Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2024 i Cobblestone American History and Current Events for Kids and Children

Are you wondering why a U.S. history magazine is devoting an issue to eclipses? Well, for one thing, they simply are remarkable events to witness. And for another thing, the ability to see a total solar eclipse can be rare. Although eclipses in general are not uncommon (a total solar eclipse occurs about once every 1.5 years), the times when the narrow path of a total solar eclipse travels over land and more specifically over your hometown—presenting an opportunity for you to view it—can be rare. An average of 375 years might pass before a total solar eclipse is visible from any one location. That means when one comes around, it’s historic. And one is coming—on April 8, 2024—on a path that cuts across the United States. Eclipses offer astronomers…

Many astronomers are calling the April 8, 2024, eclipse the Great North American Eclipse because millions of people living in North America will be able to easily access its path. That path will go from the South Pacific Ocean to the North Atlantic Ocean. After crossing over Mexico, the eclipse will follow a northeasterly path over the United States from Texas to Maine before reaching Canada. Even if you do not live in one of the states in the eclipse’s direct path, the path of totality may be within a one- or two-day drive. Don’t miss your chance to see a total solar eclipse. It will change your perspective of our place in the universe. For a cool simulation of the path of totality, check out greatamericaneclipse.com/april-8-2024. 2024 ECLIPSE FACTS…

DO . . . . . . make a pinhole camera or get special eclipse-viewing glasses ahead of time—and use them before and after totality. . . . your homework. Figure out when the eclipse will be in your area. Identify where the path of totality will be and try to be there—or close to it. . . . find an open space free of man-made light from which to watch. Get there ahead of the eclipse. . . . remember that during totality—and only during totality—is it safe to look directly at the eclipse. . . . bring binoculars, if you can, to get a magnified view of the Sun’s corona during totality. . . . bring a pad of paper, a clipboard, and some colored pencils to sketch…

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2017 issue of DIG magazine. In it, Dr. Pasachoff shared some of his personal experiences of the places to which he traveled to see total solar eclipses. In 2013, the eclipse crossed over the middle of Africa. I took my team to Gabon. That’s where the path of totality was longest on dry land. One of my former students had done some of her doctoral research in Gabon, so she went there a year in advance to check things out. Usually, I go myself a year or more in advance. My team stayed in The Lodge in La Lope National Park, but the path of totality was an hour’s drive south. So, we needed vehicles brought from Freetown, Gabon’s capital. We…

Eclipses are not the only awe-inspiring celestial events that we can see in the sky. Here are a few more events or objects that make it worth keeping an eye on the heavens. Aurora Polaris Winter nights are the best time to catch dramatic light shows known as aurora polaris (Latin for “polar lights”). Occurring around Earth’s two poles, they appear as shimmering soft ribbons or showers of fluorescent light. Those mesmerizing light shows are triggered by dramatic and violent windstorms in Earth’s outer atmosphere. Sped up particles from the Sun hit Earth’s upper atmosphere—and get repelled. Earth’s magnetic field pushes the charged electrons to the planet’s poles. The charged electrons release energy as they move, putting on a show. The Northern Hemisphere’s lights are known as the aurora borealis.In…

Venus spins backward. Uranus spins on its side. The winds on Mars blow at 200 miles per hour, but the air is so thin you probably wouldn’t feel it. On Neptune, it might rain tiny diamonds (scientists aren’t sure). Some planets are made mostly of rock. Other planets consist mostly of gas. Why are the planets so different? And how did Earth become home to around 2 million kinds of living things, including humans? The story begins billions of years ago . . . Birth of a Sun Most astronomers today think that our solar system began as a gigantic swirling cloud of gas. The cloud contained dust and ice particles, all spiraling in space. About 4.6 billion years ago, forces of gravity in the cloud began to move particles…

Imagine not knowing that an eclipse might occur. Then, without warning, the Sun disappears in the middle of the day! Such a sudden unexplained disappearance would certainly be terrifying. But by studying the skies, some ancient people developed an understanding of the cycles of eclipses. A Fascinating Find As early as the seventh or sixth century B.C.E., Babylonian astronomers determined a way to predict an eclipse’s occurrence. The astronomers were also the priests of the day. They belonged to the Chaldean tribe, which was part of the ruling class. Their ability to predict, or even seemingly control, the occurrence of one of these celestial events may have helped keep the Chaldeans in power. Based on historical records, the Chaldeans realized that after a period of approximately 6,585.3211 days (or approximately…

Today, special cameras and telescopes do most of the work of capturing celestial events such as eclipses. But until the mid-1800s, scientists made sketches of their firsthand observations. And then there was Howard Russell Butler (1856–1934). Butler earned a degree in science from Princeton University. He briefly taught physics before earning a law degree and working as a patent lawyer. But in 1884, he decided to make painting his career. He studied with established painters and lived in Paris for a couple of years. When he returned to the United States, he was a member of a number of art organizations and helped establish the American Fine Arts Society in New York City. In the late 1880s, Butler met industrialist Andrew Carnegie. Their association lasted more than a decade, during…

Dr. Jay M. Pasachoff (LEFT) viewed his first eclipse as a freshman at Harvard in 1959. It was a life-changing event. By 1972, he was professor of astronomy at Williams College. Over the decades, as Pasachoff became an expert in the field of solar eclipses, he shared his enthusiasm for both their scientific value and their beauty. And he made sure to offer his own students the same life-changing experience that had motivated him. Preparations of experiments to carry out at an eclipse can take several years. Pasachoff gave his students a direct role in the process. He invited many of them to travel around the world with him to observe solar eclipses. Two of those students, Dan Seaton and Kevin Reardon, have become solar astronomers. They talked with COBBLESTONE…

Did you know that the Sun, Earth, and the Moon are constantly moving? For example, the Sun (along with our whole solar system) orbits around the center of our galaxy, which is known as the Milky Way. Earth rotates on its axis (one complete rotation is a day) and orbits around the Sun (one complete orbit is a year). Meanwhile, the Moon rotates (always keeping the same side facing Earth) while also orbiting around Earth (about a month’s time). Contrary to what we see in pictures, none of these objects are perfectly round. The Sun is a massive high-energy fiery mass, while Earth and the Moon are more like ever-so-slightly flattened spheres. Earth and the Moon’s gravitational pull on each other also gives them elliptical orbits. As these irregular objects…

Most observers of a solar eclipse usually are treated to only a partial eclipse as the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth. However, for anyone lucky enough to be within an estimated 120-mile narrow path on April 8, 2024, the entire Sun will be covered by the Moon. During totality, you can look directly at the Sun without a special filter. But you will not want to miss any of this celestial spectacle. Before and after the total eclipse, you’ll be able to see a partial solar eclipse. To observe it safely, you must have special glasses with a specific type of filter to protect your eyes. Or you can construct a simple eclipse viewer with easily found materials. The viewer is called a pinhole camera because sunlight enters…

Historically, an eclipse was viewed as a bad omen. The ancient Chinese believed a dragon was consuming the Sun when an eclipse occurred. The word for “eclipse” in Chinese is shi, which means “to eat.” Some of the things that happen during a total solar eclipse: The day turns dark, like twilight. The air gets cold. Confused birds and other wildlife grow quiet. The stars and some planets may appear more clearly visible in the sky. The Moon is slowing drifting away from Earth at a rate of less than two inches per year. In about 600 million years, the Moon’s position will make it too small to cover the Sun for a total eclipse. The Moon does not create light. The Sun is the only source of light in…

Can you solve this crossword puzzle about eclipses? All the answers can be found in this issue. The solution is on page 49. CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 3. The _____ is the center of our solar system.6. One reason scientists study eclipses is to learn more about the Sun’s _____.7. The _____ is the partial shadow in an eclipse.9. Viewers should use eclipse glasses or a _____ _____ to avoid looking directly at a solar eclipse.11. A _____ refers to an 18-plus-year cycle—basically the period of time that passes before an eclipse “repeats.”12. In a lunar eclipse, _____ passes between the Sun and the Moon, blocking the Sun’s light and casting the Moon in shadow. DOWN 1. This word derives from the Latin word for “sun.”2. In a solar eclipse, the…

Eclipse began as a Greek word in a combination of ek(“out”) and leipein (“to leave”) to form ekleipein. The Greeks used it to mean “to fail to appear.” Ekleipeinbecame the root of the Greek verb ekleipsis, meaning “a failing.” Latin adapted it to eclipsis. French then adapted it to eclipse and used it to mean “an eclipse” and “darkness.” English borrowed both the word and meaning directly from the French. Astronomy is another English word that traces its root back from French and Latin to Greek. It means the “scientific study of stars, planets, and other objects in outer space.” Its meaning has remained basically the same since it was first used around 1200 C.E. in France. It was spelled astrenomie and was an adaptation of the Latin term astronomia.…