LAVALLETTE — The students from Lavallette Elementary School got to witness a very rare cosmic show on Monday afternoon, when the shadow of a solar eclipse made its way across the northeast United States.
While not a total solar eclipse in New Jersey, the sun was approximately 85% to 90% blocked by the moon at the event’s peak on Monday.
“We’re incredibly excited that the students have the opportunity to witness this scientific phenomenon during their lifetime,” said Superintendent/Principal Lisa Gleason. “Our teachers have worked to develop a lesson on the solar eclipse, so that the students have a good understanding of what’s happening today.”
The young astronomers, who took to the playground on a rotating basis based on grade level, did indeed have a good understanding of the solar event. They donned protective eye gear and started looking up at around 2:25 p.m. on Monday as the moon began to slink in front of the sun. Several students explained the concept of the solar eclipse itself.
“A solar eclipse is when the sun and the moon align, and they’re straight so the moon blocks the sun,” said seventh-grader Giulianna Braxton.
Fourth-grader Ross Deambrogio said, “The moon’s going to cover the sun, and it’ll get darker. But it’s not going to be fully covered for us, because we’re not in the path of totality.” He explained that the “path of totality” is the small area of the world that experiences a total eclipse of the sun — 100% coverage.
Seventh-grader Marie Gallagher linked the eclipse to the kids’ study of STEAM [science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics].
“When we study how the moon interacts with the sun. We can calculate how often a solar eclipse will happen,” said Marie. The next total solar eclipse visible from the United States will not occur for more than 20 years, in August of 2044. “It’s so awesome. This is my first time that I remember.”
Fourth-grader Charlotte Cole told The Ocean Star about the importance of wearing protective eyeglasses to view the eclipse.
“The solar eclipse is really cool, but it can be very dangerous to some people,” she said. “You have to wear these glasses, be safe, and don’t look at the sun unless you have these glasses on.”
This is an excerpt of the print article. For more on this story, read The Ocean Star—on newsstands Friday or online in our e-Edition.
Check out our other Lavallette stories, updated daily. And remember to pick up a copy of The Ocean Star—on newsstands Friday or online in our e-Edition.
Subscribe today! If you're not already an annual subscriber to The Ocean Star, get your subscription today! For just $38 per year, you will receive local mail delivery weekly, with pages and pages of local news and online access to our e-edition on Starnewsgroup.com.