This October 14 there will be an annular solar eclipse and, because it can be seen in the Western Hemisphere, millions of people are interested in seeing the phenomenon. To be able to watch the astronomical event you have to protect your eyesight.
That it gets dark during the day is quite an event and, according to NASA, “seeing a solar eclipse from the same place on Earth for only a few minutes occurs approximately every 375 years.”
This astronomical phenomenon will cross North America, Central America and South America. It will be visible in parts of the United States, Mexico and many countries in Central and South America, such as Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.
For this reason, we all get excited about this event, but a few seconds of curiosity can cause permanent damage to our eyesight.
WHAT IS AN ANNULAR ECLIPSE?
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is aligned between the Sun and Earth, but at its farthest point from the planet, NASA explains. Because the Moon is farther from Earth, it appears smaller. It does not block the full view of the Sun and that is why a kind of “ring of fire” is seen.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I LOOK AT THE ANNULAR ECLIPSE WITHOUT PROTECTION?
You should never look at the Sun during an eclipse, as it can even cause blindness. The star is never completely blocked by the Moon during an annular solar eclipse, so it is not safe to look at directly without specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology mentioned that watching eclipses causes solar retinopathy. He mentioned that many patients recover after three to six months, but others lose permanent vision in the form of a small blind spot and distortion. Some people experience other symptoms such as headache and eye pain after viewing the eclipse.
The American Optometric Association, for its part, details that eclipse blindness appears as a black dot in vision in the same way as the eclipse. “If you’ve ever seen the headlights of a car or something, it’s very bright, and then, you can see the headlights of the car. It would be like this. It just wouldn’t go away” is the explanation of the entity.
Viewing an eclipse without protection can cause the Sun’s rays to focus on the retina and burn it, causing a retinal spot. “Have you ever used a magnifying glass on the sun and you could literally start a fire?”
Ophthalmologists indicate that when we look at the Sun, the lens of the eye acts like a magnifying glass. “You are focusing a light. You are literally burning your retina”Details Andrew Neighbors, a Seattle-based optometrist, quoted by Kxan.
The specialist warned that you will not feel pain when you are damaging your vision, ““You will only notice a spot or loss of central vision”. In some cases it will be sporadic and others permanent, he indicated.
HOW TO SEE THE ANNULAR ECLIPSE AND WHAT SAFETY MEASURES SHOULD I TAKE?
The NASA indicates that it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection designed for solar observation.
- See any part of the bright Sun through the lens from a camera, binoculars or telescope without a special solar filter secured to the front of the optics will instantly cause serious eye injuries.
- Look at the annular solar eclipse directly with your eyesyou must look through safe solar glasses (“eclipse glasses”) or a safe portable solar viewer at all times. Safe solar visors are thousands of times darker and must comply with the international standard ISO 12312-2.
SET UP YOUR PROJECTOR TO SEE THE ECLIPSE
If you don’t have eclipse glasses or a portable solar viewer, the POT indicates that you can use an indirect viewing method, which does not involve looking directly at the Sun.
One way is to use a pinhole projector. To make yours, you need to use a cardboard box, a white sheet of paper, tape, scissors, and aluminum foil. With the Sun behind you, sunlight will enter through a hole punched in aluminum foil taped over a hole in the side of the box.
During the partial phases of a solar eclipse, it will project a half-moon of the Sun on a white sheet of paper taped to the inside of the box. Look inside the box through another hole cut in the box to see the projected image. You should not look at the Sun through the hole.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ANNular ECLIPSE CLOSELY?
To follow the annular solar eclipse live, you can go to:
- NASA TV and the website from the agency on October 14 from 11:30 am to 1:15 pm.
- Through the social media accounts of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Facebook , x and Youtube.
HOW MANY TYPES OF LUNAR ECLIPSE ARE THERE?
According to the portal Calendarr There are several types of lunar eclipses. So we have:
penumbral eclipse
This occurs when the Moon crosses the outskirts of the shadows of the Land. Sometimes it is not so perceived.
partial eclipse
It occurs when the Moon crosses through the center of the Land, but it does not cover it completely. That’s why a certain part looks dark.
total eclipse
Here the Moon is placed on the same threshold line of the Land and it looks completely dark.