This Monday, August 21st, at 10:23AM a max partial Eclipse will occur in San Diego. Use the resources below to learn more about this astronomical event as well as how to view the eclipse safely. At SOM, all 7th grade World Cultures students and 8th grade science students will be creating pinhole projectors to indirectly view the eclipse during the latter part of 5th period, nutrition break and the beginning of 1st period. We will also be live streaming the NASA feed of the total solar eclipse at our stage area.
The District has issued the statement below regarding viewing the eclipse directly using filtered lenses:
Official District Letter to SUHSD Staff
TO: All SUHSD Employees
DATE: August 11, 2017
RE: Solar Eclipse on August 21, 2017
A partial eclipse of the sun will be visible from San Diego County on August 21, 2017 (https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/san-diego) from approximately 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
A total eclipse of the sun will be visible from other parts of the country; which NASA will livestream on its website.
In the strictest sense, the eclipse is not dangerous, but looking at the sun without proper protection is always harmful. The primary safety issue during an eclipse is that curiosity regarding the phenomena makes it more likely people, especially children, will try to glimpse the eclipse without proper eye protection.
The risk is great. People who look at an eclipse without proper protection, even glimpses, are likely to suffer burns which damage the light sensitive cells that give them the ability to see. People with these burns don’t notice an immediate loss of vision. They generally experience a loss of vision the next day, which looks to them like a black hole in the center of their sight. In some cases, people regain some of their vision over a period of several months, but in many cases the loss is permanent.
SUHSD Curriculum & Instruction, Grants & Communications, and Student Support Services departments are strongly encouraging schools, classrooms and individuals to watch the eclipse via NASA’s live stream or it can also be viewed indirectly using pinhole viewers that project the image of the sun on a screen; again this should be done with the individual’s back towards the sun and never looking at the sun through the pinhole. This is to prevent harm to students who surreptitiously view the eclipse without preventative precautions. The District cannot allow any glasses to be donated or non-district glasses be purchased for classrooms because product liability cannot be assured.
Moreover, SUHSD is not supporting the use of manufactured eclipse glasses for our students. Please know that traditional sunglasses will not prevent the type of injury associated with the direct viewing of solar eclipses. Only specially manufactured eclipse glasses will prevent potential harm and there are already reports of counterfeit glasses being sold.
Lastly, Manny Rubio, the Director of Grants and Communications, will send a message/guidance regarding the solar eclipse to all district parents. It is also important for principals and teachers to remind district parents and students of the potential dangers of not adhering to this guidance. Thanks, in advance, for ensuring that students are supervised during district-related eclipse viewing activities in a manner that will prevent injuries.
Click on the images below to learn more about the eclipse and viewing this phenomenon safely:
