their faces as they look toward the sun image. Introduce the hands-on activity and discuss safety precautions.ĭraw an image of the sun that is 40 centimeters (15.7 inches) in diameter on the board. What is the sun’s photosphere? (the bright, everyday surface of the sun)ģ.What is the sun’s corona? (the sun’s outer atmosphere).What is totality? What’s the maximum amount of time totality lasts? (Totality is the period when the sun, moon, and Earth come into perfect alignment.Why is Earth the only planet in the solar system that experiences total solar eclipses? (The ratio of size and distance between the sun and Earth creates a perfect situation where the moon completely blocks out the solar surface.).Show students the video clip from National Geographic Channel’s “Staring at the Sun.” We are able to view the heliosphere, the outer layer of the sun.Ģ. When the sun is only partially blocked by the moon's shadow (the penumbra), a portion of the sun's disk is visible. The sun’s corona, or halo, is visible during those few minutes that the sun's bright light is totally obscured by the moon. On Earth, we see the moon's shadow (the umbra), which fully blocks the sun. Explain that a solar eclipse occurs when the moon is in a position directly between the Earth and the sun. Ask students to analyze the diagram and describe what happens during a solar eclipse in their own words. Introduce solar eclipses and related vocabulary.ĭisplay the diagram of a solar eclipse.
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