(Photo: Pexels/Eclipse Chasers)
A total solar eclipse is about to happen, and North America is already preparing for it. The phenomenon is a must-watch as it is the best eclipse one might ever witness in their lifetime.
5 Reasons You Should Watch The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
A solar eclipse is anticipated to occur on April 8. The people in northern Mexico, the United States, and Southeastern Canada are all waiting to witness how the eclipse will turn the lightness of the day into darkness and see the Sun's corona with their naked eyes.
For those who aren't sure if they should watch it, here are five reasons you should.
1. It's the longest eclipse since 1806
The total eclipse could last for 4 minutes and 28 seconds in Mexico. That will decrease as the Moon's dark center shadow accelerates and stretches as it moves from southwest to northeast. However, 4 minutes and 26 seconds is feasible around the border between the United States and Mexico.
The last totality of this length to occur in North America happened on June 16, 1806, when a total solar eclipse that lasted up to 4 minutes and 55 seconds swept across Albuquerque, Kansas City, Cleveland, and Boston on its way from Baja California to Cape Cod. Bostonians were introduced to it through the novel Darkness At Noon.
2. It will be a solar maximum
During solar maximum, the Sun's corona will resemble a sunflower instead of a thorny patch, appearing broader and more symmetrical. It is a result of the Sun's magnetic activity, and the Sun is expected to achieve solar maximum later this year.
3. A comet may be visible
On April 8, during totality, a comet might be visible. The "Devil Comet," Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, is named for itself. It will be situated near Jupiter at roughly 25 degrees from the Sun.
The comet could reach magnitude +4.7, putting it on the verge of being visible to the unaided eye, while Jupiter should be visible during totality. Thus, it is likely that the comet will be difficult to spot until it experiences an outburst, which it has in the past.
The last time this occurred was on Dec. 14, 2020, during the total solar eclipse over Chile and Argentina, when Comet C/2020 X3 (SOHO) was discovered during totality.
4. It's the darkest eclipse in 217 years
The level of darkness depends on the solar eclipse's magnitude, or the percentage of the Sun's diameter that the Moon blocks out, which influences the path's width during totality. In 2017, the path of totality measured roughly 70 miles in width, with a magnitude of 1.03.
The heavens opened up to see Venus. Jupiter and Venus will be visible on April 8 when the magnitude is 1.05, and the path of totality is roughly 115 miles wide.
5. It will be visible in several cities
Of those who witness totality on April 8, about 25% will do it from a city. Mazatlán and Torreón in Mexico; Dallas-Forth Worth-Arlington, Austin, and (portions of) San Antonio in Texas; Little Rock, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, and Hamilton; Niagara, St. Catharines, Kingston, and Montreal in Canada are just a few of the major cities in the route of totality. This equates to roughly 10 million individuals having the chance to witness the anticipated phenomenon.
What does Nasa say about the upcoming solar eclipse?
A total solar eclipse will occur over North America on April 8, 2024, covering Canada, the United States, and Mexico. When the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, totally obscuring the Sun's face, this is known as a total solar eclipse. It will get darker in the sky, just like sunrise or sunset.
Direct solar gazing without specialist eye protection is unsafe, except for the brief total phase of a solar eclipse when the Moon obscures the Sun's dazzling face. Severe eye damage will result quickly when looking at any portion of the bright Sun through a telescope, binoculars, or camera lens without a special-purpose solar filter fastened over the front of the optics.
Before and after totality, you must always use safe solar viewing glasses, sometimes known as "eclipse glasses," or a safe handheld solar viewer to see the partial stages of the solar eclipse directly with your eyes. An indirect viewing technique, like a pinhole projector, is another option.
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