Whiz Bang scientist brings total solar eclipse into perspective for a kid’s point of view
With inflatable sun, earth, moon and other hands-on activities, children learned about the solar eclipse.
As part of the solar eclipse preparation, the Orrville Public Library hosted The Great American Eclipse show presented by Dr. Dave Lohnes and his Whiz Bang Science on Thursday. Over 75 children and adults packed the room.
The show began with Lohnes explaining the solar system and how everything revolves around the sun.
“The sun is at the center, and that’s why we call it the solar system; another name for the sun is Sol,” he said.
Lohnes demonstrated the movement of the Earth and the moon and how they align to create the total eclipse.
“If the Earth, sun, and moon are all lined up, the moon will cast a shadow on the Earth; that shadow has a special name, it’s called Umbra,” Lohnes said.
Moon and sun size, and viewing glasses details
He answered questions about how the moon covers the sun when it is smaller in size.
“The sun is 400 times bigger and also farther away,” Lohnes said. “When we look up in the sky, the moon and the sun appear to be the same size because of that ratio,” he explained.
Another question was about the differences between sunglasses and solar glasses. He said sunglasses are not strong enough to protect the eyes from the sun's rays. However, solar glasses are meant to protect the eyes when looking directly at the sun, but the rest of the surroundings will not be clear.
“We have to wear those when we look at the sun to filter out all that strong light. You may also see sunspots when you look at the sun,” he said.
Lohnes showed the audience pictures of the eclipse he witnessed in 2017. He shared tips on how to use all senses, not just sight, to get the best experience during the eclipse.
“The first thing you want to look at is the partial eclipse, and you’re going to put on your solar glasses. You will be able to see the sun with what looks like a bite taken out of it,” he said.
Put the spaghetti colander to work
But there is another way to view it without glasses. Lohnes said holding up a spaghetti colander will reflect the sunshine through the holes. The reflection will project images of the sun on the ground.
Lohnes said that feeling cold is another way to experience the eclipse, as the temperature will start to cool down.
Additionally, experiencing the eclipse can be through the sense of hearing.
“You might hear crickets starting to chirp; they think it’s nighttime,” Lohnes said.
As the moon covers up the sun completely, it is safe to take off the solar glasses and witness the moon right in the center of the sun. Some planets like Venus and Jupiter can be seen in the sky.
“We can also get a chance to see a comet when it’s close to the sun because it’s too bright,” he said.
In an interactive closing, Lohnes asked the audience how people would explain seeing the total eclipse thousands of years ago. He demonstrated several science experiments that concluded with blowing toilet paper, as the young audience giggled.
Lohnes, who has a Ph.D. in soybean genetics, has been doing science shows since 2003. He encourages children to explore science in fun, interactive ways.
“We’ve been doing shows every day for the past month, and it’s been crazy. Everybody is excited and wants to know what’s going to happen,” he said.
The library distributed eclipse glasses to the attendees, and there are extra glasses available at the library’s counter while supplies last.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Dr. Dave gives kids a Whiz Bang overview of total solar eclipse
