, a Hite Art Institute professor, is creating “,” a “collaborative, experimental exhibition that examines the meeting point between photography, landscape and astronomy.”

Carothers has pulled a team of 17 photographers together to shoot the eclipse, with at least one in each of the 12 states in which the eclipse passes with totality. They’ll use a new technique called slow scan photography, which captures reality in a slow scanning motion across a scene, offering a new twist on the traditional long exposure. The culminating images of the eclipse will be made of nearly 4,000 to 5,000 photographs.

The “Overshadowed” images will be on display at the Cressman Center for Visual Arts, 100 E. Main St., Sept. 22 through Oct. 28.

The opening reception for the show, which is part of the , is 5-6 p.m. Oct. 6 during the First Friday Gallery Hop.

Carothers co-created the project with British photographer , a pioneer of the slow scan technique. As a UofL Liberal Studies visiting scholar, he’ll give a talk titled “Space, Place and Time,” from 4-5 p.m. Oct. 2 in the Chao Auditorium of Ekstrom Library. The lecture will overview his 30 years of experimenting with photography and video and will include work on the total solar eclipse and the aurora borealis. 

On Monday, Carothers and McClave will be in South Carolina to shoot the eclipse as it departs American soil and heads out over the Atlantic Ocean.

Others from UofL are involved in “Overshadowed” as well:

• Photography professor Mitch Eckert and incoming MFA photography candidate Zed Saeed will cover different locations in Kentucky.
• UofL Astronomy Professor Benne Holwerda, who is the resident astronomer at Kentucky Dam, will contribute from that location.
• John Jaynes, UofL’s Assistant Director of Sponsored Program Development and an astronomy and photography buff, will shoot from a pontoon in the Land Between the Lakes.
• Several Hite photo alumni will be stationed in other states: Kelsi Wermuth in Oregon, Mary Yates in Illinois, Laura Arrot Hartford in Tennessee and Jimmy Devore in North Carolina.

“For me, this is like a grand performance,” Carothers said. “Each photographer will soon be connected by forces much greater than time and landscape. I do have at least one photographer positioned in every eclipse state … but when it comes to thinking about this rare occurrence, state lines are merely man made boundaries.”

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“You may have heard that you can do a lot of damage to your eyes when viewing an eclipse, and it’s true,” said Mark Mugavin, MD, MPH, of the UofL Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. “During an eclipse, our normal reflexes that protect us from sun damage, such as blinking and pupil constriction, are more relaxed because the sun’s light intensity is significantly reduced.”

During the August 21 total eclipse, the moon will directly block all or part of the sun for up to three hours and will be visible across the United States. The “Path of Totality,” in which the entire sun will be covered, cuts across the southwest corner of Kentucky, but does not include the Louisville area.

“At no point should solar filter glasses be removed when you are looking at the eclipse in Louisville,” said Patrick A. Scott OD, PhD, assistant professor in the UofL Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences. “Although the sun may appear completely blocked, observers in Louisville will still be exposed to the sun’s harmful rays, which can cause damage to the eyelids, ocular surface and internal structures of the eye.”

Looking directly into the sun causes a condition known as “solar retinopathy.” The increased UV light exposure creates toxic-free radicals that damage the photoreceptors and specialized pigment of the eye. This damage can leave a person with a mild to moderate reduction in vision, as well as central blind spots. Those most at risk for solar retinopathy are younger people, those with an intraocular lens implanted after cataract surgery and patients who are on photosensitive drugs such as tetracycline and amiodarone. Even though the Louisville area will see approximately 96 percent of the sun blocked, the remaining 4 percent can cause damage.

“The UofL Department of Ophthalmology sees approximately 10 cases a year of patients with solar retinopathy from high intensity laser pointers or high intensity sunlight exposure, such as viewing an eclipse,” Mugavin said, adding that he expects more cases this summer from people viewing the eclipse without proper eye protection.

There is no treatment available for solar retinopathy so the best strategy is to avoid it.

To safely view the eclipse, use glasses with special purpose solar filters. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reviews the various “eclipse glasses” that are available. Approved glasses should meet the ISO 12312-2 international standard and be manufactured by a U.S. manufacturer.

“A total eclipse of the sun is a very rare and beautiful event that you can only really enjoy from within the path of totality,” said Gerard Williger, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Louisville. “It’s as though the sun was taken away for a couple of minutes and then it comes back and it’s all better afterward.”

Kentuckians will have the opportunity to experience that rare and beautiful event on August 21, when the moon will pass directly between the sun and the earth, eclipsing the sun’s light for about two minutes. The path of totality, a 70-mile-wide swath of Earth that lies in the eclipse’s full shadow, will cross the southeastern corner of Kentucky, passing over Hopkinsville and Paducah, in a line stretching from South Carolina to Oregon.

At this month’s Beer with a Scientist event, Williger will share the wonder of the total eclipse experience, explain exactly how rare it is, and provide guidance on safe viewing of the eclipse. Yes, special equipment is required, but it isn’t costly.

The event begins at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17, at Against the Grain Brewery, 401 E. Main St. in Louisville. A 45-minute presentation will be followed by an informal Q&A session.

Also in the double-header discussion, Nick Duong will discuss recent research on near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and share what we know about their likelihood of striking the Earth. Duong, a recent UofL graduate, worked with the to study and map Asteroid 1992 UY4. SETI, which stands for Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence, is a private institute that researches life in the universe.

The University of Louisville Department of Physics and Astronomy has created a , including viewing events sponsored by UofL for students, alumni and the public.

Admission to Beer with a Scientist is free. Purchase of beer, other beverages or menu items is not required but is encouraged.

For more information and to suggest future Beer with a Scientist topics, follow Upcoming dates: 

• June 14 – Jacquelyn Graven, Graven and Assoc. – How to work less and play more
• July 12 – Lee Dugatkin of UofL – How to tame a fox and build a dog

Fred Espenak will speak at 6:30 p.m. about “The Great American Total Solar Eclipse of 2017” in Comstock Hall, School of Music. The free, is the 2016 Bullitt lecture in astronomy. The annual lecture and reception afterward are intended for the general public.

Espenak, who has witnessed 26 total solar eclipses, will discuss expectations for the Aug. 21 total eclipse, which will be visible from the contiguous United States for the first time since 1979. The maximum viewpoint for the totality of the moon covering the sun will be near Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Viewers can expect a daytime twilight effect and a glimpse of the sun’s corona.

The scientist retired from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and now lives in Portal, Arizona, where he operates the Bifrost Astronomical Observatory and runs three eclipse-related websites. His numerous books include “Eclipse Bulletin: Total Solar Eclipse of 2017 August 21,” “Totality: Eclipses of the Sun” and “Get Eclipsed: The Complete Guide to the American Eclipses.” The American Astronomical Union named an asteroid after him in 2003. 

UofL’s physics and astronomy department and the Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium present the annual Bullitt lectures through an endowment established by the family of former U.S. Solicitor General William Marshall Bullitt.