Total Solar Eclipse Resources

On August 21, 2017, a rare total solar eclipse will sweep the nation from Oregon to South Carolina and our state will serve as the exit state for this natural phenomenon. Below are resources on general knowledge and safety concerning the event, professional development opportunities, instructional unit resources for grades K-12, as well as external total solar eclipse events across our state. Please take this unusual opportunity to design engaging learning experiences for science students in South Carolina during the 2016-2017 school year.

A total solar eclipse is when the Sun is covered entirely by the Moon, the sky deeply darkens, the temperature cools, and the Sun’s corona becomes visible. To find out the exact time of the start and end of the eclipse and totality for your specific area, use the following resource https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Aug21Tgoogle.html.

Schools and individuals interested in learning more about the total solar eclipse can use electronic resources such as https://informal.jpl.nasa.gov/museum/content/eclipse-2017,
https://www.nsta.org/publications/press/extras/files/solarscience/SolarScienceInsert.pdf and
https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/.

Eye Safety: All students must receive careful instruction regarding eye safety in preparation for this event.  Concerns for eye safety during a total solar eclipse provided by NASA can be found using the following links https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety and  https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/safety.html.

Information concerning the importance of eye safety, brands of viewers available for sale and the standards they must meet can be found using this link https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety/iso-certification.