Hey there! It’s Jay, and I have a cool story to share with you. When I was growing up in Wisconsin, we sometimes had “snow days” when it snowed a lot, and we didn’t have to go to school. But on April 8th, 2024, some schools are closing for a different reason. People are excited about a special event that hasn’t happened in some places for hundreds of years. It’s not snow, but something amazing in the sky—a total solar eclipse!
Imagine you’re playing outside on a sunny day, and suddenly it gets darker. You might look up and see clouds or something else blocking the Sun. During a solar eclipse, the moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the Sun’s light for a short time. It’s like when you use your hand to block light and make a shadow on the wall. The moon does the same thing, creating a shadow on Earth.
Have you ever seen a really big shadow? The moon’s shadow during a solar eclipse is so big that scientists study it, and people travel from all over to see it. When the moon blocks the Sun, it casts a shadow on Earth, making it dark in some places. But this shadow doesn’t cover the whole planet. It’s like a moving path, and you have to be in just the right spot to see the total eclipse.
During a total solar eclipse, the sky gets dark, almost like it’s evening. The air feels cooler, and you might hear crickets chirping. It’s a special moment when the moon completely covers the Sun, and you can safely take off your special eclipse glasses to look at the sky. But remember, you need those glasses to protect your eyes when looking at the Sun during other parts of the eclipse.
If you want to watch an eclipse safely, you can make a simple viewer using paper. It’s a fun activity that lets you see the eclipse without looking directly at the Sun. After the eclipse, you can talk about what you saw and how it felt. Maybe you’ll even hear stories from people who traveled to be in the moon’s shadow!
There are so many mysteries in the sky, like why the moon turns red during a lunar eclipse or how often eclipses happen. Keep asking questions and exploring the wonders of our universe. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll get to see a total solar eclipse yourself!
Thanks for joining me on this adventure. Stay curious, and see you next time!
Create Your Own Eclipse Viewer: With the help of an adult, make a simple pinhole projector to safely view a solar eclipse. You’ll need a piece of cardboard and a piece of white paper. Poke a small hole in the cardboard, and when the eclipse happens, let the sunlight pass through the hole onto the white paper. Observe the shape of the Sun on the paper and notice how it changes during the eclipse. Discuss with your friends or family what you see and how it feels to watch the eclipse this way.
Shadow Play: On a sunny day, go outside and use your hand to create different shapes and shadows on the ground. Notice how the position of the Sun changes the size and shape of your shadow. Try to make a shadow that looks like the moon covering the Sun, just like during a solar eclipse. Talk about how the moon’s shadow during an eclipse is similar to the shadows you create with your hand.
Imagine and Draw: Imagine you are in a place where a total solar eclipse is happening. Draw a picture of what you think the sky would look like during the eclipse. Include details like the dark sky, the moon covering the Sun, and any changes in the environment, like animals behaving differently. Share your drawing with your class and explain what you think it would be like to experience a total solar eclipse.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hey, it’s Jay! Growing up in Wisconsin, it sometimes snowed a lot. When it did, we’d wait for two magic words: “snow day.” That meant no school! On April 8th, 2024, some schools are closing because an unusual event is happening outside, but it’s not a snow day. Some schools are closing because crowds of people will be visiting their area. They’re looking forward to an experience that hasn’t happened in some of these places for hundreds of years.
Check it out: for a short time that day, the sun will look like this—it’s a total solar eclipse! Someone named Marshall is curious about solar eclipses, so let’s give Marshall a call.
Now, hi Jay! Hi Marshall! I have a question for you: why does it get dark during solar eclipses? Ooh, that’s a great question! Have you ever been playing outside on a sunny day when suddenly it gets darker? That probably got your attention. After all, you know the light outside comes from the Sun, and there isn’t some giant light switch turning it off and on. Instead, you might see storm clouds rolling in, or maybe something surprising like something flying overhead. Whatever it is, for a moment, it blocks some of the Sun’s light.
It’s like when you do this—your hands block some of the light and cast a shadow on the wall. Maybe you’ve experimented with your shadow before on the playground. I like to see how big I can make mine and how much it can cover. This skyscraper’s shadow stretches for blocks, and this mountain’s shadow is massive. Up in a plane, you can see the huge shadows that clouds cast down below.
Before I go on, I’m curious: what’s the biggest shadow you’ve ever seen? Now would be a good time to pause the video and discuss.
Okay, ready? I’m not sure how you answered, but I wonder if you’ve ever seen a shadow so big that scientists study it—a shadow so big that people travel to see it, so big it closes school for the day. Maybe you see where I’m going with this. If you know about eclipses, you might already know that the moon travels around the Earth. As it goes around, it passes in between the Earth and the Sun, and sometimes, for a short time, the moon blocks the Sun’s light. That’s what causes a solar eclipse.
The dark circle you see here is the moon. This is what a total solar eclipse looks like from Earth. But let me show you what it looks like from space. There’s planet Earth, and see this dark patch? This is actually the moon’s shadow. Just like your hands make a shadow, the moon makes a shadow when it blocks the Sun. In fact, the moon’s shadow is why it gets dark during a total solar eclipse.
Over here or over here, it’s still pretty bright. It only gets really dark in places covered by the darkest part of the shadow, roughly the area circled here. Now, compared to all of planet Earth, that shadow is small, especially the darkest part. And as this video shows, the moon’s shadow moves; it doesn’t stay in one place for long. Plus, the moon’s shadow might follow a path over here during one solar eclipse but be over the ocean during another. So you need to be in just the right place at just the right time to be in that shadow, and that’s what makes it so special and rare to experience a solar eclipse.
That’s why people are traveling from all around for a chance to be in the moon’s shadow. It gets dark in the shadow, but not pitch black. There’s actually a lot to notice during an eclipse. Of course, like any day, bright sunlight can hurt your eyes, so you need special glasses to protect them if you want to look up at the Sun during parts of the eclipse.
First, you’ll see this kind of looks like someone took a bite out of the Sun—that’s actually the moon starting to pass in front. And check this out: when beams of sunlight shine between the leaves of a tree and hit the ground, you might notice funky shapes, almost like each beam of light has a bite taken out too. If you’re in the outer parts of the moon’s shadow, you’ll see the moon cover part of the Sun as it passes by—that’s a partial eclipse. But if you’re lucky enough to be in the path of a total eclipse, you’ll see that bite get bigger, and as it does, it gets darker.
Just before the last bite, you might spot this: that’s one dazzling sunbeam. Some people call this the diamond ring, and then whoo! It’s totally blocked by the moon. You’re finally in the darkest part of the moon’s shadow. This is the moment when people can safely take off those glasses to take it all in. It’s daytime, but the sky looks like sunset, as if it’s suddenly evening. The air will feel cooler, and you might hear crickets making their evening sounds. Other animals might act like it’s evening too.
The moon keeps moving, so you’re only in the darkest part of its shadow for a few minutes, but people who have experienced this say it’s unforgettable. Just listen to this crowd reacting to a total eclipse!
So in summary, it gets dark during a solar eclipse because the moon blocks the Sun’s light and casts a shadow onto part of the Earth. But you can only see a total solar eclipse and experience that darkness if you’re in the darkest part of the moon’s shadow. I hope that you’ll have a chance to be in that shadow someday and have the special experience of seeing a partial or total eclipse for yourself.
Remember that you’ll need special glasses to protect your eyes if you want to look at the Sun during parts of an eclipse. Or for another safe way to watch an eclipse, we’ve put together a step-by-step activity that uses paper to create an eclipse viewer. Check it out after this video is done playing!
That’s all for this week’s question. Thanks, Marshall, for asking it! Now we’ll be back with a new episode in a couple of weeks, but in the meantime, here are some older questions from the question jar. You can vote on which one you think we should send out next week. You can choose from: how often do eclipses happen? Why does the moon turn blood red during a lunar eclipse? Or how dangerous is it to look at the Sun? So submit your vote when the video’s over. We want to hear from all of you watching. There are mysteries all around us. Stay curious, and see you next week!
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