-
A total solar eclipse is a feast for the eyes, but don’t forget to look around you.
-
During a total solar eclipse, you’ll see much more than the Moon itself.
-
Solar flares, a bright corona, 2 planets and a diamond ring are just a few things to look for.
When a total solar eclipse passes over the United States on April 8, more than 31 million Americans living in the path of totality, where the moon will completely obscure the sun, may witness a series of rare events that many will not see in their own lifetimes. hometowns again for hundreds of years.
“It’s very rare for a total solar eclipse to happen to you,” Rick Fienberg, project manager for the American Astronomical Society Solar Eclipse Task Force, told Business Insider. “If you’re lucky enough to be on the road, you’re very lucky.”
That’s because the unique views before, during and after the total eclipse are “remarkable,” Fienberg said. And some you will see twice; The first is when the moon passes in front of the sun, and the other is when it moves away.
“At the end of totality, everything goes in the opposite direction,” Fienberg said.
Here are eight sights he recommends looking for during a total solar eclipse.
1. A 360-degree sunset
If you can, find a clear view of the horizon for the event. In the few minutes before and after integration, the moon will pass in front of the sun, triggering what looks like a unique 360-degree sunset.
Sunset and sunrise colors are created when sunlight passes through more of the atmosphere in the lower sky and hits dust and moisture in the air. As a result, the light is scattered, making it appear yellow, orange, and red.
During totality, light from outside the moon’s shadow follows a similar path, and your eyes perceive it the same way, so the entire horizon will look like one giant sunset.
2. A silver, purple sky
Aspect the moon passes in front of the sunIt blocks more and more light until only the thinnest outer edge of the sun’s photosphere (a layer of the sun) is visible just before and after totality. This outer edge, called the limb, is cooler than the center of the sun and therefore appears different to our eyes.
Just before and after totality, when only the limb is visible, “the entire color of the sky changes” and takes on a purple or silver hue, Fienberg said.
3. Sunspots and sun bulges
At this time the Sun is approaching the highest level of magnetic activity. solar maximum This happens approximately every 11 years. This means more sunspots, which are giant dark circles that can be seen on the sun’s surface. Many times the size of Earth.
Fienberg said that sunspots will be very visible when using binoculars or a telescope with a sun-protective filter during partial eclipse periods.
“You can watch the Moon swallow them and spit them back out.” You can even visit and follow when and where the sunspots will be on the day of the eclipse. SpaceWeatherLive.com.
You can also direct your gaze towards the sun’s edge to potentially spot solar flares, which are giant protrusions that shoot out from the sun’s surface. They will appear neon pink.
4. Crescent shadows
Back before eclipse glasses and solar filtersThe only safe way to observe an eclipse before and after totality was with a pinhole projection.
It works like this: When sunlight passes through a small area (like a pinhole, leaves on a tree, or holes in a colander), the shadow reflects the crescent shape of the sun.
If you hold an item with small holes with your back to the sun (Fienberg recommends a Ritz cracker or a slotted serving spoon with holes), you’ll see tiny crescent shapes in the shadows on the ground.
“People are having a lot of fun with it,” Fienberg said.
5. Venus and Jupiter
Before, during and after the total eclipse, “two planets will become very visible,” Fienberg said. Jupiter The Sun will be in the upper left and Venus (the brighter of the two) will be in the lower right.
Venus will appear first about ten minutes before totality, while Jupiter will be most visible during totality but will also be visible a few minutes before and after.
6. Baily’s beads
The Moon blocks the light as it passes in front of the Sun. However, Fienberg said, “The Moon is not a smooth marble-like sphere.” It’s “difficult” because of the mountains, valleys and craters. This leads to one of the most remarkable eclipse phenomena: Baily’s beadsNamed after the British astronomer Francis Baily, who explained these in 1836.
“Baily’s beads are the last bits of sunlight visible from deep valleys on the lunar surface before it completely covers the sun,” Fienberg said. They appear as round flames of sunlight for about 10 seconds before and after integration.
7. Diamond ring effect
Baily’s beads explain another eclipse: diamond ring effect. This occurs when the Moon almost completely covers the Sun and only one more ray of sunlight is exposed.
At this point, the outermost layer of the sun, the corona, begins to appear. The result is a striking ring of sunlight with a large protrusion, just like a single diamond in the sky.
The diamond ring effect can be difficult to notice because it only lasts for a moment and you can’t see it if your Eclipse glasses are still on. However, it is also important to wear your glasses until totality begins, the moon completely hides the sun, and it is safe to remove your glasses.
That’s why Fienberg used the diamond ring effect only after that integrity. Take off your glasses and put them back on immediately after the diamond ring appears.
8. Corona of the Sun
When the Moon completely covers the Sun’s surface, you will be able to see the corona, or the outermost part of the sun’s atmosphere. It will appear as a bright, symmetrical glow coming from behind the Moon’s shadow.
Normally our eyes cannot detect corona because surface of the sun It looks very bright, so integrity is a unique opportunity for this.
It will also be particularly spectacular this year because the appearance of the corona changes depending on the level of the sun’s magnetic activity. As the Sun approaches solar maximum, the corona will appear more vivid, symmetrical and larger in April than in past eclipses.
“This is really dramatic,” Fienberg said.
Read the original article on Business Insider