Pea Ridge will experience a near-total solar eclipse Monday, April 8, when 97.7% of the sun will be covered by the moon.
Pea Ridge Schools has partnered with the Arkansas STEM Coalition to provide solar viewing glasses for all district students and staff members, which will allow participants to safely experience the eclipse.
The Arkansas STEM Coalition has provided each student in the state with a pair of ISO 12312-2 certified glasses for the April 8 Solar Eclipse. Glasses will be distributed to each student on April 8 prior to outside activities.
Our Middle School teachers have planned several fun and engaging activities for Monday, April 8th prior to the eclipse. These activities are designed to build prior knowledge of eclipses before going outside to view.
Safety
Looking directly at the sun without wearing solar glasses is dangerous. The partial eclipse allows the pupils to dilate, allowing damaging light to enter the eye unimpeded.
To directly observe the sun safely and easily, use eclipse glasses made of colored paperboard with Mylar lenses that allow only about 0.0003% of the sun’s light to pass through. The glasses the district partnered with Explore Scientific and the Arkansas STEM Coalition to provide have been tested and meet all ISO federal regulations.
Instructions for use: Wear your Eclipse Glasses to protect your eyes from solar radiation any time you look directly at the Sun or at the Sun’s reflection. When looking at the solar eclipse, use your Eclipse Glasses whenever ANY PART of the Sun, no matter how small is visible.
Viewing
The eclipse is set to begin in Pea Ridge at 12:33pm and end at 3:09pm. At 1:51pm Pea Ridge is expected to experience the maximum coverage of the eclipse. The plan at the Middle School is for our students to go outside at 1:40 in order to be able to view the maximum coverage. Students will return inside around 2:05.