Prepare for the Great Cullowhee Solar Eclipse

For those seeking shade from the sun this week in Cullowhee, the Moon is about to offer a little help. On Monday Aug. 21, the Earth, Moon and Sun will align in such a way that the Moon will completely block out the Sun’s disc in the sky in a diagonal path stretching from Salem, […]

Could traffic eclipse solar event?

This story was written by Haley Smith, originally published in The Sylva Herald. Jackson County Emergency Management wants additional information from transportation officials on possible traffic congestion for Aug. 21 – the day of the total solar eclipse. County officials met Monday to review an initial N.C. Department of Transportation study. It compared current traffic volumes with […]

What is an eclipse?

There are four types of solar eclipses – partial, annular, total and hybrid: • The outer shadow cast by the moon, also called the penumbra, shows a partial eclipse. • Annular eclipses occur when the moon doesn’t cover the sun entirely, leaving a “ring of fire” around the moon. • The rare celestial phenomenon that […]

Educators view eclipse as teachable moment

This story was written by Haley Smith, originally published in The Sylva Herald. Monday, Aug. 21 will be the first day of schools for Jackson County students, and educators couldn’t be happier about the coinciding solar eclipse. Superintendent Mike Murray, who has a background in science, has helped push all-things science in local schools. “I’m excited to […]

Getting ready for the solar eclipse

This story was written by Haley Smith, originally published in The Sylva Herald. Julia Wiggins has been waiting 10 years to see a total solar eclipse. On Aug. 21, she’ll finally get her wish. Although she grew up on a family farm in eastern North Carolina, she has family in Sylva. Her mother, LaRae Truckner Wiggins, spent […]