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Birthday · March 8, 2016

Solar Eclipse Shoes in the Classroom

March 8, 2016

On the day you were born, the universe was already ancient beyond measure — and yet, in all those billions of years, it had never once...

Solar Eclipse Shoes in the Classroom

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APOD published March 8, 2016. Credit: Progymnasium Rosenfeld. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.

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Solar Eclipse Shoes in the Classroom

Original APOD · March 8, 2016

The total solar eclipse of March 8/9 will be the only total eclipse in 2016. Crossing the international date line, the New Moon's dark shadow traces a limited, narrow path for viewing the total phase, making landfall in Indonesia and mostly tracking across the Pacific Ocean. A much larger region will be witness to a partially eclipsed Sun though, during morning hours on March 9 for southeast Asia and northeast Australia, and before sunset March 8 for Hawaii and Alaska. Safely viewing the eclipse can actually be very easy. One technique is demonstrated in this shoe group portrait from a classroom in Rosenfeld, Germany, taken during March 2015's solar eclipse. With blinds closed to darken the room, each threaded hole in the window blind creates a pinhole camera, projecting multiple images of the eclipsed sun that march across the floor. Other viewing alternatives include eclipse glasses and a comfortable chair, but be sure to wear a fashionable eclipse shirt. NASA Television: Live Eclipse Coverage begins at 8pm ET.

Image credit: Progymnasium Rosenfeld

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