#triviatuesday - What is the only star in our solar system?
Ever since it began in June, MidPointe Library’s Outer Space-themed Summer Reading Program has become a virtual “Universe of Stories” -- both fiction and non-fiction!
For today’s TriviaTuesday question, we ask:
What is the only star in our solar system?
Leave it to a children’s book to provide the simple, direct answer! :
According to author Nick Seluk, “the sun...is the only star in our solar system”! Hence the title of his amusing yet informative 2018 book is:
“The Sun Is Kind Of A Big Deal.” (1)
Like any other big-name “star,” the Sun demands that all the planets in its solar system – including Earth -- revolve around it! What a diva! That’s because it “sits right in the center, holding everything together,” Seluk explains. (1)
Then, on days like today -- July 2, 2019 -- the Moon (which, according to another source, is not defined as a planet but “definitely acts like one”*) gets a little big for its britches and totally hides the Sun from a large chunk of Planet Earth! (2) Call it Eclipse 101.
Today’s disappearing act/Eclipse is occurring in South America! According to Space.com: (2)
“The biggest skywatching event of 2019 has finally arrived! Beginning today (July 2) at about 3:22 p.m. EDT (1922 GMT), the moon's shadow will darken skies over a narrow strip of land through Chile and Argentina as Earth's natural satellite passes in front of the sun in the first total solar eclipse to grace our planet since the Great American Solar Eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017.” (2)
That was the last time a total solar eclipse occurred in Southwest Ohio, including the Middletown area. (3)
Experiencing a total solar eclipse is exhilarating, but protecting your eyesight is mandatory! No matter where you view a solar eclipse, heed the advice of NASA:
“The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as ‘eclipse glasses’ ... or hand-held solar viewers. Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun; they transmit thousands of times too much sunlight. Refer to the American Astronomical Society (AAS)” for information and manufacturers. (4)
There’s a lot to see in Outer Space!
Images:
Cover of “The Sun Is Kind Of A Big Deal” from book available for checkout at MidPointe Library.
Image of full eclipse from NASA (See #3 in Sources)
Newspaper image from Middletown Journal, August 22, 2017. Available for reading on microfilm at MidPointe Library, Middletown.