VOL. 45 NO. 3SUMMER 2016 33

The Eclipse, The Media, and Being Outside the Path

Don’t fret. Eclipse 2017 will ultimately be the media event of the season.

By Joe Rao

The total solar eclipse occurs only within the yellow path shown on this map. The yellow curves parallel to the path of totality mark the degree of maximum partial eclipse. Courtesy Michael Zeiler/GreatAmericanEclipse.com.

First published in Mercury, Summer 2016.Courtesy Astronomical Society of the Pacific

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In recent months I’ve heard some folk express disappointment that the news media has given short shrift to next year’s “Great American Total Solar Eclipse.” As a person who works in the news media, I can assure all of those

disappointed in the coverage (or maybe I should say the lack of cov-erage) that Eclipse 2017 is going to be one of the big national news events in 2017. The “problem” with the news media is that they do not concentrate on the specifics of a prospective news story until less than a week before the event. Then every news-gathering agency will head toward that event like moths attracted to a flickering light.

The Eclipse and the MediaI have been telling everyone that in the final days leading up to the 2017 eclipse, the media will be treating this event in a manner similar

to the first launch of the Space Shuttle, the Apollo 11 Moon landing, or John Glenn’s orbital flight. No question that on August 21, 2017 virtually every American will suddenly become eclipse conscious.

I can see CNN, FOX News, and MSNBC blocking out their entire news day on August 21, 2017, busily lining up anchors and camera crews all along the path of totality. And, of course, trying to entice prospective viewers to tune in to their “exclusive coverage” during the days leading up to August 21st to watch the “Eclipse of the Century!”

Isn’t that how it is played out prior to almost every eclipse? And just watch how the media will continually drive home the point that this will be the first total solar eclipse to go coast-to-coast “…in nearly one hundred years,” thus giving folks the impression that this A painting of the 1918 total eclipse by Howard Russell Butler, observed from Baker City in Oregon.

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is the first time a total eclipse of the Sun has been visible from the United States during that same interval. Not true, of course — Hawaii in 1991 and Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota in 1979.

As far as the American general public is concerned, I’m sure that in the days and weeks leading up to August 21st, most people will be keenly aware that: “Oh yeah, I hear there’s going to be an eclipse of the Sun this summer.” But most really will not have much incentive to view it — that is, until the “media blitz” begins during that final week. Then watch the interest spike!

And even on the very day of the eclipse, people who showed no inclination to view it will suddenly say to themselves: “Hey! Why not? Let’s drive into the eclipse zone and see what everybody has been talking about.”

In particular, watch what happens in Atlanta on eclipse morning as thousands (or maybe tens of thousands) try to get into the path of totality via Interstate 85. Normally it would take 90 minutes (to drive northeast into South Carolina and totality), but on eclipse day, who knows? It could take much, much longer.

Activities Outside the PathIf for whatever reason you happen to be situated outside the path of totality — perhaps you’ll be offering an outreach program for students who can’t travel to totality — make sure you observe some of the interesting effects that become evident as the eclipse pro-gresses, such as sunlight passing through leaves and dappling the ground beneath with countless crescent images.

If you’re near the path of totality, notice the weird “counterfeit twilight” that will descend over the landscape as mid-eclipse approaches. Hold out your arm to cast a shadow — one side of your arm will be fuzzy; the other side will be sharp and clear.

The darkest period should pretty much coincide with the duration

of totality. So if you’re going to be experiencing a magnitude .980 eclipse (which means you’re about 50 miles beyond the edge of the path of totality), look for the deepest twilight effect to extend across a period lasting at least 120 to 160 seconds. Certainly Venus should be evident — I glimpsed it in 1970 from New York City with an eclipse of magnitude .959.

If your observing site lacks trees with leaves, use a colander (or something similar with multiple small holes) to create images of the eclipsed Sun on the ground. [Rick Fienberg/TravelQuest International]

If you’re not in the path of totality, you must always view the eclipsed Sun through proper solar filters or eclipse glasses. [Paul Deans/TravelQuest International]

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For those projecting the image of the Sun through binoculars or a telescope, or observing the eclipse with safe eclipse-viewing glasses, watch for the “pirouette of the crescent” as the waning sliver of the Sun diminishes to a certain point, then rapidly swings around 180° and begins to widen as the period of maximum eclipse passes.

An interesting experiment involving radio propagation is listen-ing for distant AM radio stations during the eclipse. Most of us have probably heard a radio station transmitting from more than 1,000 miles away under the cover of darkness — a station that normally cannot be heard during daylight hours. The ionosphere reflects certain frequencies of radio waves, and the composition of the ionosphere at night is different than during the day because of the absence of the Sun. You can pick up some radio stations at night because the reflection characteristics of the ionosphere are better during the night.

When the Sun is nearly completely covered, atmo-spheric conditions resemble nighttime for a few minutes, and AM radio signals can travel much greater distances than during the day. Any 50,000-watt clear-channel radio station within or near the totality path might be heard at much greater dis-tances during the period of maximum eclipse. Try tuning in such a station on the nights before the eclipse. Then on eclipse day, listen carefully to determine if you can hear that station around the time of maxi-mum eclipse at your location. The station might suddenly become audible, and then after the shadow has passed by, just as suddenly disappear. Here is a list of 50,000-watt clear channel stations.

I realize veteran eclipse chasers will not want to be outside the path of totality, but for those who are, there are plenty of interesting things to look for! And maybe some of those kids who see only the partial phases will turn to their parents or teachers and say: “That was really neat! But for the next one in 2024, I want to see what hap-pens when we’re inside the total eclipse path!”

Because in many ways, 2017 will be the incentive for 2024.

JOE RAO is one of the best-known broadcast meteorologists in the northeastern United States; his career in weather casting spans nearly four decades. He’s also an associate astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium. Joe has witnessed 11 totalities.Observing the October 2014 partial solar eclipse outside the ASP’s headquarters in San Francisco. [ASP]

A view of the solar corona shot from an Air Berlin chartered eclipse flight on August 1, 2008, about 600 miles from the North Pole. [Joe Rao]