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It's been a very smoky twenty-four hours here in Brooklyn! We haven't had rain in over a month, and the recent windy conditions resulted in red flag warnings being issued. With dry autumn leaves serving as kindling, we have the perfect recipe for fire. Over the last twenty-four hours, we've experienced local brush fires which have had a negative impact on our local air quality. This can feel like a dry throat, chest irritation, burning or dry eyes, and can result in coughing, wheezing, and the worsening of preexisting medical conditions.
For the second time in our existence, the Kiddie Science Lab had the honor of hosting another solar eclipse educational opportunity! Seven years ago we witnessed our first eclipse at approximately 70% totality. This time, NYC was in the path for 90% coverage, which is pretty significant. Once again we gathered on the sidewalk on Rogers Avenue and were amazed by science! In addition to the eclipse, glasses, we viewed the eclipse using pinhole viewers, one of which was very, very big and provided an amazing view. The box used as a pinhole viewer was repurposed from our recent toilet paper delivery, hence the tagline. It made for such a great viewer (and such hysterical pictures) that we tagged the company and they shared our image forward. You can check it out HERE.
Cheers to science and for finding a good laugh amongst the awe! Although Brooklyn isn't in the path of a full eclipse, we expect to see about 90% of the sun blocked out by the moon during the upcoming eclipse. Here's what you need to know about the solar eclipse: What's happening? On April 8th, the moon is going to pass between the sun and the Earth, blocking all or part of the sun for a few hours. Depending on where you live, you may see a full eclipse, where the moon completely covers the disc of the sun. Why does an eclipse happen? Based on the periodic alignment of the round bodies involved (sun, moon, Earth) there are scientifically predictable times when they are lined up perfectly to block part of all of the sun. In the case of a lunar eclipse, the Earth blocks the sun, creating a partial or full shadow. You can learn more HERE. How can I see the solar eclipse? An eclipse is an exciting time in Earth science, but safety is important. Much like you wouldn't look directly up at the sun on a bright day, it's unsafe to look directly up at the solar eclipse without proper eye wear. Even with solar filters, direct viewing of the solar eclipse is limited to a few minutes at a time. It's important to give your eyes a break when viewing the eclipse and never ever view with regular eyeglasses. You can learn more on viewing the eclipse safely HERE.  Happy Leap Year Day!! This year, February has 29 days, making it a leap year. But why??
Normally, the month of February has 28 days. Every four years, however, we add an extra day to the calendar, which is today. To better understand this answer, we need some background information about our calendar. The calendar we use is actually pretty ancient. It was designed to document the Earth's annual trip around the sun through the changing seasons. Over the course of approximately 365 days, the Earth makes one full trip around the sun. The calendar we use today reflects that and is based on observations made by scientists going back to the 11th century in Persia. Ancient astronomers quickly realized that the Earth doesn't take exactly 365 days to make a full trip around the sun. If one wanted to be more precise, there's an extra six hours to make it official. But what do you do with six hours over a long period of time? Scientists applied math to this problem and came up with the leap year. This is why, every four years, when twenty-fours hours have accumulated, we add an extra day in the month of February. |
