By BETTY DEBNAM
Moon and Sun Star In a Show
Solar Eclipse on February 26
Big Show
When the sun gets up on the
morning of February 26, it's
got something to do.
Along with the moon, it will
put on one of the greatest
shows above the earth.
It's called a solar eclipse.
Solar eclipses happen about
every six months someplace
above the world.
But they don't happen above
the U.S. very often.
In fact, there won't be another
total eclipse in our sky until
August 21, 2017.
Total Eclipse
A solar eclipse happens when
the moon passes between the
earth and the sun. The moon
hides the sun and makes a
shadow on earth.
Soon scientists and other
interested people will be going to
parts of the states of
Washington, Idaho, Oregon,
Montana and North Dakota.
This is where they can observe
a total eclipse. They will be able
to see the moon's shadow
completely hide the sun from
view.
They will be in the path of
totality. This is a path about 175
miles across. It will stretch into
Canada, too.
It takes about three hours for
the moon to pass across the sun.
But the sun is blocked out
completely for only about two to
three minutes in the middle of
the eclipse.
This is how a total eclipse looks with the moon hidin^^sun^^^aro
What's it like?
Experts tell us that the skies
become dark. Cows and
chickens will probably get
ready for the night. Some stars
will come out. It will get
colder.
The sun is a big ball of
glowing gas. During an
eclipse, the part of the sun that
we do not usually get to see
can be seen.
This is the corona (ca-RO
nah) or very outer edges of the
sun's atmosphere. During a
total eclipse, the corona will
look as if it could be the sun's
halo.
Partial
eclipse
The rest of us will have to
settle for a partial eclipse.
The moon will be crossing
the face of the sun, but there
will still be some light.
In fact, most of us might
not know that there is
anything unusual about
February 26 unless we knew
there was an eclipse going
on.
iCAUTiOKl 00 I
A scientist with the Naval
Observatory told The Mini
Page:
"Watching the sun without
proper eye safeguards is
always dangerous.
"But it is no more so during a
solar eclipse than any other
time.
"The problem with an eclipse
is that it attracts many people
who do not use the proper
safeguards. That is what is
dangerous.
"Kids should observe the
eclipse only with the help of an
expert adult, or they should
watch it on TV," he cautioned.