Astronomer: Solar eclipse worth a look
Oct. 12—The partial solar eclipse that is expected to be visible in this region Saturday morning won't be the spectacular view that those living in the path of totality from Oregon to Texas will see.
But even a partial solar eclipse is worth paying attention to, a Washington State University observational astronomer said.
"Where you are on Earth really changes what you will expect to see in the sky," said Christopher M. Carroll, who works in the physics and astronomy departments on the Pullman campus.
"If you happen to be at the exact right place on Earth, we call this area on Earth's map the path of totality because the total area of the sun will be blocked out by the moon.
"At this spot (north central Idaho and southeastern Washington) we won't see this really majestic experience," Carroll said. "What we will see if you have the (protective) glasses that allow you to look at the sun, you might see some of how the sun gets blocked and how the moon looks when it goes through its phases. But unless you travel into Oregon, you won't get that real solar eclipse experience. It's a very moving thing."
The solar eclipse is scheduled to begin at 8:08 a.m. Saturday and end at 10:45 a.m. The maximum view of the phenomenon will occur at 9:23 a.m. in the Lewiston area.
Carroll explained that a solar eclipse happens because the moon's distance from the Earth makes it appear to be the same size in the sky as the sun.
"Because of the position of the moon and because the moon is a solid object," he said, "we can see it more clearly. The sun is a ball of plasma, really hot gas, and doesn't have such a defined surface. So when you put these things in the sky, the moon we see actually can be about the same size as the sun.
"Everything is orbiting on the same plane and every once in a while the moon passes in front of our view of the sun. And on these really special occasions, the moon will pass directly in front of our view of the sun," which causes the eclipse.
The last time a total eclipse could be seen in this region, Carroll said, was in August 2017 and the path of totality spread across the entire United States.
Carroll was in South Carolina when that happened and described it as "a spiritual experience. It's so amazing that suddenly it becomes nighttime during the day. You can see it pass across and you will hear animals and insects stop. It suddenly gets much colder because the sun is blocked.... If anyone has the ability to travel to get into the path of totality, it really is an experience not to be missed."
Carroll said multiple solar eclipses can happen each year but those that follow a path of totality happen about every 18 months or so in different parts of the world. The next time a partial solar eclipse will be visible in this area is Jan. 14, 2029.
Carroll said what viewers will likely see in this area on Saturday morning is the sun growing a little dimmer and possibly getting a little cooler.
A star party sponsored by the Palouse Astronomical Society will be held beginning at 8:07 a.m. Saturday at the Jewett Observatory at the intersection of Grimes Way and Olympia Avenue in Pullman. The forecast is for cloudy skies and "only with luck will we see much of anything," according to the website. The event is free to the public and people are advised to dress warmly.
In Moscow a team of University of Idaho students is helping the National Aeronautics and Space Administration gather complex datasets during the solar eclipse by launching weather balloons.
The data can help improve global weather forecast models and climate change mitigation processes.
UI is a lead university in the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project and has been training four university teams across the U.S. all year to successfully track and gather data on gravity waves using weather balloons.
The UI team will join about 400 high school and middle school students in Lakeview, Ore., to launch the weather balloons Friday and Saturday during a 30-hour launch session held during the solar eclipse. The teams will be stationed along the path of totality from Oregon to Texas to gather data.
"If we can improve long-term weather forecasting, that has a global impact on agriculture, aviation, the economy and so much more," said Konstantine Geranois, a chemical engineering graduate student. "To do that, we need a lot of data."
High school and middle school students will learn about gravity waves and the importance of the solar eclipse. Gravity waves are produced by the loss of solar energy in the atmosphere. The same UI group will travel to Pennsylvania in April 2024 for launches during the total solar eclipse. The next visible total eclipse in the U.S. after 2024 will be in 2044.
"Gathering data to better describe these gravity waves could vastly improve our weather forecast accuracy and ability to anticipate large weather patterns," said Matthew Bernards, UI College of Engineering associate professor and co-project lead. "This is one of the last chances we have to get good data in the U.S., and we're proud to be a part of the national team of university students committed to this project."
Hedberg may be contacted at khedberg@lmtribune.com.
