A fantastic celestial spectacle is happening tomorrow, Monday, April 8th! The moon’s path will cross between the Earth and the sun which will cause the sky to darken as if it were nighttime in the middle of the day. According to The New York Times, “Viewers inside the path of the total eclipse may notice a drop in temperature, a lull or shift in the wind, the appearance of bright planets in the sky, and the quieting of birds and other wildlife.”
As the first solar eclipse since August 2017, this one will be visible across North America, reaching the U.S, Canada, and Mexico. It will be especially unique due to the large portion of the population being able to view it from their homes (about 31.6 million people!) and the fact that the outer atmosphere of the sun, called the Corona, is currently at maximum activity, causing the sun to show dramatic white spikes through its coverage.
This will also be the last time we will be able to see the eclipse until 2044, 20 years in the future. The eclipse will begin at 12:42 pm and end at 3:17 pm, but it will reach maximum coverage at 2:00 with full darkness lasting about four and a half minutes. Brentwood isn’t in the path of totality, or in a place where the sky will get completely dark, but it is about 40 minutes north of where the path will be hitting, so the eclipse will still be very visible. Those in Brentwood will still need safety glasses in order to watch the eclipse, so the sun’s rays do not cause eye damage.
Brentwood High School is celebrating this rare occasion by holding a viewing event on the field during fourth period. The middle and high school will be going on the field to witness the eclipse, and each student will be given safety glasses. Students will also be watching informational videos during advisories to understand the science behind the event, and how to take proper action to stay safe. The actual eclipse will only take a few minutes, but the event will take up the entire block. When asked about the activities afterward, Dr. Ayotte replied, “We’re keeping the details a surprise. The only thing I’m going to say is that Mr. Hamdan has everything planned out.”
Due to Brentwood not being in a totality area, some students are taking a day off to celebrate the eclipse in other ways. “Our family is going camping,” said Nadia Woodman (9) who will be joined by her sister Norah (12). “We’re not entirely sure where yet; we just know we’re going to a totality area.”
“My family and I are leaving Sunday night and going camping with my dad’s friend and one of our church friends,” said Avery White (12.) “We’re going to an equestrian campsite, but we don’t own any horses, so here’s to not getting kicked out!” Along with students, a few teachers are also taking the opportunity to go somewhere different. “My son’s Christmas wish was to see the eclipse in totality,” said Mr. Schmidt. So my wife, children, and I are going to Perryville, about an hour and a half away to see it.”
An eclipse is a rare and unique event, and there has been a lot of excitement within our community for everyone to get to witness it.
The New York Times came out with its own solar eclipse soundtrack, so we here at The Nest were inspired to come up with our own. What would you add to our playlist? Leave it in the comments!
On Monday, if you're in the line of totality (which we almost are, here in Saint Louis), the sun will be completely blocked out by the moon for roughly four and a half minutes -- the perfect amount of time to play one of these songs.
Track 1: Bonnie Tyler, "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
Track 2: Pink Floyd, "Dark Side of the Moon"
Track 3: Soundgarden, "Black Hole Sun"
Track 4: The Beatles, "Across the Universe"
Track 5: David Bowie, "Starman"
Track 6: Nick Drake, "Pink Moon"
Track 7: Cream, "Sunshine of Your Love"
Track 8: R.E.M. "It's the End of the World as we Know it"
