Wappapello delivers lesson on eclipse history, science

Southeast Missouri will be a main attraction for the 2024 total solar eclipse. An event like this comes with many questions, one in particular: what is a solar eclipse? Eugene Vale and Jo Schaper with Geo Communications Services were invited to the Wappapello Bill Emerson Memorial Visitor Center to demonstrate the answer and educate the public.

In their program, Vale and Schaper explained a solar eclipse occurs when the moon is perfectly aligned between the sun and the earth. Many factors determine when a solar eclipse will happen -- the earth's tilt, the moon's orbit and the alignment of nodes must all line up so specifically for an eclipse to be in view. Nodes are when the path of the moon crosses the plane of the earth's orbit. If the nodes are on the sun side, the result is a solar eclipse, and if they are on the moon side, it creates a lunar eclipse.

Eclipse are also based on the moon's phases. A solar eclipse can only happen during a new moon, and a lunar eclipse during a full moon. Both can occur at least twice a year, and occasionally up to four times in a year. However, to see a solar eclipse viewers must be in the umbra, or the shadow made by the moon.

A fun fact, Schaper and Vale added, is earth is the only planet that can view a total solar eclipse.

Additionally, Southeast Missouri has not been in full view of a total solar eclipse since 1673. After April's eclipse, the region will not be in the umbra again until February of 2343.

Vale and Schaper, who are married, also introduced the mythology of the eclipses during their presentation. In archaeological history, there are many depictions of eclipses. Most depictions of these myths are found in petroglyphs, or rock carvings, and often show being of some kind consuming the sun and then spitting it back out. In China, the creature is a dragon or a dog. In Native American carvings, the Cherokee depicted a frog and the Choctaw depicted a squirrel. The eclipse has also been found in accounts throughout history. Readers can find eclipses in the works of philosopher Thales of Miletus, accounts of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, writings from Christopher Columbus and even Mark Twain's novel "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." Using these, scientist can correlate the dates of eclipses stretching back thousands of years.

The Geo Communications Services program emphasized safety first when viewing eclipses. Vale and Schaper advised attendees not to look directly into the sun, even with the viewing glasses. It is only safe to look at the sun while wearing viewing glasses when the eclipse is in full effect.

Those without viewing glasses can create a pinhole camera box or even project the eclipse using a telescope or binoculars. Finally, they said, don't miss tree shadows as they form spectacular pattern on the ground.