Timber Creek students will have a safe and memorable way to view the solar eclipse on Monday Aug. 21, 2017.
A solar eclipse is when the moon completely hides the suns surface, but here in Fort Worth only a partial solar eclipse will be viewable.
The eclipse starts at 11:39 a.m. and hits the maximum viewing point for Fort Worth at 1:08 p.m. Students are warned to avoid looking directly at the eclipse without proper eclipse eyewear.
Two teachers on campus have plans to let their students witness the eclipse in person.
Integrated Physics and Chemistry teacher Rosalinda Scott’s 4A class will be going outside during a portion of the eclipse. They will have pinhole viewers made from index cards, and they will draw the eclipse image every 15 minutes (5 times until 2:30). The next class period they will discuss the scientific method and the difference between hypothesis, theory and law, using Copernicus as an example.
Astronomy teacher Ian Henley will be taking classes to the football field during 3rd and 4th on Monday. Henley has a solar telescope, solar binoculars, and an attachment to take pictures with a cell phone through the binoculars. They will be able to watch the waxing half during 3rd period and the waning half with 4th period.
Timber Creek students will not be allowed to go outside during the solar eclipse (between 11:30 am-2:45pm) without a pre-planned teacher activity that provides the appropriate safety precautions. Students will also be closely monitored during any pre-planned activity. All programs on campus, such as Fine Arts and Athletics, will not be allowed to participate in outdoor activities during the solar eclipse.
For those students inside, there are multiple resources to watch the eclipse, including NASA’s feed that will include narration and excellent viewing of the complete eclipse: Eclipse Mega cast
The next solar eclipse won’t be seen in southern North America until the year 2024.
