NASA Recommendations for Safe Viewing

It is among the most important astronomical events that will be seen in 2024 A total solar eclipseAn event in which the Sun’s disk will be completely covered by the Moon’s orbit, allowing the outermost layer of its atmosphere, the corona, to shine around the satellite.

As explained by the Exploratorium Museum, A solar eclipse, whether annular or total, occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, casting its shadow on the Earth. This does not happen every month because the Moon does not orbit in exactly the same plane as the Sun and the Earth.

For us to experience a solar eclipse, two conditions must be met at once: that the Sun, Moon, and Earth are in a straight line, with the Moon between the Sun and Earth; And you should also be lucky enough to observe from the right place on Earth.

When and where will the total solar eclipse of 2024 be seen?

The date that eclipse hunters and astronomy fans have marked on their calendars is April 8, 2024. pot, the total solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean and cross North America, passing through Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The first place in continental North America to experience totality will be the Mexican Pacific coast, around 11:07 am PDT.

The path of the eclipse continues from Mexico, enters the United States through Texas, and crosses Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada from southern Ontario and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. Eclipse will come out 5:16 PM NDT off the Atlantic coast of continental North America Newfoundland (Canada).

Best place to see it

The US space agency has announced it Port of MazatlánIn the state of Sinaloa, it was chosen as the best geographical point to appreciate the total solar eclipse in April 2024 and will install its instruments at this location in northern Mexico to document this astronomical event.

however, To observe a solar eclipse it is enough to be within the band of totality, which will be about 115 miles wide. and will extend in an arc from Mexico to Texas and Maine. The closer you get to the center of the strip, the longer the totality or maximum point of the eclipse will last. Outside the strip’s path, the phenomenon is only partially visible.

According to the Exploratorium, the total eclipse will last about two and a half hours, but only four minutes for those located near the center of the path of totality.

Colombia, unfortunately, will not be able to fully or partially appreciate this event.

What care should be taken?

Since it is a solar phenomenon, we should always keep in mind that it should not be observed directly as it can damage our eyes. NASA explains that observing any part of the bright sun through the lens of a camera, binoculars, or telescope without using a special solar filter for that purpose that is securely attached to the front of the optical device will immediately cause serious eye injury.

When directly observing the partial phases of a solar eclipse with your eyes, which occur before and after totality, NASA recommends viewing through safe solar viewing glasses or a certified handheld solar viewer at all times. And they specify that eclipse glasses are not ordinary sunglasses, safe solar viewers are thousands of times darker and must comply with international standard ISO 12312-2.

Additionally, the space agency recommends always checking with eclipse glasses or a hand-held viewer before using them. “If it is broken, scratched or otherwise damaged, you should discard the device. Always supervise children using sun visors,” he pointed out as part of April 8 preparations.

You should not look at the Sun through camera lenses, telescopes, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses because concentrated solar rays will pass through and burn the filter and enter your eyes, causing serious injury.

If you don’t have eclipse glasses or a solar viewer handy, experts also recommend using the indirect viewing method. “One way is to use a pinhole projector, which has a small opening (for example, a hole punched with a pin in a file card) and projects an image of the sun onto a nearby surface. With the sun at your back, you can safely view the projected image. is,” he explains and warns that under no circumstances should the sun be viewed through a hole.

If you want to see the event through a telescope, they should also have the right filters. “Consult an expert astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device. Please note that solar filters must be attached to the front of the telescope, binoculars, camera lens, or any other optical device”, from NASA Suggests.

And they will explain that since it is a total eclipse, it will be possible to directly observe the eclipse without adequate eye protection only when the Moon completely obscures the bright side of the Sun. the whole. “You’ll know it’s safe when you can’t see any part of the sun through your eclipse glasses or sun viewer,” he says.

As soon as you see even a small part of the bright sun reappear after totality, You should immediately re-use eclipse glasses or whatever protection you were using.

Science acquisition