Four Emerging Misconceptions On Social Media About The Upcoming Great American Eclipse

(Marshall Shepherd, Forbes Magazine.  Please click on the link for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

Map provided by NASA

A rare total solar eclipse will happen in the United States on August 21st, 2017. It will be a spectacle to see and the word is getting out to the public. Inevitably with science, misconceptions and inaccurate statements are emerging on social media. As a climate scientist, I am used to the public shaping its own understanding of science based on personal experiences or interpretations. People believe that deserts do not get cold or that climate change is not real because it snows in the winter, but I digress. It is important for scientists to help increase science literacy using “teachable moments.” I thought that it would be useful to clear up some of the emerging misconceptions about the Great American Eclipse that I noticed on my own social media pages. I suspect that they represent a sample of thoughts by others.