The Bark & Bite

On August 21, 2017, New Franklin was within the path of totality for a solar eclipse. Students filled the field, each wearing special glasses as they stared at the sky in anticipation. Sometimes, when the moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, it casts a shadow on part of the Earth. Under that shadow, the moon appears to be the same size as the sun and blocks it out. The students were staring up at this event now; a black hole seemed to have formed in the sky, with white flames leaking around the edges. The temperature dropped and the school grew dark. Had we not been prepared for the event ahead of time, most people would be shocked. It was still a once in a lifetime sight for most.

The last total solar eclipse visible in Missouri was in 1869. It’s not a rare occurrence around the world, but it takes a long time for it to happen in the same place twice. Solar eclipses have obviously been around for quite a while, but the first truly successful image of a total eclipse wasn’t captured until 1851 by a man named Berkowski. Images taken in more recent times are of much higher quality, and allow scientists to gather more information about the Sun.

The next near total solar eclipse visible in New Franklin will be on April 8th in 2024, according to timeanddate.com. The next eclipse of any sort will be a lunar eclipse on January 31 of 2018. This type of eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the Moon and the Sun, the opposite of a solar eclipse. The moon will start to disappear, eventually fading out of view or turning a dark red for a while before moving out of Earth’s shadow. Lunar eclipses are much more common than solar ones, but should have nearly the same allure to the students of New Franklin.

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Written by Gage Henderson

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Photo credit to Erich Gerding