In case you haven’t heard, a total solar eclipse will be happening on Monday, August 21st. Before heading out to watch this historical event, let’s brush up on a few facts about this really cool event. (Added bonus: you’ll be sure to impress all of your friends and family with your knowledge ๐
A few facts about the solar eclipse:
- A solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the sun and Earth and blocks all or part of the sun for up to about three hours.
- The last time the U.S. saw a contiguous solar eclipse was in 1979.
- The longest period when the moon completely blocks the sun from any given location will be about two minutes and 40 seconds.
- To see a total eclipse, you must be in a path of totality. This is approximately 70 miles wide, that will cross the U.S. from West to East.
- The total eclipse will end near Charleston, SC at approximately 2:48 p.m.
Tips for viewing:
- Never look directly at the sun without proper protection, except during totality.
- Many local places will be selling eclipse glasses (please note that sunglasses are NOT proper viewing glasses). To make sure that you are using the correct glasses, please check NASA’s Eclipse Eyeglass Safety document.
- Start planning for and preparing for where you will watch. Traffic is expected to be very heavy!
Where to see the solar eclipse around Charleston
- Citadel Mall’s Free Eclipse Extravaganza
- Citadel Mall, 2070 Sam Rittenberg, Blvd., Charleston 29407
- 1 pm – 3 pm
- Get Eclipsed on IOP
- Front Beach, Isle of Palms
- 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Solar Eclipse Festival
- Yonder Field, 180 Log Cabin Rd., Bowman, SC 29018
- Parking opens at 10 am
- Eclipse on a Warship
- USS Yorktown, 40 Patriots Point Rd., Mt. Pleasant, 29464
- All day
- The Rooftop bar at Vendue
- 19 Vendue Range St., Charleston
- 11:30 a.m.
- Charleston Astronomy Meetup Public Total Solar Eclipse Viewing
- Charlotte Street Park Irish Memorial, 1 Charlotte St., Charleston, 29403
- 1 pm – 4 pm
- Eclipse Baseball Game
- Joe Riley Park, 360 Fishburne St., Charleston, 29403
- 1 pm
- Eclipse on the Atlantic
- Pier 101 Folly Beach, 101 E. Arctic Ave., Charleston
- 1 pm – 4 pm
- Free Solar Eclipse Celebration
- The Bend, 375 Azalea Dr., North Charleston, 29405
- 12 pm – 4 pm
- Moon Over Middleton Place
- Middleton Place, 4300 Ashley River Rd., Charleston, 29414
- 10 am – 4 pm
- Solar Eclipse Extravaganza
- Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, Harborside Beach, 20 Patriots Point Rd., Mt. Pleasant, 29464
- 1 pm – 5 pm
- Solar Eclipse Festivities
- Freshfields Village, 165 Village Green Lane, Kiawah Island, 29455
- 1 pm – 4 pm
- SolarEclipse Viewing Party
- MUSC Health Stadium, 1990 Daniel Island Dr.
- 11 am
- Total Beach Eclipse at BLU
- Folly Beach, 1 Center St.
- 1 pm – 4 pm
- Totally 821
- St. Andrews Parks & Playground, 1095 Playground Rd., Charleston, 29407
- Yoga Eclipse Bubbles
- Cannon Green Courtyard, 103 Spring St., Charleston, 29403
- 12:30 pm
Also, don’t miss out on snagging a Space Racers Eclipse Kit for your family to use before and during the big event. Read about how contributor Ashley used the kit with her son (and had so much fun!) and use promo code Mom1 for 10% off, valid until August 14th.
Additional eclipse resources
- http://scemd.org/TotalEclipse
- http://discoversouthcarolina.com/total-eclipse
- https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety
- http://www.charlestoncvb.com/eclipse/