The time is now! Oregon is ready for its first total solar eclipse since 1979. Today, August 21, 2017, the moon will pass between Earth and the sun, blocking out the sun for nearly one minute. While solar eclipses are not uncommon, occurring once or twice per year, the vast majority are only visible over oceans and uninhabited parts of the world.
The first contact of the eclipse in the continental United States will occur at Government Point, Oregon at approximately 10:15 a.m PT. The centerline of the eclipse will then continue its path across the country towards its conclusion at Key Bay, South Carolina. The eclipse moves quickly, at 2,700 kilometers per hour, approximately 1,677 miles per hour. #science
Eclipse Timeline:
- 10:15 a.m. PDT Oregon
- 11:25 a.m. MDT Idaho
- 11:49 a.m. MDT Wyoming
- 11:47 a.m. CDT Nebraska
- 1:04 p.m. CDT Kansas
- 1:06 p.m. CDT Missouri
- 1:24 p.m. CDT Tennessee
- 2:34 p.m. EDT North Carolina
- 2:35 p.m. EDT Georgia
- 2:36 p.m. EDT South Carolina
Let’s get to the numbers. $694 million? Why? How?
With the help of some assumptions based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, global outplacement and executive coaching firm, Challenger, Gray & Christmas, conducted an analysis which lead to some pretty fascinating conclusions.
Some quick facts:
- 83% of employed people work on a weekday.
- 85% of that group work a day shift.
- So, that’s about 87.3 million employees working on eclipse day.
- With an average wage of $23.86 an hour.
The result: Challenger deduced that there’s an average loss of $7.95 for spending just 20 minutes of their time to watch.
Challenger added,
“Compared to the amount of wages being paid to an employee over a course of a year, it is very small. It’s not going to show up in any type of macroeconomic data.”
Back to the eclipse. What to expect:
As the moon slips in front of the sun, the sky will darken and the temperature will drop. Birds and animals will quieten, as if preparing for nightfall (is this real life?!).
The other crazy and awesome fun fact? In addition to seeing the corona of the sun, four planets will be visible during the eclipse: Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury.
That said, I have no idea what to expect — and that’s pretty cool. The novelty and anticipation is killing me.
How you should actually watch:
The best locations are those that are wide open and in the path of totality. If you haven’t gotten those fancy special eclipse glasses by now, don’t use standard sunglasses — they’re not sufficient in protecting your eyes from sun damage. The Eclipse glasses should be ISO 12312-2 compliant.
Note: the only safe time to look at the eclipse is the brief time when the moon completely blocks the sun, totality.
For those that can’t pull away from work or get outside, NASA and CNN are both live streaming. Enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience without staring into the sun.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.