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By Federico Barrera, Staff Reporter
On April 8 of next year, an eclipse will travel from Texas to Maine. For those in the path, the eclipse as a whole will last one to two hours and the totality will last up to 4 and a half minutes (see image above).
The eclipse takes place Monday during April Break, so students will have time to make arrangements and travel to observe a totality, far more spectacular than the 2017 partial eclipse seen in CT.
Large cities along the eclipse path are Mazatlan, Torreon, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Montreal. The sooner one solidifies their plans, the better. In many cases, viewers are competing against each other for the best locations, as is reflected in the rise of hotel prices near the time and location of the eclipse.
This map can help you choose a viewing location.
When choosing a viewing location, students should consider whether it has the infrastructure to handle swaths of tourists. Students should arrive a day or two before the event to account for any delays.
Portion of a schedule of the eclipse
(Photograph courtesy of greatamericaneclipse.com)
Additionally, students should remember to purchase solar eclipse glasses in advance to avoid the inevitable shortage. The International Organization for Standardization recommends only buying eclipse glasses with the ISO 12312-2:2015 certificate. Viewers may use these glasses to look at the sun’s spots before and after the eclipse, as well as to take pictures of the sun, by holding the glasses in front of their cameras.
Check item information to see if eclipse glasses are ISO certified.
(Screen capture from Amazon.com)
Staring at the sun can cause permanent eye damage, even during an eclipse. During the partiality, the partial dimming due to the moon's blocking tricks our eyes into being able to look at the sun directly, but radiation is burning our retinal cells all the same. During the eclipse, one may take unfiltered photographs and look directly at the sun.
Center and bottom right are direct photographs of the sun during an eclipse.
The top two on the right are taken with a solar lens.
(Photograph courtesy of Mrs. Britchi)
The next total solar eclipse to pass the United States will occur in 2045 and trace from Florida to California. Next year’s eclipse will be the second of the seven total eclipses to hit the US in the 21st century. If you’re interested in learning more about this event, check out this page by NASA or the Great American Eclipse.
