When the dragon devours the sun
Iam writing this article in advance of the upcoming total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8 and I wanted people to have as much information as possible, so that they can safely watch the total solar eclipse wherever they are located.
On the afternoon of Monday, April 8, 2024, roughly between 3:30-5:30 p.m. ADT (4 p.m.-6 p.m. NDT), many people here in Atlantic Canada will, weather permitting, have a front-row seat to one of the most spectacular celestial events — a total solar eclipse. While a total solar eclipse occurs approximately every 18 months or once every one to two years from somewhere on Earth, it can be, and often is a once-in-alifetime event for people living in some locations around the world.
The last solar eclipse visible in Atlantic Canada was the partial solar eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, while the next total solar eclipse won't occur in our region until May 1, 2079.
ANCIENT BELIEFS
The ancient Chinese believed that solar eclipses were caused by a celestial dragon devouring the sun; to frighten the dragon off, they beat on huge drums, which appeared to work. In reality, a solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, blocking some portion or all of the sun's light at certain locations around the world for a brief period of time.
Just as a lunar eclipse can only occur during a Full Moon phase, a solar eclipse can only occur during a New Moon phase, when the moon is at, or very near, a lunar node (when the Earth, moon and sun are aligned in a straight line).
Like lunar eclipses, there are three types of solar eclipses — a partial solar eclipse, when the moon, passing across the sun, covers only a portion of the sun's disk; an annular eclipse, when the moon aligns itself perfectly in front of the sun, but does not completely obscure the entire solar disk, leaving a ring of sunlight referred to as an "annulus" (from the Latin annularis, meaning "pertaining to a ring") visible around the edge of the moon's disk; and a total solar eclipse, when the moon is at such a distance from Earth that its disk size aligns perfectly with that of the sun to completely block the sun's light.
The time period that the moon only partially blocks the sun's light is referred to as the eclipse's period of "maximum coverage", while the time period that the moon completely blocks the sun's light is referred to as the eclipse's period of "totality". During totality, the filaments from the sun's outer surface, called the "corona", may be visible streaming outwards into space. This brief period enables solar scientists to study details of the solar corona not normally seen due to the sun's normal brightness.
DEGREES OF RISK
Each type of solar eclipse poses its own degree of risk to the eyesight of observers, if not observed correctly. Looking directly at the sun at any time, and particularly for any length of time, poses a danger to one's eyesight. It cannot be stressed enough that it is very dangerous to look at a solar eclipse, especially without adequate eye protection.
Under no circumstance should you look directly at the sun during a solar eclipse using only your naked eyes. Using binoculars and telescopes without the proper solar filters to observe a solar eclipse is an invitation to immediate and painful blindness. The sun's light can severely damage your eye's retina, and lead to partial and even total blindness. Never use sunglasses to observe a solar eclipse, as sunglasses actually cause your pupils to dilate (open wider) and let more damaging sunlight in.
To hear an eye specialist speak of the perils to your eyesight by incorrectly viewing a solar eclipse, go to https://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/other/concerned-about-watchingthe-eclipse-safely-publichealth-unit-offers-these-tips/ar-bb1kjbfp?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=d10597104323481095d1be8be6c95ab1&ei=29.
SOLAR GLASSES
Even the use of "solar glasses" can be dangerous when viewing a solar eclipse. If you plan on using such glasses, make sure you purchase them from a reputable source, particularly if purchasing them on-line, and check that they are marked with the "ISO" logo, signifying that they have the correct solar filter material (aluminized polyester) in them, and are approved for solar eclipse viewing. Read the following regarding avoiding fake solar glasses on-line: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/Fmfcgzgxsrmpqpnbthxhptkdnlcfxjgh. You need to make sure that the lenses of the solar glasses you purchase do not have any scratches, cracks or tiny holes, as this could permit intense sunlight to strike your eyes, and damage your eyesight.
If your children have brought solar glasses home from school, please check them carefully before allowing them to use them to look at the solar eclipse. Children, being children, may have played with them on the way home, and the glasses may have gotten damaged.
If there is even a small crack, scratch, or hole in the glasses, do not let your child use them, and, instead, dispose of them in the garbage immediately. A much safer way to let your child (and even yourself) enjoy the total solar eclipse is to have them make what is referred to as a "pinhole projector".
This simple device is not only fun to make, but will ensure that your child does not damage their eyes, while allowing them to view the eclipse enjoyably and with complete safety.
If you or your child is interested in making a quick and easy pinhole projector, go to https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/how-tomake-a-pinhole-projector-towatch-the-total-solar-eclipse/vi-bb1jpfaa?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=1fd3f3ff1cc44b1e810d276a2c2cd110&ei=148.
PATH OF THE ECLIPSE
The April 8 total solar eclipse will stretch across North America in a giant arc from Mexico, through the central United States, into southern Ontario and southern Quebec, through central New Brunswick, across P.E.I. and the northern tip of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and into Newfoundland and Labrador. To see a map showing the path of the solar eclipse across North America, go to https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/map/2024-april-8.
You will notice on the drawing of the solar eclipse path that there are a number of shaded bands. The darker, inner band represents the area within which the solar eclipse will be "total" (i.e., the sun will be entirely blocked by the moon). The outer, lighter-shaded bands represent the areas within which the solar eclipse will be "partial" (i.e., the moon will block only a portion of the sun's disk). The further you are from the centre of the darker band (i.e., towards the lighter bands) will determine how much of the sun's disk will be covered by the moon, and for how long.
ECLIPSE DETAILS
If you wish to know the details of when the eclipse will begin, when totality or maximum coverage will begin and end, and when the eclipse will end, go to https://eclipse2024.org/communities/, select the province where you live, and then, on the following page, select the city or community in which you reside from the list.
You will notice that the exact time the eclipse begins, reaches totality or maximum coverage, and ends varies, depending on your location. For example, for the city of Summerside, P.E.I., which lies within the path of totality, the eclipse commences at 3:27:22 p.m. ADT, with totality (lasting for 1 min, 1.3 sec) occurring at 4:37:08 p.m. ADT, while for the city of Charlottetown, P.E.I., which lies within the area of partial solar eclipse, the eclipse starts at 3:28:09 p.m. ADT, with maximum solar coverage (99 per cent) occurring at 4:38:17 p.m. ADT.
'DIAMOND RING EFFECT'
Just before the moon completely obscures the sun at totality, and perhaps just as the moon begins to draw away from the sun at the completion of totality, observers within the path of totality may see an amazing and eerily beautiful effect known as the "diamond ring effect".
This optical effect, also referred to as "Baily's Beads" (named after British astronomer Francis Baily, 1774 - 1844), occurs when, just before the moon totally blocks the sun's disk, the rugged topography of the moon's surface allows beads of sunlight to shine through or around the lunar mountains, valleys, and craters along the moon's limb (the "edge" of the moon as seen from a distance) in certain areas. This diamond ring effect can only usually be seen when one or two beads of sunlight are visible just before or after the moon completely covers the wun, appearing as a brilliant "diamond" set in a bright ring appearing around the moon's silhouette.
Should the day prove cloudy, which it often is here in Atlantic Canada at this time of the year, you can still see the effects of the total solar eclipse. Once the eclipse gets underway, the sky will slowly begin to darken and the air to cool, although it will probably take awhile to get noticeably darker and cooler.
In the areas along the path of totality, and in those areas close to the path of totality, by the time of eclipse totality or maximum coverage, the sky will be fairly dark (about as dark as it normally is at dusk). It will not, however, be as dark as nighttime, as the sun is still in the sky, and its light still radiates outward, lighting the Earth's atmosphere, if to a somewhat lesser amount.
As the moon begins to move away from the sun, the sky will slowly begin to brighten again, and, by the time the eclipse ends, will have returned to its normal early evening, spring sky brightness and temperature.
TAKE EVERY PRECAUTION
In closing, I cannot stress enough how important it is to take every precaution, especially with your children, in viewing the total solar eclipse on April 8. While a solar eclipse, especially a total solar eclipse, is a rare celestial event, and certainly one worth viewing, it is not worth losing your eyesight or that of your child. You need not worry about your pets during the solar eclipse; animals appear to have more common sense than humans, and don't typically look directly at the sun.
THIS WEEK'S SKY
Jupiter is the sole bright planet visible in the night sky this coming week. Visible 26 degrees above the western horizon around 8 p.m., it shines at mag. -2.1 in the constellation of Aries - the Ram, before sinking towards the horizon and setting around 10:45 p.m. The remaining planets are all too close to the Sun, or too low on the horizon to be seen.
Mercury (mag. -0.1, in Pisces - the Fish) will soon pass in front of the Sun (inferior solar conjunction), and is only 5 degrees above the western horizon at dusk.
Venus (mag. -3.9, in Aquarius - the Water-bearer) is no higher than 0 degrees above the eastern horizon at dawn, while Mars (mag. +1.2, in Aquarius) sits only 2 degrees above the southeast horizon at dawn.
Saturn (mag. +1.1, in Aquarius) is likewise no higher than 0 degrees above the southeast horizon at dawn. Uranus (mag. +5.8, in Aries - the Ram) is not readily observable, sitting only 20 degrees above the western horizon at dusk.
Neptune (mag. +8.0, in Pisces), on its way to superior solar conjunction, is too close to the Sun, at 14 degrees separation, to be observed.
Until next week, safe eclipse viewing, and clear skies.