No matter where you are in Warren County Monday, Aug. 21, you will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view the Great American Solar Eclipse.According to Rick Schwentker, retired physics teacher and president of the Eastern Missouri Dark Sky Observers, both southern and northern Warren County will be prime locations for eclipse viewing.The partial phase will begin at 11:48 a.m. in Marthasville, with totality at 1:15 p.m. Totality, when the sun is completely blocked out by the moon, will last two minutes and 21 seconds. For Warrenton, totality lasts only one minute and 49 seconds. The longest duration will occur further south and will last two minutes and 40 seconds.Some interesting phenomena take place during the eclipse. Be sure to watch the behavior of animals and birds. They will be confused by the darkness that will occur in a matter of seconds, a temperature drop of 10-15 degrees and the 360 degree sunrise appearance.Look for shadow bands just before and after totality. They look like snakes shimmering across the ground or faint rapidly moving bands. For best viewing, lay a white sheet on the ground. NASA said the best explanation for the bands is due to “atmospheric turbulence.”Also look for Baily’s Beads and the diamond ring effect. Schwentker, of Marthasville, said the topography on the moon, hills and valleys, allows these beads of light to show during the event. The diamond ring effect sometimes appears just before and after totality as sunlight gets ready to disappear or reappear from behind the moon.Schwentker said a large number of visitors and scientists are expected to travel to the 70-mile wide path of totality that stretches across 12 states, from Oregon to South Carolina. There are some projections that the population could double along the totality path.“Go where you want to be and stay there,” said Schwentker. “Stock up on groceries, make sure you have the eclipse glasses and enjoy the event. Restaurants and hotels will be full. There could be wall-to-wall people on our highways.”Schwentker said it is calculated the last time a total eclipse fell across Missouri was in 1442, 50 years before Columbus made his famous voyage to the new world. A solar eclipse occurs when “the sun and the moon are aligned such that the shadow of the moon falls upon Earth.”Eclipse glasses are mandatory for viewing the eclipse. Sunglasses or welder’s masks, unless they are rated 14, are not adequate. NASA recommends people purchase the current international standard rated glasses (ISO 12312-2).They recommend Eclipse Glasses by American Paper Optics or Rainbow Symphony Eclipse Glasses, both available on Amazon.You can also obtain eclipse glasses at $2 each by contacting Schwentker at 636-433-5479 or 636-667-2337. Viewers should make sure not to touch the surface of the glasses and should check them for scratches before using.“During totality, you can look with the naked eye,” said Schwentker. “If any part of the sun is showing, you must get the glasses back on.”Schwentker cautions parents to make sure young children are monitored closely if they will be viewing the eclipse. Parents may consider adding a strap to the eclipse glasses so they stay on more securely. Looking at the eclipse directly can cause serious eye damage or blindness.According to NASA, all telescopes, cameras, binoculars and other devices must have their own solar filters. Do not look through these devices with your eclipse glasses on unless the device has its own filter.“This is a chance to observe more than the eclipse,” said Schwentker. “You will also be able to see Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury and Venus.”If viewers wish to photograph the eclipse, it is wise to obtain a solar filter to protect the device. If you are taking photos of the surroundings during the eclipse, remember it will appear to be twilight.Eastern Missouri Dark Sky Observers is an organization of amateur astronomers “dedicated to the advancement of astronomy in central eastern Missouri.”Monthly telescope viewing is possible the fourth Saturday each month at East Central College in Union. For more information on the organization visit www.emdso.org.

Rick Schwentker, retired physics teacher from Washington High School and president of the Eastern Missouri Dark Sky Observers, takes a look to see if there were sun spots flaring at his home in Marthasville. Schwentker is helping to prepare viewers for the 2017 Great American Solar Eclipse to take place Monday, Aug. 21. Totality in Warren County will take place at 1:15 p.m. Record photo/ Cindy Gladden.