Pitch

On Monday (Aug. 21), a solar eclipse will be visible throughout all of North America. Tom Maccarone, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Texas Tech, describes when the best time will be to see the eclipse and provides tips on how to safely view the rare phenomenon.

 

 

Expert

Tom Maccarone, associate professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas Tech University, (806) 834-3760 or [email protected]

Quotes

  • “What is happening is that the moon is going to move into a position where it’s in between the Earth and the sun.” (:04)
  • “The sky appears to become dark and, as you might know, when it’s dark out, the pupil in your eye opens up and so it lets more light in. But it’s not just visible light that can harm your eyes, it’s also infrared and ultraviolet light.” (:13)
  • “The sun has a corona on it, which is the outer part of the sun, that emits a lot of ultraviolet light and a significant amount of infrared light. And so, if you look at the sun during an eclipse, the mechanism that controls how big your pupil is in your eye thinks it’s dark out and so it opens your eye up and starts to let more light in, and that ultraviolet and infrared light can still do a lot of damage to your eye though it appears to be dark out.” (:23)
  • “You should only wear either specifically designed safety glasses (like these) or Welder’s Glass No. (number) 14 or above.” (:08)

Complete sample script can be found below.

For more information or media resources, contact Allison Hirth, senior editor, Office of Communications and Marketing, Texas Tech University, (806) 834-5604, [email protected]

Sample Script

YOU MAY CONSIDER TAKING A LITTLE LONGER LUNCH BREAK ON MONDAY (AUGUST 21).

STARTING AT AROUND 11-30 A-M… WE’LL START TO SEE A PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE IN (NORTH OR WEST) TEXAS.

THAT’S WHEN THE MOON MOVES IN BETWEEN THE EARTH AND SUN.

IT’S THE FIRST ONE—VISIBLE FROM THE U-S… SINCE 19-79.

“TOM MACCARONE” (mac-ah-rone)— AN ASTRONOMER AT TEXAS TECH… HAS A FEW TIPS FOR FOLKS WHO PLAN TO CATCH THE PHENOMENON.

HE SAYS THE SUN GIVES OFF A LOT OF U-V AND INFRARED LIGHT—WHICH CAN BE DANGEROUS FOR YOUR EYES.

AND WEARING SUNGLASSES ISN’T ENOUGH.

“You should only wear either specifically designed safety glasses (like these) or Welder’s Glass No. (number) 14 or above.” (:08)

AGAIN—WE’LL START SEEING THE ECLIPSE AROUND 11-30 A-M ON THE 21-ST.

THE SUN WILL BE ABOUT 75-PERCENT COVERED AROUND ONE P-M… AND THE PARTIAL ECLIPSE WILL END AT ABOUT 2-30.