Learn about Solar Eclipses for Homeschool Science
As homeschooling moms we know that the best way for a child to learn is through first hand experience. A solar eclipse is a natural phenomenon that happens at least twice in a calendar year. Whether you are in the zone of the eclipse or not as you can take the opportunity to teach your children about the sun and solar events.
Coming soon is the Ring of Fire eclipse which is to take place on Thursday June 10, 2021. If you are in the United States, sadly, many won’t be able to see eclipse at all while others might have a chance to see a partial eclipse and others may experience the annular eclipse.
Where You Can View the 2021 Solar Eclipse
Those living in the eastern United States and northern parts of Alaska will be able to see a partial solar eclipse on June 10, along with much of Canada, parts of Europe, Asia, and northern Africa and the Caribbean. And other places in Canada, Greenland, and northern Russia will be able to view the annular eclipse.
This animation from NASA can help you to know where the eclipse will be viewable.
The great thing about living in the digital age is that we have the technology to view the eclipse from anywhere we live! That’s because science organizations such as NASA and others will be filming it and live streaming the event as it happens. Which means your family can view it from the comforts of your home simply by watching the NASA solar eclipse live stream which is streaming the partial eclipse.
TimeAndDate.com will be live streaming the eclipse as well and you will be able to see the annular eclipse.
When You Can View the 2021 Solar Eclipse
The eclipse will take place in the early morning hours. That means if you live within the viewing area you’ll need to get up before sunrise and watch for it on the horizon as the sun comes up.
For anyone else who wants to watch the live streams linked above will begin at 5 a.m. Eastern time but sunrise will begin at 5:47 a.m.
Remember, if you plan to watch the solar eclipse in person you’ll need to be sure to use ISO certified viewing glasses.
If you don’t have viewing glasses you can utilize the cereal box method.
If you are planning to do a solar eclipse observation, whether in person, or via a streaming or recorded video, grab my observation booklet and print it out for your kids to record their experience.
Enter your email address, then follow the email prompts which you should receive shortly to verify your subscription, and then you’ll receive instructions on how to find and download your free printable. Are you already a subscriber? Check your email for instructions on how to receive your freebies.
Understanding an Eclipse
A solar eclipse is a celestial event where the moon passes between the sun and earth. It blocks all or part of the sun for a few minutes or a few hours upon the location and path that both the moon and earth are taking. As the moon passes in front of the sun it creates a shadow on the earth. This shadow happens only on a small strip of land and the location varies depending on where the orbiting is taking place.
A solar eclipse happens twice every year and can either be partial or total. From time to time there may rare occasions, there can be five solar eclipses within one calendar year. But, don’t get your hopes up on this happening anytime soon, the last one was in 1935 and the next one will be in 2206.
There are 4 Types of Eclipses
- A Total Eclipse – when the moon passes completely in front of the sun. This only happens when the moon is at a specific distance from the earth making it appear to be the same size as the sun, though it actually is much smaller. This total eclipse is only visible from certain locations on the earth because of the angle needed to view the totality of the eclipse.
- A Partial Eclipse – when the moon doesn’t completely cover the sun. It only covers a portion of the sun because the angle at which it is passing is off center from the sun’s diameter.
- An Annular Eclipse – when the moon passes across the center but doesn’t completely cover the sun. This is because the moon is much smaller than the sun, so as it passes closer to the earth than to the sun it can’t cover the entire diameter.
- A Hybrid Eclipse – when the moon passes as both a total and an annular eclipse. It starts as one
Watch this video to learn why the solar eclipse is so cool, and educational, and get some great tips for what to look for.
Learn More about Solar Eclipses
This video shares great information about both lunar and solar eclipses and details the different types.
And here’s another video about a solar eclipse that goes into even more details.
You can grab free downloads of fun and informative Solar Eclipse posters. There are a wide variety of posters so take your time and find the ones that will best fit your family’s learning and viewing needs
The Total Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017 – fly along with the shadow! from Eclipse2017.org on Vimeo.
Don’t Miss the Breathtaking “Ring of Fire” Solar Eclipse by Space.com
Books About Solar Eclipses
Solar Science: Exploring Sunspots, Seasons, Eclipses and More
Something is Covering the Sun: Solar Eclipses Explained
Sun Moon Earth: The History of Solar Eclipses from Omens of Doom to Einstein and Exoplanets
Get My FREE Solar Eclipse Vocabulary Printable Pack
As a simple way for your kids to learn all the eclipse vocabulary, I’ve created this free printable. By subscribing to the Great Peace Newsletter you can get your free notebooking booklet. Enter your email address, then follow the email prompts which you should receive shortly to verify your subscription, and then you’ll receive instructions on how to find and download your free printable. Are you already a subscriber? Check your email for instructions on how to receive your freebies.
Even if you can’t engage in learning on July 10, 2021 you can watch the replay. After this the next solar eclipse will take place on The next solar eclipse will take place on December 4, 2021.
Do you enjoy learning about solar events? Share your favorite astronomical events that you watch for in the comments below.
More Unit Studies for your Homeschool Students
The Amazing Science of Snowflakes
What is Pi? A Pi Day Unit Study
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