Total solar eclipse darkens the sky in America on Monday
Published: Saturday, Apr 6th 2024, 09:51
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On Monday (April 8), millions of people in Central and North America - from Mexico to Canada - will be able to admire a total solar eclipse in the sky. The astronomical spectacle cannot be observed from Europe.
WHAT IS A TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE?
"A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, completely obscuring the sun," says the US space agency NASA. "The sky darkens as if it were dawn or dusk." Nasa also calls it a "cosmic masterpiece". "Solar eclipses have a very special power," said Nasa chief Bill Nelson at a press conference. "They move people and give them a deep respect for the universe."
HOW COMMON IS SUCH AN ECLIPSE?
Overall, such events are not that rare. There are around two to five solar eclipses worldwide every year, although these also include partial solar eclipses. The sun is only completely eclipsed about once every one to two years. This is only ever visible from a small part of the earth. On average, you can only experience a total solar eclipse from a particular place on earth about once every 375 years.
WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE FOR CENTRAL AND NORTH AMERICA - AND FOR SWITZERLAND?
The last total solar eclipse was visible from the USA in 2017, from Mexico in 1991 and from Canada in 1979. The next one - after the one on 8 April - for the USA and Canada is not announced until 2044, and for Mexico in 2052. The last total solar eclipse in Switzerland was in August 1999, and the next one will take place in September 2081.
FROM WHERE EXACTLY CAN THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE ON APRIL 8 BE OBSERVED?
Beginning over the Pacific Ocean, the umbra will stretch across northern Mexico, cross the USA over 13 states from Texas diagonally north-east to Maine and finally graze south-eastern Canada. The spectacle takes place mainly in the afternoon (local time). The zone includes major cities such as Dallas, Indianapolis, Buffalo and Montreal, with a total population of more than 30 million people.
In Europe, a partial solar eclipse will only be visible on the western edge of the continent - in parts of Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Great Britain as well as in Iceland.
WHAT DO THE PREPARATIONS LOOK LIKE?
For months, institutions such as Nasa and astronomy fans in Central and North America have been planning for the day of the solar eclipse. Parties are planned in many places for joint observation, where special glasses to protect the eyes will also be distributed free of charge. Numerous schools in districts from which the total solar eclipse can be observed have announced that they will close on this day. In addition, millions of people living elsewhere have booked trips. Hotels and vacation homes in the areas with a total solar eclipse are fully booked in many places, and the authorities are warning of very high traffic volumes.
Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has even moved his daily meeting with the security cabinet at six in the morning and his usual press conference to the north-western coastal town of Mazatlán in the state of Sinaloa - so that he can then put on special glasses and observe the phenomenon. "This is something you don't see every day, and it's important for everyone," said López Obrador. As a child, he was fascinated by watching a comet. You never forget that.
DO ASTRONOMERS ALSO LOOK AT THE SKY?
Many scientists are also prepared. The event is a "wonderful opportunity for scientific research", said Nasa boss Nelson. The US space agency is observing, recording and measuring the solar eclipse using aircraft, balloons and observatories on Earth, among other things. According to Nasa, even the space travelers on the International Space Station (ISS) will be able to observe the spectacle.
©Keystone/SDA
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