Have You Got Ready For The Solar Eclipse Yet?

On April 8, 2024, the moon will eclipse the sun, creating an experience like no other for people in parts of the United States, Canada and Mexico.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Earth, Moon, and Sun line up and the Moon blocks the Sun's light. When aligned correctly, it is large enough to produce a total solar eclipse. The Moon orbits the Earth once a month, but its orbit is at an angle of slightly more than 5 degrees compared to the Earth's orbit around the Sun. This means that the three don't often line up perfectly together.

All solar eclipses begin as partial eclipses, with only part of the sun blocked. But a total solar eclipse has a special middle part called totality, where the moon blocks all of the sun's light.

Never look directly at the sun during a partial solar eclipse. You can use eclipse glasses when viewing, but not regular sunglasses. You can also use solar filters from binoculars or solar scopes designed for this purpose, or you can make an eclipse viewer using a pinhole camera to project the eclipse so you can observe the event indirectly. A slotted spoon or anything with a small hole can also be used this way.

If you want to view the eclipse directly and safely, you have a few options.

Check to see if your local astronomical society is hosting a solar eclipse event as they will have many instruments or telescopes equipped with the correct filters for solar observations.

If you can't attend these events but still want to view the eclipse directly, you can purchase eclipse glasses. These have to be genuine, not 3D glasses or anything like that.