Totality, Dude

The August program page has info on events coming up this weekend and the rest of the month. There's always history to learn and learn from on the Trails of History. In my opinion.

Solar eclipse Jan. 3, 1908 by Tomruen - Lick Observatory, from Flint Island, Kiribati, Public Domain, Link

So, okay, we in Pennsylvania will see only a partial solar eclipse. Safe travels and good times to those of you venturing into the path of totality. I'm sure it's going to be a zoo, but a rare opportunity in the U.S. Be nice to the people whose states and towns you're visiting and clean up after yourselves. No one wants to see news photos of Woodstock-esque trash piles. Not sure why I'm lecturing on this - trying to do my part for peace, love, and understanding, I guess.

My news feeds have been full of eclipse stuff...

The State Museum Planetarium has been sharing lots of info about the upcoming eclipse. There's still time to catch "2017 Eclipse Across America" today and this weekend for a great explanation of eclipses. Because PA will see a partial eclipse (75-80%) we won't be able to look directly at the sun at any time without protection. If you don't have a pair of eclipse glasses or a specially equipped viewer of some sort, the museum shared NASA's instructions for making a pinhole projector using a cereal box. I may have to try that this weekend if my husband finishes off the Froot Loops (UPDATE: he already has).

UPDATE: Planetarium director Linda Powell was on abc27 Friday morning to talk about the eclipse (watch it here).

On a related safety note, PennDOT reminds us that it can be unsafe and may be unlawful to just stop alongside a roadway to watch the eclipse.

Washington Crossing Historic Park has posted info for those who might want to view the eclipse from Bowman's Hill Tower.

There are lots of posts from all over with historical info about eclipses and how people have studied and reacted to them through time:

• Atlas Obscura - too many eclipse posts to mention so I'll highlight 2 and you can surf for more: "How Edmond Halley Kicked Off the Golden Age of Eclipse Mapping" and "The Story Behind the Greatest Eclipse Video of All Time" (includes an embed of said video)
• National Archives - blog post with photos and info about past eclipses
• Lancaster Online - a look back at Lancaster area coverage of past eclipses
• UPDATE: Thanks to Linda Bolla for this link from the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission about the total eclipse that passed across the U.S. on June 18, 1918

Let us know in the comments if you have other eclipse-related posts to share!

And for those of you who remember the 1980s, I leave you with this. Bonnie Tyler will, if all goes according to plan, perform "Total Eclipse of the Heart" during the eclipse on board a cruise ship in the Caribbean. Enjoy the earworm.