In the hours leading up to 3 p.m. on Monday, April 8, students, faculty and curious visitors from the Orlando community will head over to UCF\u2019s iconic Reflecting Pond to marvel at the solar eclipse.<\/p>\n
\u201cScientifically, it\u2019s a rare event,\u201d says Professor of Physics Yan Fernandez. \u201cPhilosophically, it\u2019s a bonding opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is why there will be telescopes, protective glasses, TV displays and tables set up at UCF\u2019s most visible outdoor gathering spot. Fernandez will be watching and bonding, too, but a thousand miles from campus. He and about a dozen others from UCF\u2019s robust space research community are traveling to remote areas of Texas, Indiana and Mexico. Fernandez and his wife, Professor of Technical Communication Sonia Stephens, will tuck themselves into the southeast corner of Oklahoma, where he can do the type of experiential research that\u2019s rarely attainable.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe learned a few lessons from the eclipse in 2017,\u201d Fernandez says.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve come to him with questions about eclipses, but let\u2019s start there, with a lesson learned.<\/p>\n
What did you learn seven years ago? In your words, what exactly is a solar eclipse versus a lunar eclipse? You\u2019re traveling to the \u201cpath of totality.\u201d Explain that. How will this eclipse compare to the 2017 eclipse in Orlando? As an astronomer, you\u2019ve seen a lot of phenomena. Why is a solar eclipse special? If someone says, \u201cMaybe I\u2019ll watch, maybe I won\u2019t,\u201d what do you say? Why do you want people to look at the sky more often? Have you wondered what solar eclipses must have been like without scientists forecasting them in advance? You\u2019ve mentioned protective eyewear. What do you recommend? For those of us staying in Florida, what\u2019s one more piece of advice? How long will we need to wait for the next solar eclipse? Like you said, get outside and look up on April 8. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" And why do UCF professors who study astronomical phenomena say it\u2019s the most awe-inspiring sight we can see?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":140595,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[5,24],"tags":[982,2229,4361,7841],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-140593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colleges","category-science-technology","tag-college-of-sciences","tag-humberto-campins","tag-space","tag-yan-fernandez"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n<\/strong>An eclipse like that hadn\u2019t happened in this part of North America in decades. That\u2019s what makes the April 8 event unique \u2014 you\u2019d normally wait almost a lifetime for an eclipse of such magnitude. In 2017 my wife and I traveled to Nebraska to watch from the path of totality, but thousands of people had done the same thing. When the sky started to cloud up, we were lucky enough to avoid the worst traffic and drive to a better spot to actually see totality. But afterward we were caught in traffic jams. This time we\u2019ll be in a rural area where we can move around easier. That\u2019s a tip for anyone \u2014 watch the forecast and move if necessary.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>A solar eclipse is a really precise alignment of the sun, moon and Earth. It\u2019s so perfect that the moon passes directly between the sun and Earth, casting a dramatic shadow on us. With a lunar eclipse, Earth passes directly between the sun and moon, with Earth casting a shadow on the moon.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>It\u2019s the geographical line on Earth where the sun is completely blotted out behind the moon. If you\u2019re on that line \u2014 on an arc from northwest Mexico to northern Indiana and into New England \u2014 you experience the weird darkness of a total solar eclipse. Orlando is off the path, so the sun will only be partially blocked by the moon. That\u2019s a partial solar eclipse.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The moon blocked about 80% of the sun in 2017. This time the sun will be about 60% blocked. One of the advantages of being in Orlando for a partial eclipse is that you can see it for more than an hour. In the path of totality, you only see the sun totally eclipsed for about four minutes \u2014 although totality for even a short time is far more amazing than 99% partiality.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>To me, it\u2019s the most awe-inspiring sight you can see. When I was a kid, our family would sail on Chesapeake Bay at night and look at the stars against the dark sky. I remember looking for Halley\u2019s Comet through a telescope in 1986 \u2014 a once-in-a-lifetime event. And then as a researcher, I spent time studying asteroids from the top of Mauna Kea on Hawaii\u2019s Big Island. All of those are fun and interesting, but nothing compares to a total solar eclipse.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Why wouldn\u2019t you? It\u2019s the easiest way to see an astronomical spectacle. All you have to do is go outside with protective glasses and look up. Unless it\u2019s cloudy, as long as you have the right protection there\u2019s no way not<\/em> to see it. You don\u2019t need optical aids, like a telescope. Ultimately, I think all of us should look up at the sky more often \u2014 whether there\u2019s an eclipse or not.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The eclipse is special, but there are a lot of interesting things to see on a regular basis. Bright planets. Peculiar clouds. The International Space Station flies over us all the time. People travel to Central Florida from around the world to watch rocket launches that we can watch without going anywhere. Curiosity about the world and the worlds around us is always a good thing.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>It would have been horrifying to see the sun disappear. There were probably a lot of people with eye damage. It doesn\u2019t take long to look at sun and burn the retina.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Sunglasses aren\u2019t enough protection. It\u2019s the infrared, not just the visible light, that can damage the eyes. Use special eclipse glasses. Be careful of counterfeiters. A pair for 50 cents might not do the job, but you don\u2019t need to spend $30 either.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Do not go toward Miami \u2014 that\u2019s the wrong direction. If you travel at all, go northwest. Most importantly, don\u2019t drive into a rain cell. That\u2019s the only way to see nothing at all.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>From Orlando, the next partial solar eclipse will be visible in January 2028, but it won\u2019t be as deep as the one on April 8. For this much sun blockage, we\u2019ll have to wait until January 2038 \u2014 that one will be in progress close to sunrise. The big one in Orlando, where we\u2019re in the path of totality, will be in August 2045.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>And watch it with other people. Watch with friends. Watch with your spouse. Watch with kids. It\u2019s why we invite everyone to watch from the Reflecting Pond. Moments like this are more memorable when you experience them with others.<\/p>\n