On Monday, April 8th, a total solar eclipse is expected to black out the sun in 13 states from Texas to Maine. We won’t get the full effect in Montana and Wyoming, but we might see something better. YPR’s Orlinda Worthington gives us a glimpse of what we are poised to see in Montana and Wyoming.
“If you hold the coin out it’ll make the tiniest little shadow… if you see over there on the grass.”
Dr. Elaine Westbrooke, of MSU Billings, uses a coin and the sun, outside her office to demonstrate how a solar eclipse works.
“A lot of people kind of have a hard time differentiating between lunar and solar eclipses,” Westbrook said.
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting its shadow on Earth.
“It’s only gonna be for four minutes.”
In Montana, we’ll see only a partial eclipse - about 45%. But Doctor Westbrooke says people in this area will get an opportunity to see something those in the path of the full eclipse won’t see.
“I think the possibility of seeing some sunspots is really kind of what I'm kind of geared up for. A sunspot is actually a hole in the chromosphere. Everything's kind of pulling back into the sun. And it's actually a cooler spot on the surface. So instead of being hot, it's actually dropped in temperature at that spot. So it makes a little dark spot in there,” Westbrooke said.
Sunspots aside, Randy Begger, with the Yellowstone Valley Astronomy Association wants the full experience.
“We're going to travel over to Indiana to watch it. And it's going to be a lot of fun. To see the whole sun blotted out by the moon is pretty spectacular,” Beggar said.
There is a solar eclipse about every year and half somewhere on the planet, but the next one in the U-S is not for another 20 years. Montana will play a more prominent role in that one.
“That one's going to come down over Canada and end in Montana as a matter of fact,” Beggar said.
And a reminder, it's crucial to use eye protection if you plan on viewing the eclipse.
In Billings, I’m Orlinda Worthington.
MUSB is hosting a watch party for the public on the lawn in front of the Education Building, beginning around 11:30 Monday morning.
