by Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian
Top picture from Dr. Kate Russo's Facebook Page
Australian native, author, psychologist, eclipse chaser Dr. Kate Russo has been visiting with locals at El Progreso Memorial Library, Rotary Club of Uvalde and most recently at First State Bank in Uvalde Tuesday, afternoon, October 10th from 4 PM to 6 PM at the McNelly Room to discuss what to expect during this Saturday’s Annular Eclipse and the Total Solar Eclipse on Monday, April 8th, 2024 over the Uvalde County Area.
She was joined by fellow eclipse chaser and photographer, James McClean who attended the Tuesday afternoon presentation and spoke about solar photography.
Dr. Russo showed a video simulation of both the annular eclipse and the total solar eclipse which was location specific to the Uvalde area. Due to the last minute nature of Tuesday’s presentation, only a handful of people attended Tuesday afternoon’s talk at First State Bank but previous presentations had more attendees.
The annular eclipse this Saturday will start midmorning shortly after 10 AM and as the moon progresses covering more and more of the sun’s disk until the moon will finally be centered over the sun shortly before noon creating a “Ring of Fire” effect. The moon’s disk will then start receding from the sun early Saturday afternoon. Because the moon will not completely cover the sun during this Saturday’s eclipse, Russo said that proper eye protection must be used throughout the entire process for one to directly look at the sun.
Where to get eclipse glasses
The following locations may have solar eclipse glasses while supplies last. According to John Yeackle, the Uvalde Area Chamber of Commerce did have 1500 pairs of eclipse glasses that were being offered at no cost, but they recently ran out.
El Progreso Memorial Library
Uvalde County Visitor’s Center in Concan, Texas
HEB
Walmart
Stripes Convenience Stores
There are alternative methods of viewing the eclipses indirectly, one by constructing a pin-hole projection system or viewing the eclipse images cast on the ground through the leaves on trees or holding a kitchen colander above the ground where images of the eclipse can be seen.
For next year’s April 8th Total Solar Eclipse when totality is reached, there is a brief 4 minute window of time where the eclipse can be viewed with the naked eye safely.
While the main show will be happening in the sky, Russo and McClean stated that a lot of the experiences worth observing are the changes happening close to the ground with the natural eclipse images occurring as well as observing other people’s reactions and emotional responses to the event.
When asked how to best take a picture of the eclipses using a smartphone, McClean said simply holding the eclipse glasses in front of the phone’s camera lenses works well.
While many will want to capture a picture of the eclipse, both Russo and McClean agreed that the experience cannot be captured with a photo. As the saying goes. “You just have to be there.”
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