Tyrone Area School District students will be home in time to view the solar eclipse on April 8, and they will be given the proper eyewear to experience it.
Tyrone Superintendent Leslie Estep announced today that school will dismiss early on April 8 so that all student drivers and busses will be off the roads before the moon begins to pass in front of the sun beginning at 2:03 pm and lasting until 4:32 pm. The peak of the eclipse in our area will be at 3:19 pm.
“The decision to dismiss early was made in consultation with our board members, school leaders in our area, and our solicitors,” Estep said in an email to staff.
The elementary school will dismiss at 12:50 pm, followed by the middle and high school at 12:55 pm. Afternoon pre-school will be cancelled but students may attend the morning session. Daycare will close at 2:00 pm.
Tyrone science teacher Ron Wilson also has an eclipse-related surprise gift for all TAHS students: every high school student will be given free solar eclipse viewing glasses before they leave school on April 8, courtesy of a donation made to the school by the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium and the Pennsylvania State Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics.
Having special glasses like the ones students will receive on April 8 is the only way to view the eclipse with complete safety.
Viewing the sun directly without proper eye protection can cause serious and long-term vision damage. That’s why the American Astronomical Society (AAS) is warning people to watch out for counterfeit and fake eclipse glasses that have been turning up across the country.
The glasses that Mr. Wilson will distribute to students from Penn State have been certified and approved as authentic and safe.
According to experts, this will be the longest total solar eclipse in the United States since 1806. It will also be the darkest U.S. total solar eclipse for 217 years, and the last total eclipse visible to mainland North America until 2044.
Wilson said that although the Tyrone area is not in the zone of total blackout (for that you will need to travel to the Erie area), residents of Tyrone and the surrounding area will see a partial eclipse for 2 hours 28 minutes.
At its peak, the moon will obscure 95.6% of the sun over the Tyrone sky. This will create a “partial shadow,” known as a penumbra.
Wilson had additional advice for everyone interested in viewing this rare astronomical event.
“Most importantly, make sure you don’t look directly into the sun unless you are using certified glasses,” Wilson said. “Also make it to an area that is safe and clear of buildings and trees.”
