We definitely caught the eclipse fever over here. The whole country went crazy with the desire to see something that had not been seen since 1979. Solar eclipse glasses, which probably cost about $1 to make were selling for as much as $300 on Amazon and Ebay. I was so excited to see it that I looked everywhere trying to find glasses. I drove the kids around to a couple of 7-Eleven convenience stores after reading online that they had some available for sale. Turns out they were selling dark "solar glasses" that block sunlight on a regular day for older people--the kind you can slip over a pair of regular glasses. Total scam. After going to the planetarium downtown and striking out, I tried to go to the Chicago Botanic Garden on the day of the eclipse for their eclipse watching party, but there were so many people there that the line of cars backed up onto the highway and the parking lot overflowed. After making my way back to Park Ridge, I was delighted to find that there were plenty of glasses and an eclipse watching party in our little town.
Here is a summary from the NASA website of why this is so cool:
On Monday, August 21, 2017, all of North America will be treated to an eclipse of the sun. Anyone within the path of totality can see one of nature’s most awe inspiring sights - a total solar eclipse. This path, where the moon will completely cover the sun and the sun's tenuous atmosphere - the corona - can be seen, will stretch from Salem, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. Observers outside this path will still see a partial solar eclipse where the moon covers part of the sun's disk.
The kids were already in school on August 21, and their school planned far enough ahead that they were able to have an eclipse watching party and let all of the students see it during school with the eclipse-approved glasses. The picture is of AJ's class watching.
