SUN-SATIONAL
DELCO, NATION LOOK TO THE SKY DELCO EVENTS IN WORDS, PICTURES
Kids don their special glasses to check out the total eclipse of the sun Monday at Delaware County Community College. From left are Chloe Szybowski, 8, of Media, Camilla Demontis, 9, of Bryn Mawr, Eva Kostic, 9, of Bryn Mawr, Ella Newman, 8, of Media, and Ryan Zebley, 9, of Media.
By Leslie Krowchenko MARPLE » Whether looking through one of two solar-filtered telescopes, approved glasses or a pinhole projection, hundreds viewed the solar eclipse Monday from the astronomy lab and courtyard at Delaware County Community College.
The enthusiasm was palpable as they waited in line for a chance to see the moon pass between the sun and Earth. A large-screen NASA feed of locations throughout the nation prepared them for the sight they would see.
“I heard astronomy professors lecturing about it in several TED talks and knew it was something I did not want to miss,” said Sally Jo Davis, of Media. “It is awe inspiring and something you must do in your lifetime.”
Although Delaware County was outside the “path of totality,” the view was no less spectacular. The line where the moon completely blocked the sun and its atmosphere began in Salem, Ore., at 10:17 a.m. (PST), continuing through Lincoln, Neb., Jefferson City, Mo., and Nashville, Tenn., before completing its arc nearly two and a-half hours later in Charleston, S.C. (2:41 p.m. EDT). The Philadelphia region was treated to a partial solar eclipse, reaching a maximum of nearly 80 percent coverage.
Young visitors had the chance to make eclipse models by coloring the stars, planet and moon, attaching them with braids and strips of construction paper and moving them in circular fashion to demonstrate the difference between solar and lunar eclipses. They also fashioned pinhole projection viewers using white card stock, aluminum foil and tape.
“A lunar eclipse, when the Earth is between the sun and moon, happens about every other year,” said Assistant Professor of Earth and Space Science Chris Etherington. “By contrast, coast-to-coast solar eclipses in America are very rare – the last one happened about 100 years ago.”
Some families made an afternoon of it. Rinal Parikh, of Nether Providence, came to the college with her children, Neel, 4, and Dheek, 9, and the latter’s friends, Kazi Bhuiya, 9, of Swarthmore, and Owen Goldberg, 9, of Nether Providence. Armed with only two pairs of glasses and five pairs of eyes, she decided the college was the best place to see the astronomical phenomenon.
“Seeing it through the telescope was so educational,” she said. “The professors were also here to answer questions.”
Like New Year’s Eve revelers who watch the ball drop across time zones, Newtown Square resident Erica Danowitz was treated to an early showing. Her sister, Mata Smith, who lives in Bend, Ore., texted a series of photos.
“I received the first one at 12:47 p.m., which was 9:47 a.m. her time,” said Danowitz. “I followed it as she continued to text.”
The solar eclipse was the not the first one for Adrian Shum, of Radnor, who came to the college with his wife, Ling Lu, and their children, Mia, 10, and Olivia, 4. He was in London nearly 10 years ago when the three celestial bodies were so aligned.
“I saw it then using glasses, so this time I wanted to view it through a telescope,” he said. “In London it was not 100 percent dark, because you could still see some light, but it was an eerie feeling.”
One of the most impressed viewers was self-professed “science and computer geek” Michelangelo Bellini, 11, of Nether Providence.
“I adore space stuff,” he said. “When you looked through the telescope, you could see brown dots on the sun and it was cool the way the moon crossed in front of it and made it disappear.”
Special helmets helped viewing
Not everyone at Delaware County Community College viewed Monday’s solar eclipse the conventional way.
The welding department made helmets specifically adapted to see the afternoon sky. The lenses needed to watch a flame melt metal are shade 10, but the strength was increased to 13 for the sky, said program administrator Pat Dougherty.
Some waiting to look through the solar-filtered telescope put their backs to the sun and reflected the image onto their cell phones.
“It is safe to look at the screen,” said Dean of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Mark Schwartz. “Only a small fraction of light reflects back to your eyes.”