It’s time to prepare for Maine’s subsequent photo voltaic eclipse
PORTLAND, Maine — It’s time to prepare for the upcoming photo voltaic eclipse. Beat the frenzy and get your eyeball-safe gear collectively now.
No, it’s not the eclipse on account of completely blot out the solar over Maine in April 2024. We’re speaking in regards to the annular eclipse on Oct. 14.
It could not have the landscape-darkening punch of a full occultation, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a formidable sight to see and nice viewing follow for the overall eclipse coming subsequent yr. As a bonus, this annular eclipse will happen noon on a Saturday.
Annular — or partial — eclipses occur when the moon is at its furthest level from us after which passes between Earth and the solar. At the moment, the moon seems smaller than the solar and doesn’t fully cowl the star.
Against this, when the moon will get between Maine and the solar in April 2024, it will likely be nearer to the Earth, thus showing massive sufficient to dam the solar altogether.
The Oct. 14 eclipse will begin round 12:20 p.m. Because the moon begins passing between the Earth and solar, it’s going to start to seem as a darkish, rounded shadow on our star’s decrease proper aspect. The eclipse will attain its top at round 1:25 p.m. when the moon blots out a little bit greater than 10 p.c of the solar. After that, the obvious shadow will recede. By 2:30 p.m., it will likely be over.
The perfect place within the U.S. to view this annular eclipse will likely be close to San Antonio, Texas, the place the moon’s darkish circle will journey straight by the solar’s heart, creating the so-called “ring of fireplace” impact. Irrespective of the place you’re, it’s by no means protected to look straight on the solar throughout a partial eclipse.
“Viewing any a part of the brilliant [sun] by a digicam lens, binoculars, or a telescope and not using a special-purpose photo voltaic filter secured over the entrance of the optics will immediately trigger extreme eye damage,” the official NASA eclipse occasion web page states.
To see the annular eclipse, and most of subsequent yr’s complete eclipse, you’ll want photo voltaic viewing glasses, typically often known as eclipse glasses. They’re 1000’s of occasions darker than your typical shades and adjust to worldwide security requirements.
You possibly can order a pair from any respected telescope or science gear seller. However the annular eclipse is lower than a month away and eclipse glasses are more likely to get scarce by the point our complete eclipse will get right here subsequent yr. So, you most likely don’t need to delay that buy.
In the event you can’t get eclipse glasses, you may at all times use the oblique viewing technique. That includes punching a small gap in a bit of cardboard and searching on the solar’s projected picture as mild pours by the tiny gap, hitting some darkish floor. Make sure you solely take a look at the projection. Don’t take a look at the solar straight by the opening.
If you wish to get fancy along with your pinhole projector, NASA has good instructions for a deluxe model made out of a shoebox and aluminum foil. One other nice projection technique is to carry a colander the wrong way up over a darkish piece of paper and let its a number of tiny holes mission a myriad of solar photographs without delay. The impact might be fairly lovely.
Mainers wanting to observe the annular eclipse with different folks or get a peep by an eclipse-safe telescope have not less than a few choices: The College of Maine’s Versant Energy Astronomy Heart will host a viewing occasion at 11:30 a.m. culminating with public ganders of the eclipse by the Clark Telescope; and eclipse viewing is a part of this yr’s tenth annual Stars over Katahdin occasion on the Katahdin Woods and Waters Nationwide Monument.
Right here’s hoping clouds don’t spoil the enjoyable.
