Tuesday's Truths WK 54: Aftermath re Eclipse Glasses

Hello, and welcome to the fifty-third week of my Tuesday's Truths series, since this particular day falls on date after The Great American Total Solar Eclipse, I thought I'd post content about what one can do with their eclipse viewing glasses.

A web-page on Smithsonian, states "Though it's tempting to save them until the next solar eclipse in 2024, (which will cross eastern Canada, the central U.S. and part of Mexico) you must first check with the company to see if the glasses will last. As Cassy Sommer at Staten Island Live reports, some eclipse glasses manufacturers warn that the lenses expire after three years. But according to NASA, if the glasses are compliant with the ISO 12312-2 safety standards, which were adopted in 2015, they should be reusable indefinitely. Just make sure you keep them in a safe spot: Seven years in a junk drawer will likely lead to scratches or abrasions, which can make the glasses dangerous to wear."

As an alternative to saving them in a junk drawer, they have many suggestions, which you can read about by clicking here. Meanwhile, dear reader, if you did get the view the eclipse in any form in person or via streaming, I hope you enjoyed it.

For your information, dear reader, the image atop this entry is from an article in The New York Times, which I referenced in my entries here on Blogger re the event.

Great American Total Solar Eclipse is today!

It's finally the day for the much talked about solar event known as The Great American Total Solar Eclipse! By now, everyone has surely heard about the event; and, probably has well laid plans to see either a partial view, or total view of it, depending upon where one lives.

Here on Blogger, my first mention of The Great American Total Solar Eclipse was this past Friday, in an entry where I discussed my concern for the impact this event will have on wildlife. Within that post I included an image from an article published in The New York Times, which discussed this phenomena, and I included an image from that article that is similar in tone to the one atop this posting, which was also taken from their article.

I chose to include this particular picture for a couple of reasons. An obvious one (at least for those who know that I have a passion for birds), is the illustration. However, another reason that I chose it is for the caption associated with it: During a total solar eclipse, this lifeline is temporarily severed. At the moment of totality, a tide of darkness briefly swallows the land.

For it seems, in many respects, a tide of darkness is already swallowing the land.

The Great American Total Solar Eclipse (coming 8-21-2017) MAY Be Hard on Wildlife

There has been a lot of media coverage regarding the forth coming total eclipse due to occur on August 21st 2017. A web page for Space.com states "On Aug. 21, 2017, America will fall under the path of a total solar eclipse. The so-called Great American Total Solar Eclipse will darken skies all the way from Oregon to South Carolina, along a stretch of land about 70 miles (113 kilometers) wide. People who descend upon this "path of totality" for the big event are in for an unforgettable experience."

The aforementioned resource reminds its readers that "During totality, when the sun's disk is completely covered by the moon, it is safe to view the eclipse with the naked eye. But skywatchers should NEVER look at a partial solar eclipse without proper eye protection. Looking directly at the sun, even when it is partially covered by the moon, can cause serious eye damage or blindness."

A great deal of information can be found within this resource and if you'd like to reference it, please click here. Meanwhile, for those of you who live in the NYC area, like yours truly, another source which provides interesting facts about our viewing The Great American Total Solar Eclipse can be referred to by clicking here.

I've heard that places selling special eye-glasses for viewing this eclipse are sold out and much of the news coverage has been focused on this fact as well as on ways that one can make a pin-hole device to view it safely.

I'm not that handy at DYI-construction, so I won't be doing that. My concern has been focused on the impact that The Great American Total Solar Eclipse will have on wildlife. There are a number of good resources for learning about this.

One is put out by Audubon.org which states,"The biggest change people might notice during the eclipse is audible, not visible. Birds will likely act like the sun is setting for the night, says Scott McWilliams, a wildlife ecology professor at the University of Rhode Island—and may quiet their voices to match."

They go on to say, "Most songbirds will treat it as nightfall, as long as they’re in the 100 percent in the eclipse pathway,” McWilliams says. 'Diurnal songbirds will become quiet; noctural birds the opposite. Thus, for the most part, silence will follow the darkness.' After the sun peeks out again, the chorus will resume as if it’s a brand-new morning. But because it's August, not spring, don't expect many species to burst into dawn songs. Keep an ear out for Red-Eyed Vireos, Northern Cardinals, and other birds prone to late summer crooning, along with non-avians like common true katydids, frogs, and toads."

Of all the creatures listed in Audubon's web-article, Northern cardinals are the ones whose behavior I will try and notice; for both male and female cardinals usually visit my rooftop garden a few times a day. The following set of photos feature a male cardinal enjoying my whole wreath-style peanut bird feeder.

And the next set of images feature a female cardinal spending her time in one of my trees, which is an Acer palmatum ('Shisitatsu' Sawa).

In any event, another good source of information re wildlife and the forthcoming eclipse comes from an issue of USA Today. They state that "While humans will gaze at the spectacle in awe, some animals will be downright befuddled for a couple hours as the day slowly darkens — even in places that only get a partial eclipse. Early reports of wacky animal behavior during eclipses involve birds. Perhaps the earliest is from a total eclipse in 1544 when “birds ceased singing," while another report from a 1560 eclipse claimed 'birds fell to the ground,' according to Science News."  

Moreover, The New York Times, also has an interesting article (where I got the image atop this entry) on the impact eclipses have on wildlife.

There you have it dear reader, a number of things to consider in your preparation for the forth coming  (8-21-2017) eclipse, which has been dubbed The Great American Total Solar Eclipse.