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Stockton Astronomical Society Preparing For Solar Eclipse

STOCKTON (CBS13) — With the 2017 solar eclipse fast approaching, members of the Stockton Astronomical Society are making sure each of their telescopes is ready to go for Monday's big event.

"The path is only 70 miles wide, but that path doesn't always touch the United States, and for that path to go clear across the United States is a fairly rare event," said Jerry Hyatt, member of the Stockton Astronomical Society.

The society was started back in 1950 by a Stockton surgeon who was also a prominent amateur astronomer. Society leaders say club interest didn't start picking up until people started learning of the eclipse's path this year.

"We've purchased eclipse glasses that we've been giving away in droves to local schools, and we'll be sending a bunch to the school district later, the county office so, yeah the interest is huge," he said.

Besides eclipse shades and telescopes with hydrogen alpha filter, the society has a picture of what people here in Stockton will experience from the first contact to last.

"They are actually going to watch from beginning to end, they are watching the moon move that way, but at the same time the sun is looking like it's moving this way towards the west in the sky, and that's earth rotating on its axis," said Doug Christensen, member of the society.

The best part of Monday's eclipse, members says is getting the chance to create solar filters for their telescopes which is the same material, used on those special glasses.

"You put this material over the top of that smaller hole and that way the telescope will get that much light coming in, and it's completely filtered with the sun, so it's blocking of 99.9999 percent of all visible light and ultraviolet and so forth," he said.

The society is hosting an eclipse viewing party at San Joaquin Delta College on Monday.

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