Solar Eclipse In Atchison, Kansas

On August 21, 2017, residents in a swath extending from Oregon to South Carolina will be able to see a total solar eclipse for approximately two minutes and 40 seconds. It is the first one to be visible across the country in 99 years. During a total eclipse, the moon comes between  the sun and the earth. Darkness will cover the earth and a cool wind will be felt. During the eclipse viewers should be able to see planets and even stars.

One place that will be viewing this phenomenon is Atchison, Kansas. The Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica are sponsoring a  retreat and picnic in connection with the event. Dr. Aileen O'Donoghue, associate professor of physics at St. Lawrence University and former observer at the Vatican Observatory, will lead the retreat. She will incorporate the ideas of Teilhard de Chardin, Beatrice Bruteau, and others to explore the origin and evolution of the universe. It will be a time "for seeking the presence and creative action of God in the far reaches of time and space as well as within ourselves and all that surrounds us."

Benedictine College and the city of  Atchison are also planning events. They will provide special solar glasses for viewing. We expect large crowds and traffic jams, but hopefully the sky will be clear and all will be able to see this once in a lifetime opportunity.

In this series of still from 2013, the eclipse sequence runs from right to left. The center image shows totality; on either side are the 2nd contact (right) and 3rd contact (left diamond rings that mark the beginning and end of totality respectively)







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