Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2017 - 26

South Carolina Events

Dark Side of The Moon Cruise-In, located on the
Historic Square in Laurens County, South Carolina,
Sunday, August 20, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Visitors can admire classic cars and get information
about viewing spots around the county, along with
receiving eclipse-viewing glasses for the eclipse the
following day.
palmettopontiacs.org/
Eclipse Fest at Chattooga Belle Farm & Distillery,
located in Long Creek, Monday, August 21.
The farm is offering a range of viewing, food trucks,
distillery tours and tasting, craft vendors, music,
drum-circles, astronomy talks,and more. You can stay
on the farm, with rustic lakeside camping.
solareclipsefest2017.com/
Eclipse Extravanganza! Located In Greensville. This
is a three day event; Saturday, Sunday and Monday,
August 19-21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
This three-day festival (each day with individual
tickets), offers programs on how to safely view the
eclipse, shows in the T.C. Hooper Planetarium, and
special observation sites, with astronomers on site on
Monday during the eclipse.
ropermountain.org
Black-Out at Green Pond: Anderson County Total
Solar Eclipse Viewing Party, located in Anderson,
Monday, August 21.
Entry-charge, with an on-site astronomer answering
questions, a DJ, food and drink available for purchase,
and a beautiful, unobstructed view of the eclipse from
the shores of Lake Hartwell.
Facebook.com/blackoutatgreenpond
Eclipse Over Clemson, at the Clemson University
Physics and Astronomy Building in Clemson, Monday,
August 21.
Clemson University is making its campus, eclipse
experts, and research open to the public in celebration of the eclipse. You can also visit the campus'
Planetarium, by appointment.
clemson.edu/science/departments/physics-astro/
news-events/eclipse.html

26 BlueRidgeCountry.com

The moon will cover about 40 percent of the sun at 2 p.m.
(Image is of May 20, 2012 solar eclipse across the southwestern United States.)

ciate the event. It is no secret that
August afternoons in the Southern Appalachians are problematic
regarding cloud cover-a value
of 70-percent likelihood is not uncommon.
Not all is bad news, though.
Since the sun's light is being increasingly blocked by the advancing moon, less cloud development
occurs. Clouds sometimes dissipate
just before the moon's shadow approaches, much to the relief of
eclipse watchers.
What you will see depends
on your exact location.
After 2:20 p.m., the daytime contrast increases and shadows become
crisper. Crescent suns can be plainly

seen projected between tree leaves
onto the ground. Birds will begin to
roost, and, perhaps, livestock may
start to head to the barn. The brightness of the overall scene grows dimmer, as if a thin cloud has come over
the sun.
About 30 seconds before totality,
and if you are on a hill, the moon's
shadow can be seen in the west
rushing at 2,000 miles per hour towards you. Suddenly you are in the
darkness of totality. It is now safe to
look sunward. Filters are not needed
during a total eclipse because you
are not really looking at the sun,
just the blackened moon completely covering the blazing solar surface.
You have 160 seconds of totality

http://www.palmettopontiacs.org/ http://www.solareclipsefest2017.com/ http://www.ropermountain.org http://www.Facebook.com/blackoutatgreenpond http://www.clemson.edu/science/departments/physics-astro/ http://www.BlueRidgeCountry.com

Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2017

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