Obsidians: Scott Mountain/Benson Lake, 10 miles.
Reg. at obsidians.org.
Roving Park Players present “Miss Bunny
Bunting’s Bonafide Belles,” see 8/10.
Scandia Run, 10K, 5K, Junction City,
eclecticedgeracing.com. Cost varies.
MONDAY, 8/14
Eugene Emeralds vs. Spokane, 7:05pm, PK Park,
2800 MLK Jr. Blvd., 541-342-5367.
Legos at the Library continues, see 6/3.
WEDNESDAY, 8/16
Family Storytime continues, see 6/2.
Suburban Homecraft teaches how to safely make
& can dill pickles. 7-9pm, River Road Park &
Recreation, 1400 Lake Dr., 541-688-4052. $18.
Teens Ani-Manga Club continues, see 6/16.
Obsidians:amazon Headwaters/Spencer Butte,
76.2 miles. Reg. at obsidians.org.
Minecraft Mondays continues, see 6/5.
Family Music Time continues, see 6/3.
The Good Doctor continues, see 8/11.
Legos at the Library continues, see 6/3.
SATURDAY, 8/19
STEAM Storytime continues, see 6/5.
Cuentos y Canciones: Stories & Songs in Spanish
continues, see 6/3.
Shelter Animal Resource Alliance (SARA) parking
lot sale continues, see 6/17.
Oregon Festival ofamerican Music continues,
see 8/2.
Junction City Scandinavian Festival continues,
see 8/10.
Eugene Emeralds vs. Spokane continues, see
8/11.
Cuentos Bilingual Storytime continues, see 6/26.
TUESDAY, 8/15
311, 7pm, Cuthbert Amphitheater, thecuthbert.
com. $42-$142.
Eugene Yacht Club small boat racing continues,
see 6/7.
Preschool Storytime in Eugene & Springfield
continues, see 6/7.
Sensory Storytime in Eugene continues, see 6/7.
The Right Trees for Urban Landscapes class,
7-8:30pm, Lane County OSU Extension Service,
996 Jefferson Street. 541-344-5859, extenstion.
oregonstate.edu. FREE.
Lapsit Storytime in Springfield continues, see 6/7.
Line Dancing Class continues, see 8/9.
THURSDAY, 8/17
The Good Doctor continues, see 8/11.
Green & Resilient Neighborhood Initiative:
Mapping Your Neighborhood, Carlos Barrera
explains the national disaster readiness program,
7pm, River Road Rec Center, 1400 Lake Dr. FREE.
Roving Park Players present “Miss Bunny
Bunting’s Bonafide Belles,” see 8/10.
Obsidians: The Wife, 10.5 miles. Reg. at
obsidians.org.
SUNDAY, 8/13
Summer Teen Team continues, see 6/1.
Eugene Emeralds vs. Spokane, 1:05pm, PK Park,
2800 MLK Jr. Blvd., 541-342-5367.
Coloring for Adults continues, see 6/6.
Roving Park Players present “Miss Bunny
Bunting’s Bonafide Belles,” see 8/10.
Terrific Twos Storytime continues, see 6/6
The Good Doctor continues, see 8/11.
Pajama Storytime continues, see 6/6.
FRIDAY, 8/18
Baby & Me Storytime continues, see 6/6.
Family Movie Swim, 7-9pm, Osborn Aquatic
Center, 1940 NW Highland Dr., Corvallis. Regular
admission rates.
Performance: Border Collies International, 2pm,
Springfield Public Library, 225 5th St., Spfd. No
registration required. FREE.
Eugene Yacht Club racing continues, see 6/1.
Wonderful Ones Storytime continues, see 6/1.
Primus, Clutch, 7:30pm, Cuthbert Amphitheater,
thecuthbert.com. $45-$50.
Obsidians: Black Crater, 7.4 miles. Reg. at
obsidians.org.
Donkey Basketball, Shriners fundraiser, Lane
Events Center, Livestock Arena, 503-371-7361.
Junction City Scandinavian Festival continues,
see 8/10.
Roving Park Players present “Miss Bunny
Bunting’s Bonafide Belles,” see 8/10.
Library Family Night continues, see 6/20.
Eugene Yacht Club Fun Race continues, see 7/4.
The Springfield Farmers’ Market continues, see
6/2.
Eugene Emeralds vs. Spokane continues, see
8/14.
Friday Night Concerts at Silvan Ridge continues,
see 6/2.
Storywalk at Lively Park through Springfield
Public Library, 10:30am at Lively Park – Meet at
the Playground. No reg. required. FREE.
Saturday Market, weekly hub of artisans, chefs
& musicians, 10am-5pm; TBA 10am; Jodi Koplin’s
Jiggle Jam 11am; TBA 12pm; Richie G & MaBeat
1pm; Clown Dancer 2pm; The Miller Bros Band
3:30pm; 8th & Oak. FREE.
Silvan Ridge Winery Twilight 5K, annual 5K race
followed by outdoor concert & wine, benefits
the Jane Higdon Foundation, picnics OK but no
outside alcohol, beers & non-alcoholic beverages
available, large groups call ahead, 4-10pm, 345-
1945x0, silvanridge.com. $25.
Tap & Taste, sample small plates & craft
beverages from some of your favorite local
restaurateurs & brewers & live music throughout
the night, 5-10pm, downtown Spfd. at 5th & A
streets. $12-$15.
Eugene Emeralds vs. Boise, 7:05pm, PK Park,
2800 MLK Jr. Blvd., 541-342-5367.
Margaret Glaspy, singer songwriter, 10pm, 21+,
Hi-Fi Lounge, 44 E. 7th Ave., hifimusichall.com.
$12-$15.
Obsidians: Mt. Washington climb, 10.5 miles. Reg.
at obsidians.org.
Legos at the Library continues, see 6/3.
Family Music Time continues, see 6/3.
The Good Doctor continues, see 8/11.
Baby Storytime continues, see 6/2.
THE PATH
TO TOTALITY
Watch your eyes when watching the eclipse
t’s the middle of the day, but the birds are
roosting in the trees. Everything gets colder
and darker, as if night has come early.
Strangely shaped shadows and lights are cast
across the earth. But it’s not the Apocalypse
— it’s just the effects of the unearthly solar
eclipse.
Scott Fisher, a professor of astronomy at
University of Oregon, says the eclipse we’ll
see in Oregon is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a
fascinating phenomenon.
“It turns out we have solar eclipses about once a year
somewhere on Earth, but it’s really rare to happen where
you are,” he says, adding that the last eclipse to occur in
Oregon happened in 1979. “It literally is a little 3-minute
night.”
Fisher says the eclipse is “this rare alignment where
the moon comes directly between the sun and the Earth,”
casting a shadow 70 miles wide. “The shadow is going to
go completely across the United States.”
The eclipse will be visible to some degree across the
entire U.S., but the path of totality — the 70-mile wide
band in which the entire sun will be obscured by the moon
— passes through 14 states, according to NASA.
Eugene barely misses the band of totality. “Here in
Eugene 99.1 percent of the sun will be covered,” Fisher
says. The special effects of an eclipse, like confused birds,
dropped temperature, the beautiful and rarely visible
I
44
June 1, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com
corona of the sun only occur in the band of totality, which
lands north of Eugene. Corvallis, Albany and Salem are
within the path here in the valley, while Redmond, Madras
and Mitchell will catch totality east of the cascades.
Many towns in the path are already reporting fully
booked hotels and campsites.
Astronomers and space geeks are already planning
where they’ll be. Fisher says he’ll be in Madras on Aug.
21, the day of the eclipse, to seek out guaranteed clear
skies. “Here in the valley the estimates are 75 or 80 percent
chance [of clear skies], and over the mountains it’s more
like 90 percent. So all the astronomy nuts I know are going
across the mountains.”
He’s also planning on arriving two days early to avoid
traffic. Fisher expects that I-5 will be a parking lot, and that
“people will just pull off on the side of the road and look
up.” It’s important to plan ahead for traffic and lodging,
he warns.
“The current estimate is that we will have between
800,000 and a million visitors that weekend in Oregon.”
Perhaps the most important detail of all is safety. Staring
directly into the sun can cause blindness in the blink of an
eye. “The sun is really bright. Brightest thing in the sky by
a factor of a million or more,” Fisher says.
In our eyes, he adds, “the retina are the cells that
actually react to light. And much like if you took an air
horn and blew it in your ear, the sunlight is so bright it
basically burns your retina up. That’s irreversible.”
BY KELLY KENOYER
No fear, however. There are excellent options to safely
view the eclipse. The UO physics department is already
handing out small cardboard eclipse viewers, which
diminish light by 99 percent.
Fisher says many stores around town are likely to stock
them shortly before Aug. 21, but if you’re not one to take
chances you can order them yourself from websites like
rainbowsymphonystore.com.
You can also look at an image of the eclipse using a
pinhole camera made out of a shoebox. Once the sun is totally
obscured, Fisher says, it’s safe to observe it without protection.
If you’re planning on photographing the eclipse, Fisher
says “never ever look through a telescope at the sun,
don’t use a camera lens to look at the sun. Anything that
magnifies is bad.”
It’s possible to buy a certified solar filter for your camera,
but keep in mind that products made for the naked eye may
not fully protect the retina if the sun is being magnified.
Those here in Eugene should try to get up to the path of
totality, Fisher says. “It’s an emotional, powerful thing to
see and I urge everyone to try to see it.”
“Astronomy is deeply embedded in our lives, but we
don’t think about it anymore. We get up and go to bed
because the sun rises and sets, we measure our age by how
many times we’ve gone around the sun.”
The solar eclipse in Oregon takes place on Aug. 21, and will begin its
partial phase at 9:04 am. The phase of totality will begin at 10:16 am on
the coast, and will last around two minutes.