Kylene Polhamus, OD, co-authored today’s blog. She is an optometrist with Boling Vision Center with specializations including treatment and management of ocular disease and pediatrics.
A total eclipse once signaled the end of the world—or at least a message from God. Though a total eclipse may not seem so significant today, it is still a big deal. Those who have experienced one describe it as night falling—suddenly—in the middle of the day. It gets so dark that the stars appear in the sky, summer insects strike up their evening chorus, and birds fall quiet. You can see beads around the dark moon and maybe tongues of red fire around the edge of the sun. And it’s over in minutes.
In less than two weeks, on August 21, 2017, America will experience its first total eclipse in 38 years. It will travel from coast to coast, which hasn’t happened in nearly a century, cutting a “path of totality” across the middle of the continent. Although Indiana is (just) too far north to experience the total eclipse, we can experience a partial eclipse. In South Bend, where we’re writing, the eclipse will begin at 12:57 p.m. and last nearly three hours. At 2:22 p.m., the moon will cover 88% of the sun. (You can check this information for your own location here.)
That will be something to see—but not without proper eye protection.