Total solar eclipse 2017

As you have probably already heard Monday Aug. 21 will be one of the most amazing events to remember.

A total solar eclipse will be making its way across the state, and of course everyone around the line of totality is expecting many different visitors. According to visitscottsbluff.com at 10:25:50 am the Partial Eclipse will be visible. Then a little over an hour later, the Total Eclipse will be visible at 11:48:11. The projected total length of totality is 1 minute and 42 seconds.

Some of the great local places to be able to watch this “once in a lifetime” event will be, Scottsbluff/Gering area, Alliance, Hemingford and Broken Bow, to name a few places.

Campgrounds near the line of totality have been filled up for months, with local residents renting their houses for the week in many of the towns near the line. Kimball is said to be about 90 miles off the line of totality, but many folks will be trying to inch their way closer to be a part of this fantastic event. Being within the line of totality is everything.

Safety is a huge concern for this event, if you have not had the chance already to get some Eclipse Glasses please, please do so, especially for children. Looking directly at the sun is never safe, but according to NASA the only way to look directly at the un-eclipsed or partially-eclipsed sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” or a hand-held solar viewer. “Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun; they transmit thousands of time of too much sunlight.”

Make sure you and your children have “Eclipse Glasses” and are understanding of how to use them. With prenatal supervision, many of the glasses will not fit correctly, being made for adults, so be very attentive to be sure the lens is covering the entire eye. Eye sight damage can be caused within seconds of looking directly into the sun.

Please travel safely, wear the correct protective gear, and be a part of witnessing this spectacular event.