On April 8th, a total solar eclipse will cross over New York in its path across 11 states in the U.S., causing an uproar of scientists and people interested in astronomy to begin flooding the Northeast. This once in a lifetime opportunity is being utilized by NASA for experiments on the effects of solar radiation, how the eclipse can impact Earth’s atmosphere, and distinguishing solar light signals from one magnetically complex area of the sun to another. However, what exactly is an eclipse, what makes this one special, and how can you view it safely?
First off, an eclipse refers to when some celestial body (in our case the sun, moon, or Earth) is in the shadow of another. There are two main types of eclipses visible from Earth, lunar and solar, with each having a unique effect on the sun’s light. A lunar eclipse occurs during a full moon when the Earth is in between the moon and the sun. Due to the moon’s 5° tilt and it and Earth’s orbits around the sun, the celestial bodies can only line up twice during the year, causing Earth’s shadow to fall onto the moon and either making it less visible or look a reddish color. A solar eclipse on the other hand is viewed during a new moon, when the moon is in between the Earth and sun, creating a dark disc looking shape in the middle of the sun. Annular solar eclipses occur when the moon is farthest from the earth, creating a yellow colored ring around the black disk, while total solar eclipses are closer to Earth and completely block out the sun, creating a wispy-looking ring around the sun.
While lunar eclipses are relatively common, solar eclipses are much more rare, with a solar eclipse likely only occurring in the same place every 375 years. Due to the rarity of this circumstance it is important to be able to view this event, but it also requires eye protection due to the severity of the light. There are special types of glasses for this event which you can find online for around $3, or you can find if your library is partnered with the Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries project in order to get them for free.
This eclipse will be viewable in its totality in a 115 mile wide line from Mexico to Maine, creating a moment of darkness for around 3 minutes. Unfortunately for us in Queens we won’t be able to witness the eclipse in complete totality, and the time period for the whole eclipse is during school hours between 2:10pm to 4:36pm with the height happening at around 3:25. However it is still worth attempting to view, especially if you can leave the premises, as an opportunity like this might not come for another century.