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Solar Eclipse 2017: Scientists Are Excited, Transportation Officials Nervous

NASA

The total solar eclipse is 2 months away. Scientists shared their excitement at a NASA briefing Wednesday, but transportation officials in Oregon, and other states the eclipse will pass over, are bracing for cosmic traffic jams.

Scientists told media what they’re anticipating on August 21st when the moon eclipses the sun. Angela Des Jardins, with Montana State University, says she sees the eclipse as an opportunity to bring the country together around science.

“This is a really amazing chance to just open the public’s eyes to wonder. And to get people thinking about really the most amazing natural phenomenon that happens on the surface of the earth, a total solar eclipse.”

Officials expect at least a million people will come to Oregon to view the eclipse. The path of totality runs from Depoe Bay on the coast to rural eastern Oregon. The Department of Transportation is urging people not to wait until the last minute to make plans. They fear state highways will be jammed with eclipse watchers on August 21st.

https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/

https://www.nasa.gov/eclipse

Rachael McDonald is KLCC’s host for All Things Considered on weekday afternoons. She also is the editor of the KLCC Extra, the daily digital newspaper. Rachael has a BA in English from the University of Oregon. She started out in public radio as a newsroom volunteer at KLCC in 2000.
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