By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
The nation is getting ready for another eclipse, and though only a small portion of Kentucky is in the line of totality – where the moon will completely cover the sun – the entire state is set to get a good show, with the rest of the commonwealth within the area that will see at least 90 percent coverage of the sun.
But, unless you are in Paducah, where the entire sun will be covered, there won’t ever be a safe time to look directly at the sun. At least, not without proper eye protection. There are special glasses available, as well as special filters for cameras, binoculars, and telescopes. If you decide to go shopping for some of these filters, the National Science Foundation (NSF) recommends you look for a filter that complies with the ISO 12312-2 international standard. These are the only filters that are considered safe for looking at the sun. They must be used on any device that captures and concentrates the rays of the sun, like a telescope or camera, to safely look at the sun through the device. Even if you have compliant eye coverings, they won’t necessarily protect your sight when using another magnification device unless that device is covered with an appropriate filter itself.
But if you don’t want to invest the money, or worry about your eclipse glasses arriving on time, you can pick up a pair of eclipse glasses at no charge from both branches of the Carter County Public Library. These glasses are provided through the NSF, and rated for unassisted viewing of the sun. That means no telescope or binocular usage unless they too are fitted with an appropriate filter.
Though they are typically closed on Mondays, the Olive Hill branch of the library will be hosting a watch party and will open at Noon to allow folks to stop in before the eclipse to pick up glasses, grab a snack, and participate in eclipse themed activities.
If you want to pick up glasses in advance, to watch the eclipse from wherever you may be, they are available at both the Olive Hill and Grayson branches of the Carter County Public Library.
School will be letting out early on the day of the eclipse, because the time of peak coverage is expected to coincide with the time period when they would normally be letting kids out for the day. This would not only make it difficult for children to take advantage of the educational opportunity the eclipse presents, superintendent of schools Dr. Paul Green said, but it would present additional difficulties for bus drivers and other staff tasked with keeping students safe – for instance, if they tried to look out the window of the bus at the eclipse and ended up damaging their eyes. Instead, they are releasing early so students can get home – or wherever they choose to view the eclipse – and prepare.
Peak coverage of the sun in Carter County is expected to be sometime around 3 p.m. In Paducah, which will see totality, the Sun will be completely covered beginning just after 2 p.m. and will remain fully covered for just under two minutes. Paducah is on the edge of the path of totality, however. Other locations directly in the path of the eclipse could see coverage for up to four minutes.
For more information and resources on the eclipse, including maps and schedules, visit the National Science Foundation online at NFS.gov.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.
