Time, Astronomy and the Solar Eclipse

Time and astronomy have long been linked. Since the dawn of man, we have planted and harvested according to the moon. Many an ancient ritual was performed to honor the sun, and our first abilities to measure time came with the advent of sundials and similar structures. Over the centuries, we learned to better measure time — moving from tracking seasons to tracking months, then days, hours, minutes, seconds and fractions of a second. Additionally, today, many watch brands track the moon and its phases, along with a host of other information, in astronomical timepieces that are a true wonder.

Because time and astronomy are inextricably linked, we want to bring your attention to the fact that last Monday, August 21, 2017, those of us living in North America were witness to the eclipse of the sun — the first one seen here since 1979. Depending on where you live, you may even have seen the total solar eclipse. The eclipse, which happens when the moon on its path comes between the sun and Earth, obliterates the sun from the sky for just a couple of minutes. The path for the total eclipse runs from Oregon to South Carolina, and is about 70 miles wide, but others will get to witness at least the partial eclipse.

There are only a handful of safe methods for looking directly at the sun during this event, including solar eclipse glasses that could be purchased online or at certain museums or photo stores. We advised to check NASA's solar eclipse site about ways to safely watch the eclipse, which, from beginning to end, spanned about four hours — with times varying depending on where you live in the United States. For those of you more interested in the watches that bring astronomy to the wrist, stop in any time and see our selection of moon phase and other astronomically inspired watches.