Sixth graders at Holy Name School are preparing for heavenly darkness. The celestial shadow, or solar eclipse, is scheduled to pass over Henderson right after lunchtime April 8.
And to bring down the curtain on the sun, Dr. Scott Taylor, associate professor of communications at the Henderson Community College, talked to the students, and other attendees, at the Preston Arts Center on Tuesday about what to expect on the big day.
“My primary hope (for the presentation) is to share some basic astronomy knowledge with viewers,” the telescope aficionado emailed the Hendersonian beforehand. “And instill in students a sense of enthusiasm and wonder about our amazing universe.”
Taylor’s presentation about the sun, moon and planet was also live-streamed from the college’s YouTube channel for other county schools to access, the professor said.
In addition to watching the starry presentation on a big screen, the HNS students had to create two- or three-dimensional models explaining the physics behind the upcoming natural phenomenon.
“Models can help us see things that are too big or too small to be seen,” said sixth grader Emily Tucker, referring to the size and movement of celestial bodies.
“The one thing that our models prove is a common misconception that the Earth is flat,” said sixth grader Isaac Sellers.
Their science teacher, Robin Kemp, explained that the purpose of the project was to give her students a hands-on experience when dealing with abstract things such as sunlight, planetary alignment and shadows.
“I believe that students learn the most when they teach themselves,” Kemp said.
And even though science, technology, education and faith have evolved over time, the question “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” still lingers on tree branches in the Garden of Eden.
“Science isn’t a means to disprove God,” Kemp explained to her students. “(But) it’s a way for us to explore and understand God. And even though we will never fully understand (the solar system), He gives us our minds, and we are curious.”
For more information about the path and time of the April 8 solar eclipse, go to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s link: https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/where-when/
The Henderson Tourist Commission also has a solar eclipse event link: https://hendersonky.org/2024/01/eclipse/
