Valley residents will join thousands of others across the country Monday in viewing the solar eclipse — but they must heed the warning to wear eye protection or risk serious damage.
A total solar eclipse will be visible in the continental United States for the first time in 38 years, though not in this area. The 70-mile-wide “path of totality” stretches diagonally, northwest to southeast, across the country from Oregon to South Carolina.
In Northampton, the eclipse will begin at 1:25 p.m., peak at 2:44 p.m — when 66 percent of the sun will be covered, and end at 3:58 p.m. An eclipse occurs when the moon is at exactly the right angle in its elliptical orbit so that when sunlight hits it, the moon’s shadow falls on Earth.
“A total solar eclipse is very rare and very beautiful,” says Meg Thacher, an astronomer and lab instructor at Smith College. “So when it happens, we have to get excited about it.”
Just don’t get so excited that you forget to shield your eyes from what could be permanent, serious damage, including blindness. Special glasses that meet International Organization for Standardization (ISO) requirements must be worn to block ultraviolet and infrared radiation. Sunglasses are not sufficient, and experts warn that many of the so-called eclipse glasses being sold online are unsafe.
“Damage occurs very quickly — almost immediately,” says Theresa Ruggiero, an optometrist who founded Northampton Vision Specialists in 1993. “There’s no such thing as taking a quick peek.”
If you don’t have the required glasses yet, you may not be able to view the phenomenon. Many retailers reported last week that they were sold out. Ruggiero suggests contacting your eye doctor.
There are eclipse-viewing parties hosted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst astronomy department at 1:20 p.m. at the Sunwheel, off Rocky Hill Road, and on the lawn in front of Forbes Library at 20 West St. in Northampton at 2 p.m. There will be two telescopes and a pair of binoculars, all with solar filters, at the UMass event, and Forbes will provide 50 glasses for people who register.
“It’s tempting to just stare at the sun during an eclipse,” says Thacher. “It’s not worth going blind.”
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Kudos to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts for expanding its mobile program to Easthampton, where on a Thursday afternoon this month more than 100 people lined up in a parking lot behind the Mill 180 building to fill bags with fresh produce, including carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, lettuce and potatoes.
The Food Bank, based in Hatfield, puts a truck on the road filled with free fresh and nonperishable groceries for people throughout Berkshire, Hampden and Hampshire counties. There are no eligibility requirements to receive the food. Anyone in need of assistance is advised to arrive 10 to 15 minutes before distribution begins, and to bring boxes or bags in which to pack the food.
The Food Bank truck stops at 2 Ferry St. in Easthampton from 1 to 2 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of each month in partnership with the Easthampton Community Center. The center’s director, Robin Bialecki, helps people who are homebound by delivering food directly to them.
The mobile food bank also makes stops in Hampshire County from 1 to 2 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month at Southpoint Apartments in Amherst and the third Tuesday at Hillside Village Apartments in Ware. That’s a worthwhile investment in getting nutritious food to people who need it the most.
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Legislation that would limit the use of the neonicotinoid class of pesticides, which can harm honey bees and other pollinators, deserves support in Massachusetts. The pesticides are absorbed into plant tissue and can be present in pollen and nectar, making them potentially toxic to pollinators.
Proposed legislation would require that the pesticides be sprayed or otherwise deposited in Massachusetts only by certified applicators on property whose owners have been warned of the dangers and made aware of alternative products.
“Neonicotinoids are destroying a lot of the honey bee colonies across the country and here in Massachusetts,” says state Sen. James Eldridge, D-Acton, who filed a bill in the Senate. A hearing is expected in September, and we urge legislators to approve this effort to better control the use of these pesticides.