On Monday, April 8, we experienced a solar eclipse. A solar eclipse is an amazing phenomenon that occurs whenever the moon passes in between the Earth and the sun causing the moon to cast a shadow onto the moon’s surface. They happen every one-three years, but most of the time are only visible from the North/South Pole or from the middle of the ocean. The next visible eclipse is expected to occur August 23, 2044.
The moon’s shadow is known as the umbra which is the darkest part of the eclipse causing a total eclipse. A total eclipse is when the moon covers 100% of the sun which causes the whole sky to become dark as if it was night. Outside of the umbra is called the penumbra which causes a partial eclipse. A partial eclipse is when the moon covers the sun, but not fully, causing the sky to become a little bit darker than it was beforehand.
In order for a total solar eclipse to happen, the moon must be in its new moon phase, and it must have a specific alignment with the Earth and sun for the eclipse to occur. The alignment is important because if the moon happens to be too far from the Earth, we would only have a partial eclipse since the umbra wouldn’t be able to reach Earth’s surface. If the moon’s too close, the umbra would be too small to cover the sun which would again cause a partial eclipse.
The eclipse has a path called the totality path. This path moves against the Earth’s surface causing total darkness that lasts from seconds to minutes. During the solar eclipse on April 8, only a few states had experienced total darkness. Sadly, South Carolina had a partial eclipse and didn’t get to experience the full thing. However, states like Texas, Missouri, Maine, Ohio, and a few more experience the total eclipse.
Emily Waters, junior, experienced the eclipse on the way to a lacrosse game in Charleston.
“As I was about to get on the bus, the driver handed me glasses so I could see the eclipse. At the time the moon was covering part of the sun, but it was very cool to see.”
Although a solar eclipse is beautiful, it is also really dangerous. If anyone wants to watch the eclipse, you have to wear a special pair of sunglasses because if you look at the sun during the eclipse, it can almost instantly make you permanently go blind. When the moon covers the sun our pupils dilate due to it being dark, when you look at the sun with dilated pupils it will start to burn which will eventually cause you to go blind if you continue to look. Since the moon is blocking the sun’s light, it causes the brightness to become stronger.
Solar eclipses have always been an amazing scientific phenomenon. Individuals and families drive hours away to be able to see the eclipse.
Source:
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/
https://www.space.com/15584-solar-eclipses.html
