Bay Area astronomers heading north for solar eclipse
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Astronomers are packing their bags and heading north for the upcoming solar eclipse.
VIDEO: Total solar eclipse 2017: Everything you need to know
Eclipse fever was running high at the Chabot Space and Science Center Wednesday.
Astronomer Gerald McKeegan is taking two rigs to Oregon where telescopes and cameras will capture eclipse images along the path of totality.
"This telescope will track it, so all you need to do is set up the camera, you program the camera, and you just start taking pictures every minute or so until the eclipse is over, and you go through them, pick out the best ones and show them to your friends," McKeegan said.
Glasses that you can use to safely watch the eclipse are being sold at the Chabot Center, and they'll be holding a free viewing party there on the 21st.
The 2017 Path of Totality
NASA says, "This animation closely follows the Moon's umbra shadow as it passes over the United States during the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse. Through the use of a number of NASA datasets, notably the global elevation maps from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the shape and location of the shadow is depicted with unprecedented accuracy."
RELATED STORIES:
- 7 ways to watch the solar eclipse in the Bay Area
- Bay Area ready to witness solar eclipse in August
- How to safely watch the total solar eclipse
- How to make two simple solar eclipse viewers at home
- What makes this eclipse so rare? And more facts and figures
- Best places to watch the 2017 total solar eclipse
- Why are solar eclipses so rare?
- Some pretty cool science is gonna happen during the solar eclipse
- How will the total solar eclipse affect your animals?
- UC Berkeley, Google team up for solar eclipse
- Californians asked to save energy during solar eclipse in August
How are you celebrating this rare event? Share your photos and videos on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook by tagging them #abc7now and we may show them online or on TV!
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
