People can once again see a total solar eclipse on Tuesday. Some astronomers from the United States even gathered solar eclipse glasses for the people in the area where it will be best seen.
South American Eclipse
Last Aug. 21, 2017, many people in the United States got to witness the Great American Eclipse. Now, nearly two years after the event, another total solar eclipse is set to occur on July 2. This total solar eclipse, however, will mostly be visible over the southern Pacific, but those in some parts of Chile and Argentina will be able to see the total solar eclipse while nearly all of South America will be able to witness a partial solar eclipse.
For anyone who wants to see the total solar eclipse but are not in the viewing locations, the National Science Foundation’s Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile will do a live broadcast of the celestial event.
Solar Eclipse Glasses Collection
The upcoming total solar eclipse is actually the first one since the Great American Eclipse. In fact, a group of astronomers even gathered 40,000 solar eclipse glasses bought for the 2017 eclipse to be sent over to South America for those who want to witness the spectacle.
What started as a small collection for people who would like to share their unique experience ended up as a massive drive with over 1,000 collection points, from optometrists to universities and libraries.
The 40,000 solar eclipse glasses that they collected and inspected will be sent to planetariums, schools, and universities in Argentina, Peru, and Chile.
Gateway Science
Eclipses are important because they allow experts to study the solar corona, which is actually hotter than the sun’s surface. However, they are also important celestial events because, in a way, they are gateways for children to be interested in science, technology, engineering, and math.
