Oak Ridge Today

Free eclipse glasses for Oak Ridge Public Library members on Aug. 14

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Eclipse Glasses

Bring your library card to the Oak Ridge Public Library on August 14 and you can receive a free pair of eclipse viewing glasses.

There is a limit of one pair per account, and the glasses will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, call the library at (865) 425-3455.

The partial eclipse will generally start in Oak Ridge at 1:04 p.m. August 21, and totality will take place at 2:33 p.m. It has been estimated that the total solar eclipse in Oak Ridge will last 27 to 31 seconds. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools will transport students, provide glasses for solar eclipse

Posted at
By 3 Comments

Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

 

Oak Ridge Schools will transport students and provide eclipse glasses for the solar eclipse on Monday, August 21. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many people.

The path of totality for the solar eclipse cuts through Oak Ridge, according to information provided to the Oak Ridge Board of Education for a meeting on Monday, August 7.

Because the path of totality cuts through Oak Ridge, half of the city’s schools are in the path of totality and half are not, the information said.

“We believe that every Oak Ridge student should have the opportunity to learn about the eclipse and to experience the total eclipse,” the information said. “Therefore, we will be transporting students from the east side of Oak Ridge to the west side, with parental permission.”

The solar eclipse of 2017 is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many people, the information said. [Read more…]

National Park Service will offer free eclipse glasses, viewers for total solar eclipse

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

National Park Service 2017 The All-American Total Solar Eclipse

The National Park Service will distribute free eclipse glasses and free eclipse viewers at two viewing sites in Oak Ridge during the total solar eclipse on Monday, August 21.

The two viewing sites are:

  • American Museum of Science and Energy/Manhattan Project National Historical Park Visitor Center at 300 South Tulane Avenue in central Oak Ridge, and
  • East Tennessee Technology Park, 200 Heritage Center Boulevard, in west Oak Ridge.

Oak Ridge is part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

The total solar eclipse will cross the Manhattan Project National Historical Park on Monday, August 21. The entire area of the park falls within the path of totality, a press release said.

“The park will be offering two free viewing locations where park rangers will be distributing free eclipse glasses and free eclipse viewers that include a commemorative artistic rendering of the ‘All-American Total Solar Eclipse,'” the press release said. “Park rangers will also be discussing safe viewing practices and using enhanced viewing equipment to help visitors enjoy all phases of the eclipse.” [Read more…]

UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge will be viewing site for solar eclipse

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Solar eclipse (Photo courtesy UT Arboretum Society)

Solar eclipse (Photo courtesy UT Arboretum Society)

 

The University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge will be a viewing site for the solar eclipse on August 21.

It is estimated that the total solar eclipse in Oak Ridge will last 27 to 31 seconds at approximately 2:33 p.m. EDT August 21, a press release said.

The public is invited to view the eclipse in a clear area above the arboretum’s auditorium, the press release said. Gates will open at 1:30 p.m. for cars to park near the site. Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center staff will direct patrons to walk to the area at the top of the hill.

The public is invited to bring chairs, blankets, and viewing devices, the press release said. Normal arboretum rules will be followed including no pets and no picnicking. People are encouraged to bring water. Restrooms will be available in the auditorium building.

For this first solar eclipse over the continental United States since 1979, Oak Ridge is one of the few cities in the path of totality in Tennessee. [Read more…]

Senate committee rejects proposal to close NOAA lab with Oak Ridge division

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge is pictured above on Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge is pictured above on Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee has rejected a Trump administration proposal to close a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration laboratory that has a division in Oak Ridge.

The budget submitted to Congress by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, May 23, had proposed closing NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory. That air research laboratory has a field office in Oak Ridge, the Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division, or ATDD, on South Illinois Avenue.

But an appropriations bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee in a 30-1 vote on Thursday explicitly rejected the proposed elimination of the Air Resources Laboratory, which is part of NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. (See page 40 here.)

The Senate committee recommended providing at least as much funding for the Air Resources Laboratory in fiscal year 2018 as in fiscal year 2017. Fiscal year 2018 starts October 1.

The bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday is the Fiscal Year 2018 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. It’s not clear when the legislation will be considered by the full Senate. [Read more…]

See solar eclipse path maps by NASA, National Weather Service, Washington Post

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

 

On Monday, August 21, a total solar eclipse will blot out the sun starting at 2:31 p.m. for viewers in areas within an hour’s drive of Oak Ridge.

The 70-mile-wide path of totality will extend from Oregon to South Carolina, passing through Nashville, Murfreesboro, Sparta, Cookeville, Crossville, Sweetwater, Athens, and Clingman’s Dome, contributor Carolyn Krause wrote in this story.

The National Weather Service in Morristown has published a map showing the eclipse path and showing the duration of the total solar eclipse in parts of East Tennessee. See that map above. Many locations will see more than two minutes and 30 seconds of totality, the Weather Service said.

Another map, which was published by the Washington Post, is interactive and allows you to follow the path of the solar eclipse across the United States from Oregon to South Carolina, with details about points along the way, including Nashville and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. See that Washington Post map here. [Read more…]

Total solar eclipse Aug. 21 in Oak Ridge area path

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The path of totality for the solar eclipse in the United States on Aug. 21, 2017. (Submitted photo)

The path of totality for the solar eclipse in the United States on Aug. 21, 2017. (Submitted photo)

 

By Carolyn Krause

Note: This story was updated at 12 p.m. July 30.

On Monday, August 21, a total solar eclipse will blot out the sun starting at 2:31 p.m. for viewers in areas within an hour’s drive of Oak Ridge.

The 70-mile-wide path of totality will extend from Oregon to South Carolina, passing through Nashville, Murfreesboro, Sparta, Cookeville, Crossville, Sweetwater, Athens, and Clingman’s Dome. Oak Ridge will not quite be in the path of totality. The sky over our area will gradually darken starting at 1:03 p.m. It will be plunged into total darkness for up to two minutes and 40 seconds, depending on where you are. The sky should brighten at about 4 p.m.

Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

 

See a map by NASA and a link to a Washington Post interactive map in this story.

The last time the moon’s shadows in a total solar eclipse crossed our nation from the Pacific to the Atlantic was almost a century ago. On June 8, 1918, the path of totality ran from Washington State to Florida. The next total solar eclipse to cross the U.S. will occur on April 8, 2024. [Read more…]

You can watch the total solar eclipse in the national parks

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Commemorative poster by artist and astronomer Tyler Nordgren (Submitted image)

Commemorative poster by artist and astronomer Tyler Nordgren (Submitted image)

 

On Monday, August 21, a total solar eclipse will be crossing the entire continental United States from Oregon to South Carolina. It has been named the Great All-American Total Solar Eclipse, a press release said.

Three local national parks—Obed Wild and Scenic River, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, and Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area—will collectively be offering six different viewing locations, with five of these locations being in the path of totality, the press release said.

The viewing locations include: [Read more…]

Climate data: Knox County could have 20-80 more days above 95 by 2100

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

By 2100, Knox County could have 20-80 more days when the maximum temperature is above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, according to climate data used by the City of Knoxville and developed with help from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and NOAA Climate Explorer.

By 2100, Knox County could have 20-80 more days when the maximum temperature is above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, according to climate data used by the City of Knoxville and developed with help from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and NOAA Climate Explorer.

 

By 2100, Knox County could have 20-80 more days when the maximum temperature is above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, according to climate data used by the City of Knoxville and developed with help from Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The additional 20 days with a high over 95 is considered the best-case scenario. That would be almost three more weeks of high temperatures.

The 80 more days with a high over 95 would be a worst-case scenario. That would be close to three more months of high temperatures.

The higher and lower number of days appear to be correlated with, or caused by, higher and lower emissions.

There could be some variability in the temperature increases from year to year, but the overall trend would be up, according to the data, which used the NOAA Climate Explorer. (NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.)

An animated image based on the data shows projected changes from 2011 to 2050 in an eight-county region, including Knox and Anderson. Overall, there would be a general increase in the number of days with a maximum temperature above 95 degree Fahrenheit, compared to a 1981-2005 average. There could be some variability by location, even between counties. You can the animated image here: ORNL Climate Data Summary Movie. (The movie moves quickly through the slides after the animation; you can find a PDF version of those slides in the link at the end of this article.) [Read more…]

Crowd gathers to watch TVA spill water at Norris Dam

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Crowds gather to see Norris Dam spilling for the first time since 2013 on Tuesday, April 25, 2017. Norris will be spilling for about 15 days, according to the Tennessee Valley Authority. (Photo by TVA)

A crowd gathers to watch Norris Dam spilling water for the first time since 2013 on Tuesday, April 25, 2017. Norris Dam will be spilling water for about 15 days, according to the Tennessee Valley Authority. (Photo by TVA)

 

A crowd gathered Tuesday to watch the Tennessee Valley Authority spill water at Norris Dam for the first time since 2013.

TVA said it could spill water over the top of the dam for about 15 days.

“We are currently spilling about 124,000 gallons per second at Norris Dam,” TVA said Tuesday.

WYSH Radio in Clinton reported that TVA is seeking to lower the water level in Norris Lake, which was about six feet above the summer pool level following last weekend’s relentless rainfall.

“Following last weekend’s record rainfall totals across East Tennessee, TVA on Tuesday opened all three spillway gates at Norris Dam for the first time since the spring of 2013,” WSYH said. [Read more…]

Flooding, fallen trees, road closures reported in Anderson County during storms

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department had a busy weekend after the rain started on Friday, Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said.

Flooding occurred throughout the county, Lucas said. There were trees that had fallen on homes but no reports of injuries. High water forced the closure of several roads. Many of those were still closed Monday morning.

“The water is receding, but drivers are urged to continue to use caution,” Lucas said. “Due to all of the flooded roads, Anderson County Schools were closed today (Monday, April 24).”

Deputies responded to 25 traffic hazard reports from Friday through Sunday. These included fallen trees and other debris in the roadway. Mudslides were also reported on at least two roads, Lucas said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge received more than 6.3 inches of rain during storms, city says

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Fallen Tree House April 2017 Storms 1

Oak Ridge received more than 6.3 inches of rain during the storms this past weekend, officials said Monday, April 24, 2017. That amount of rain made the ground extremely soggy and caused large trees to start falling all across the area, the city said. Several homes and cars were damaged, and there were reports of power outages. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Oak Ridge received more than 6.3 inches of rain during the storms this past weekend, officials said.

That amount of rain made the ground extremely soggy and caused large trees to start falling all across the area, the city said. Several homes and cars were damaged, and there were reports of power outages.

Power was nearly 100 percent restored, but the cleanup was still under way Monday afternoon. [Read more…]