New York (AP) – This weekend, during a partial solar eclipse in the Northern Hemisphere, you can witness the moon bite from the sun. Remember to protect your eyes!
The solar eclipse will be observable on Saturday across Europe, West Africa, Eastern North America, and North Asia, with the most significant coverage occurring in the northeastern US, Greenland, and eastern Canada.
In a Partial Solar Eclipse, the moon aligns between the sun and the earth, casting a shadow that only partially obscures the sun, creating the appearance of a crescent moon. Unlike a Total Solar Eclipse, where the sun is completely blocked, experts advise using proper eye protection at all times.
“The solar eclipse represents a dance of light and shadow performed by the sun, moon, and earth,” noted Aurian Egal from the planetarium in Montreal.
According to NASA, solar eclipses involving the sun and moon occur four to seven times each year. Due to the moon’s tilted orbit around the Earth, these events often happen in pairs. The last lunar eclipse saw the moon turn red in mid-March.
To catch the solar eclipse, visit this astronomy website to find out when it will occur in your area. The event is expected to occur late in the morning in Western Europe and Africa during sunrise in most of America, with afternoons in Eastern Europe and North Asia.
As the solar eclipse progresses, the sun will gradually narrow down to resemble a crescent moon, potentially dimming the daylight.
“It will feel akin to a particularly cloudy day,” commented Juan Carlos Muñoz Mathez from the Southern Observatory in Europe.
Please check the weather conditions before heading outside. A clear sky, away from tall buildings and city lights, is optimal in America for viewing the eclipse.
Be sure to obtain glasses in advance to safely view the eclipse, either from a local science museum or by ordering online from vendors listed on the American Astronomical Association’s website.
Alternatively, you can explore indirect viewing methods like creating pinhole projectors with household items. Using a colander can produce a similar effect, and if you look at the ground beneath a shaded tree, sunlight filtering through branches can create a crescent-shaped shadow.
Another total lunar eclipse and partial solar eclipse will be observed in September, with the best views of the solar eclipse expected to be in Antarctica and New Zealand.
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Source: apnews.com