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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
During the Total Solar Eclipse on August 21st, wavy patterns of sunlight, called Shadowbands, will appear on white surfaces just before, and just after, totality. Shadowbands disappear at the instant of totality. You can use Shadowbands for eye safety, even if you don't have, or don't trust, Eclipse Glasses.
Shadowbands on the ground are safe to look at. Shadowbands appear on white surfaces facing the eclipse. They are easily seen on a white bed sheet on the ground, on white cars and trucks, and on buildings with white siding. When Shadowbands are present, totality has not yet arrived, and the eclipse is still unsafe to look at with the unprotected eye.
Rick DeWitt of Mill Creek, WA is the lead investigator on "The #Shadowbands Project" at knomon.com. The project's goal is to collect at least 1,000 cell-phone videos of Eclipse Shadowbands, from Citizen Scientists spread across the United States. You should help find the cause of Shadowbands by using your cell phone to make a 15-minute video of Eclipse Shadowbands. Knomon.com contains simple instructions for this easy experiment, plus a Shadowbands simulator.
Parents can use Shadowbands to protect the eyes of children. Before the eclipse, encourage kids to look for shadowbands appearing on a white surface on the ground. Some kids even dance in the Shadowbands! This activity diverts their eyes down and away from the direct sunlight, keeping their eyes safe. You can even turn this into a game of "Red Light, Green Light".
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
During the Total Solar Eclipse on August 21st, wavy patterns of sunlight, called Shadowbands, will appear on white surfaces just before, and just after, totality.
Shadowbands will be seen easily on white aluminum semi truck trailers. Truckers who drive white trucks are encouraged to park during the eclipse and use their cell phone to make a 15-minute video of the side of their white truck. Shadowbands appear slightly different from one place to another. Trucks can stop in the middle of nowhere, far away from streetlights, to gather excellent science data.
Rick DeWitt of Mill Creek, WA is the lead investigator on "The #Shadowbands Project" at knomon.com. The project's goal is to collect at least 1,000 cell-phone videos of Eclipse Shadowbands from Citizen Scientists spread across the United States. You should help find the cause of Shadowbands by using your cell phone to make a 15-minute video of Eclipse shadowbands. Knomon.com contains simple instructions for this easy experiment, plus a Shadowbands simulator.
"White semi trailers are perfect!" says DeWitt. "Their construction makes it possible to very accurately measure the size of Shadowbands. The solar eclipse is going to snarl traffic anyway, so truckers might as well park and play Citizen Scientist while they wait."
The most interesting place to see Shadowbands is along the edge of the path of totality. Shadowbands are expected to make a dramatic angle rotation at the moment of greatest eclipse in these locations, such as the South side of Kansas City, KS, and the North side of St. Louis, MO.
END
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
During the Total Solar Eclipse on August 21st, wavy patterns of sunlight, called Shadowbands, will appear on white surfaces just before, and just after, totality. Shadowbands disappear at the instant of totality. You can use Shadowbands for child eye safety, even if you don't have, or don't trust, Eclipse Glasses.
Shadowbands on the ground are safe to look at. Shadowbands appear on white surfaces facing the eclipse. They are easily seen on a white bed sheet on the ground, on white cars and trucks, and on buildings with white siding. When Shadowbands are present, totality has not yet arrived, and the eclipse is still unsafe to look at with the unprotected eye.
Rick DeWitt of Mill Creek, WA is the lead investigator on "The #Shadowbands Project" at knomon.com. The project's goal is to collect at least 1,000 cell-phone videos of Eclipse Shadowbands, from Citizen Scientists spread across the United States. You should help find the cause of Shadowbands by using your cell phone to make a 15-minute video of Eclipse shadowbands. Knomon.com contains simple instructions for this easy experiment, plus a Shadowbands simulator.
Parents can use Shadowbands to protect the eyes of children. Before the eclipse, encourage kids to look for shadowbands appearing on a white surface on the ground. Some kids even dance in the Shadowbands! This activity diverts their eyes down and away from the direct sunlight, keeping their eyes safe. You can even turn this into a game of "Red Light, Green Light".
Shadowbands can appear as much as 5 minutes prior to totality. They tend to change rapidly as totality approaches. In the last few moments before totality, they can expand from just a few inches in size to a much larger pattern. When they disappear, that's your clue to turn around and look up at the amazing spectacle of a Total Solar Eclipse. When totality ends, you should immediately turn away and look down for Shadowbands again.
END