MILLINOCKET, Maine — Now with only three weeks left before a total solar eclipse passes through Maine, people young and old are waiting to experience the rare event.
Like many others, students who attend Granite Street Elementary School in Millinocket are learning fun facts about the upcoming total eclipse, and they're sharing their growing excitement.
"Really cool things happen out there in our universe," elementary school student Luca Mitchell said,
While most adults have been waiting all their lives to experience a total solar eclipse, children living in Maine will get the experience of a lifetime at an early age. Those living in Millinocket are well-positioned to view the eclipse because they're located in its path of totality.
"I'm excited to see one, and I think that I'm lucky to see one because they rarely happen," student Karagh Jamieson said.
The last solar eclipse in 2017 traveled a different path, stretching from Oregon to South Carolina.
Maine hasn't seen a total eclipse since 1963, and after the eclipse passes by on April 8, the state won't see another for 55 years. This fun fact left Granite Street students wowed.
"Depending on the age, they can't even fathom another 55 years," Johanna Johnston said.
Johnston is the executive director of the Southern Aroostook Development Corporation, and she has been visiting various schools in the region to help young students understand the science behind the eclipse.
"It's going to get really cold and dark," Mitchell said, recalling a fun fact she learned during Johnston's presentation.
During the solar eclipse, the temperature can drop 20 degrees, Johnston said. With the drop in temperature, there is also a short period of total darkness. Johnston said during the eclipse, animals get a little confused about what is occurring.
Other students shared additional things they learned from the presentation.
"I learned that you actually have to use special lenses for your camera or phone," student Owen Charette said.
Camera lenses have to be protected by a special filter or lens because of the sun's strong ultraviolet rays.
Johnston said just as camera lenses have to be covered, so do your eyes, explaining that you cannot look directly at the sun during the eclipse because the sun's ultraviolet rays could damage your vision.
According to Johnston, you could damage your vision without even knowing by looking at the eclipse without eye protection since our eyes do not detect pain well.
To look at the eclipse, you have to be wearing ISO-certified glasses, which can prevent injuries to your eyes and prevent blindness.
"Many times, I've spoken to these kids, and they'll say, 'I've looked at the sun and I'm not blind yet,'" Johnston said. "So, you really have to stress the importance, especially when everybody is going to be looking up at this time."
As students like Mitchell leave school more informed, they'll be able to share what they've learned with their parents and loved ones at home.
"I'll see if [my mom] can buy me some lens or something for my phone so I can take a picture of the eclipse, because I don't want to forget about this time," Mitchell said.