Total Solar Eclipse Part 2

I forgot to post this column way back in March 2017. As a result, I am able to include my photograph of the total eclipse that occurred on August 21, 2017. It was an awesome experience. I hope you didn't miss it.

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Our modern ability to understand the mechanics of solar eclipses and accurately predict occurrences for thousands of years in the future has diminished much of the mystique surrounding them.

Imagine though, how frightening eclipses must have been for ancient cultures when the sun, the giver of life on earth, began to disappear and day turned to night. Virtually every culture had its myths, often involving some animal (Korea-dogs, China-dragons, Vietnam-frogs, Norway-wolves, India-the demon Rahu) swallowing or chasing away the sun. The ancient Greeks believed that the gods were angry and that disasters were imminent.

Since modern earth-dwellers understand why eclipses occur, all that is left is gaining a better understanding of the phenomenon. To really appreciate eclipses, you need to learn a new language with hundreds of new terms to digest. I found though, that understanding seven words—the differences between shadow types and different eclipse categories—made me surprisingly conversant.

There are four kinds of eclipses: total, partial, annular and hybrid. During a total eclipse, like the anticipated event on August 21^st, the moon completely covers the sun and only the aurora of the sun is visible. This is the ONLY time you can look directly at the eclipse without eye protection and it may last from a few seconds to a minute or two.

During a partial eclipse the moon partially obscures the sun. Depending on the degree of the eclipse, you may see a tiny sliver of sun or a significant portion of it. DO NOT look at a partial eclipse without eye protection.

The annular eclipse is really kind of cool. This is a total eclipse but the moon and the earth are at the extreme of their orbit. Therefore, the apparent size of the moon is not large enough to completely obscure the sun and during full eclipse there is a perfect ring, or annulus, of sun around the dark moon. DO NOT look at an annular eclipse without eye protection.

The hybrid eclipse is a combination of a total eclipse and an annular eclipse. Which one you will see depends upon where you are on the path and which shadow is dominating at the time.

There are three kinds of lunar shadows: umbral, penumbral and antumbral. The umbral shadow is the darkest part of the shadow. It is only within the umbral shadow that a total eclipse can be seen. This shadow is also known as the path of totality.

Because the sun is far larger than the moon, the umbral shadow is a cone with the point of the cone reaching the earth. This point of shadow is far smaller than the diameter of the moon itself. The path of totality is typically 10,000 miles long but only about 100 miles wide.

The penumbral shadow is the weaker portion of the moon’s shadow where the sun is only partially obscured. If you are outside the path of totality but can still see the eclipse in part, you are in the penumbral shadow.

The antumbral shadow is created when the apex or point of the umbral shadow occurs above the earth’s surface. You might think of the antumbral shadow as the shadow of the umbral shadow and it is the mirror image of the tip of the umbral shadow. Annular eclipses occur within the antumbral shadow.

Like most people on earth, I have never witnessed a total eclipse. Despite my enlightened vocabulary and knowledge of eclipses, When I see the sun disappear on August 21^st, will some deep corner of my reptilian brain spark with fear when the normally dominant sun succumbs, even briefly, to the lesser moon?

 

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Help Idaho Wildlife

When we traveled across the state in October 2017, most of the vehicles we saw using the wildlife management areas did not have wildlife plates. Buying wildlife plates is a great way for non-hunters and hunters alike to support wildlife-based recreation like birding.

C'mon folks, let's help Idaho's wildlife by proudly buying and displaying a wildlife license plate on each of our vehicles! 

See below for information on Idaho plates. Most states have wildlife plates so if you live outside Idaho, check with your state's wildlife department or vehicle licensing division for availability of state wildlife plates where you live. 

And tell them that you heard about it from Nature-track.com!

Wildlife License Plates

Great news! as of 2024, there are three NEW designs for license plates. They still are bluebird, cutthroat trout and elk, but they are beautiful.

Idaho Wildlife license plates provide essential funding that benefits the great diversity of native plants and wildlife that are not hunted, fished or trapped—over 10,000 species or 98% of Idaho’s species diversity. Game species that share the same habitats (such as elk, deer, antelope, sage-grouse, salmon, trout) also benefit from these specialty plates.

No state tax dollars are provided for wildlife diversity, conservation education and recreation programs. Neither are any revenues from the sale of hunting or fishing licenses spent on nongame species. Instead, these species depend on direct donations, federal grants, fundraising initiatives—and the Idaho Wildlife license plates.

Both my vehicles have Bluebird Plates. I prefer the bluebird because the nongame program gets 70 percent of the money from bluebird plates, but only 60 percent of the money from elk and trout plates - 10 percent of the money from elk plates supports wildlife disease monitoring and testing programs (to benefit the livestock industry) and 10 percent from cutthroat plates supports non-motorized boat access.

Incidentally, in 2014, the Idaho Legislature denied the Department of Fish and Game the ability to add new plates or even to change the name of the elk and cutthroat plates (very specific) to wildlife and fish plates, a move that would have allowed for changing images occasionally and generating more revenue. It would seem that they believe that we Idahoans don't want a well funded wildlife program.

I think it is time we let the Legislature know that Idahoan support wildlife funding and that we would like to see these generic plates come to fruition.