We are hours away from a unique and historic celestial spectacle happening in Mexico and North America. This Monday April 8, 2024 From the morning and part of midday the Moon will come between the Sun and the Earth, creating a total solar eclipse that will completely darken the sky for a few seconds, in a phenomenon that can be seen over hundreds of kilometers of the continent. Millions of people are expected to witness this event and that is why there is one detail in particular that has the NASA Space Agency concerned. POT.
Over the last few days we have been able to see on our own social networks how many people, acquaintances and friends have traveled from all corners of the country and even abroad to visit the cities where the phenomenon will be most visible. This is an event that will not be repeated for several decades. So many don't want to miss it.
The last time a total solar eclipse occurred in Mexico It was in the year of 1991 and the world back then was very different. There was no Internet as we know it now and social networks were an inconceivable idea at that time. We now live in an era of content, but there is still information about today's events that is conspicuous by its scarcity or absence.
It is here where the Space agency of NASA has ended up taking on an element of obsession when talking about the upcoming phenomenon, emphasizing the importance of not using a common item that almost everyone has in their homes and that represents a considerable danger to their visual health.
NASA warns of the dangers of wearing sunglasses to view the eclipse
If you have the opportunity to observe Monday's total solar eclipse, the NASA space agency POT through its official website It is strongly recommended to do so using special safety glasses, certified lenses or any real safe means other than regular sunglasses, as they can cause permanent damage to your eyesight.
“Sunglasses are not safe for viewing the sun. During a total solar eclipse, you should use eclipse glasses (or solar filters) to view the sun directly during the partial eclipse phase. You could only take off your glasses during the short time when the moon completely obscures the sun.”
The space agency highlights that authentic certified solar eclipse glasses must display the ISO 12312-2 or ISO 12312-2:2015 certification label, which indicates that they meet the international safety standard.
If the sunglasses you have in your home do not have these nomenclatures, it is absolutely essential that you do not observe the eclipse with them since it would cause irreparable damage to your eyes in the long term.
What to do if I didn't get special glasses to see the solar eclipse
If it has not been possible to obtain glasses to see the phenomenon, the POT recommends then you can use an indirect viewing method, such as a pinhole projector, which projects an image of the sun onto a nearby surface.
The space agency also warns that looking at any part of the bright sun through the lens of a camera, binoculars or a telescope without a special solar filter can cause serious eye injury. Even observing the phenomenon through mirrors or through the reflection of water can ruin our vision.
So it is best to get a safe filter, glasses or welding glasses to view the total solar eclipse for periods no longer than 10 seconds.
The next total solar eclipse will not happen in Mexico until March 30, 2052. So the event is worth experiencing.