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TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 8th April 2024
The Moon, directly between the Sun and Earth, casts a shadow on our planet. If you’re in the dark part of that shadow (the umbra), you’ll see a total eclipse. If you’re in the light part (the penumbra), you’ll see a partial eclipse. The reason is that the Moon’s orbit is tilted 5° compared to Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
Astronomers call the two intersections of these paths nodes. Eclipses only occur when the Sun lies at one node and the Moon is either at the same node (for solar eclipses) or at the opposite node (for lunar eclipses). During most (lunar) months, the Sun lies either above or below one of the nodes.
Only totality reveals the true celestial spectacle: the diamond ring, the Sun’s glorious corona, strange colors in our sky, and seeing stars in the daytime.When the moment of totality arrives, you will experience extreme wonderment at the unspeakable beauty of the Sun’s corona and the panoply of colors and light in the suddenly darkened sky.
Seeing a total solar eclipse is like nothing you’ve seen before. When you look at the totally eclipsed Sun, you will see the blackest black where the Moon is, surrounded by the Sun’s everchanging and ethereal outer atmosphere, the corona.
Similar solar and lunar eclipses recur every 6,585.3 days (18 years, 11 days, 8 hours). Scientists call this length of time a Saros cycle.
Two eclipses separated by one Saros the Moon is not always the same distance from Earth. The Earth-Sun distance varies by 3 percent and the Moon-Earth distance by 12 percent. The result is that the Moon’s apparent diameter can range from 10 percent smaller to 7 percent larger than the Sun’s. The magnitude of a solar eclipse is the percent of the Sun’s diameter that the Moon covers during maximum eclipse. The obscuration is the percent of the Sun’s total surface area covered at maximum.
A solar eclipse only happens at New Moon. The Moon has to be between the Sun and Earth for a solar eclipse to occur. The only lunar phase when that happens is New Moon.
The Sun’s diameter is approximately 400 times larger than that of the Moon. What a coincidence that it also lies roughly 400 times farther away. This means both the solar and lunar disks appear to be the same size. But that won’t last forever. The Moon is slowly inching away from Earth, meaning that hundreds of millions of years from now.
You will see two planets. Venus will lie 15° west-southwest of the eclipsed Sun. Sighting this planet — the third-brightest object in the sky after the Sun and the Moon — should be simple 10 minutes before totality.
Also, according to the data collected by NASA, the 2024 FG asteroid will get close to 47.30 lakh kilometer to Earth. Asteroid 2024 GB, another plane-size asteroid will be 52.60 lakh kilometres from Earth. Asteroid 2024 FH2, which is 113 metre in size will be 61.40 lakh kilometres from Earth.Seeing a total solar eclipse is like nothing you’ve seen before. When you look at the totally eclipsed Sun, you will see the blackest black where the Moon is, surrounded by the Sun’s everchanging and ethereal outer atmosphere, the corona.
Similar solar and lunar eclipses recur every 6,585.3 days (18 years, 11 days, 8 hours). Scientists call this length of time a Saros cycle.
Totality lasts a maximum of 4 minutes 28 seconds. when you see the Moon take its first bite out of the Sun’s disk. Around the three-quarters mark, you’ll start to notice that the shadows around you are getting sharper. The reason is that the Sun’s disk is shrinking, literally approaching a point — and a smaller light source produces better-defined shadows. At about 85 percent coverage, you’ll be able to spot Venus 15° west-southwest of the Sun.
You may experience strange things. Look: You’ll notice a resemblance to the onset of night, though not exactly. Areas much lighter than the sky near the Sun lie all around the horizon. Shadows appear different. Listen: Usually, any breeze will dissipate and birds (many of whom will return to roost) will stop chirping. It is quiet. Feel: A 10°F to 15°F drop in temperature is not unusual. After all, the Sun provides a lot of energy to the surface of our planet.
The next solar eclipse with a totality approaching 7 minutes won’t occur until June 13, 2132. That eclipse, with a maximum duration of 6 minutes 55 seconds, will be the longest since the 7 minutes 4 seconds of totality experienced June 30, 1973.That’s it. To experience that length, you’ll need to be in the small town of Nazas, Mexico, which is about 40 miles (60 km) southwest of Torreón.
The last one occurred August 21, 2017. It crossed the country from Oregon to South Carolina, and millions of people viewed it successfully. Before that one, you have to go back to February 26, 1979. And it will be 20 years until the next one: August 23, 2044.
The next total solar eclipse over the continental U.S. requires a 20-year wait until August 23, 2044. That one is visible only in Montana and North Dakota. Great total solar eclipses follow in 2045 and 2078. Those events have maximum totalities of 6 minutes 6 seconds and 5 minutes 40 seconds!
