Phillips66 Donates Solar Eclipse Glasses to Garfield Elementary

Phillips 66 donated solar eclipse glasses to Garfield School in anticipation of the upcoming total solar eclipse. Glasses for all students and staff members were provided and presented by Phillips 66’s Ponca City Refinery HSE Manager, Sara King. Safety is the number one priority when viewing a total solar eclipse. Eclipse glasses are not regular sunglasses; regular sunglasses, no matter how dark, are not safe for viewing the Sun.

The Monday, April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The total solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean. Weather permitting, the first location in continental North America that will experience totality is Mexico’s Pacific coast at around 11:07 a.m. PDT. According to NASA, the path of the eclipse continues from Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse.

Eclipses occur due to the special coincidence of the Moon and the Sun being the same angular size. The Sun is approximately 400 times wider than the Moon, but it is also approximately 400 times farther away, so they appear to be the same size in our sky. This is what allows the Moon to completely block the Sun during total solar eclipses. However, the Moon’s orbit around Earth is not a perfect circle, so when it is at its farthest point from the Earth the Moon will appear slightly smaller than the Sun. Eclipses that happen during this phase of the Moon’s orbit are known as annular eclipses, and the Sun is still visible in a “ring of fire” encircling the Moon. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. People located in the center of the Moon’s shadow when it hits Earth will experience a total eclipse. The sky will darken, as if it were dawn or dusk. Weather permitting, people in the path of a total solar eclipse can see the Sun’s corona, the outer atmosphere, which is usually obscured by the bright face of the Sun. A total solar eclipse is the only type of solar eclipse where viewers can momentarily remove their eclipse glasses for the brief period of time when the Moon is completely blocking the Sun.

WHAT SHOULD I DO TO BE SAFE DURING THE ECLIPSE?

To stay safe during the solar eclipse, here are some important reminders:

Use eye protection: Never look directly at the Sun without certified solar viewing glasses. These glasses make sure your eyes stay safe while you watch the amazing show in the sky. Remember, sunglasses are not proper eye protection during the eclipse!

Protect your camera and phone: If you’re planning to take photos or videos of the eclipse, make sure to use solar filters specifically designed for cameras and phones.

Use indirect viewing methods: Try using a pinhole projector, colander or making a solar viewer with a cereal box to see the eclipse without looking directly at the Sun.

WHEN IS THE NEXT TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE?

After April 8, 2024, eager eclipse enthusiasts will have to exercise some patience. The next total solar eclipse visible from the United States won’t occur until August 23, 2044-more than two decades later!

According to the Planetary Society, the 2044 eclipse path of totality will only touch three states. It will begin in Greenland, sweep through Canada, and end as the Sun sets in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.