This April 8, 2024, Mexicans will witness a unique astronomical phenomenon that has not been repeated since 1991: the total solar eclipse.
On this occasion, the sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk and as NASA explains, in this astronomical phenomenon viewers will be able to momentarily remove their eclipse glasses.
It’s just safe take off eclipse glasses during what is known as “totality”, which corresponds to the brief period of time in which the Moon completely blocks the Sun.
What are the stages of a solar eclipse?
To see all stages of a total solar eclipseyou must observe it from somewhere along the strip of totality, that is, at the specific points where the astronomical phenomenon can be viewed, which in this case will be in a strip that goes from Canada to Mexico and some parts of Central America .
partial eclipse
According to the US space agency, as the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, at first it does not cover the Sun completely so people will be able to visualize a “half moon” at this stage.
“In most places, the partial eclipse phase will last between 70 and 80 minutes. You should wear your eclipse glasses when viewing the Sun during the partial eclipse phase,” adds NASA.
Baily’s pearls
In the next phase of Sun eclipsewe will be able to see the “Baily Pearls”, which appear as the Moon makes its last transit in front of the Sun, although these have a very short lifespan and may not last long enough to be perceived by all observers of the phenomenon. astronomical.
In short, what are also known as Baily globules are rays of light from the Sun that radiate through valleys along the Moon’s horizon.
The diamond ring
As the solar eclipse progresses, Baily’s pearls will begin to disappear until eventually only a bright spot remains along the edge of the Moon’s shadow.
This bright spot resembles the diamond of a giant ring formed by the rest of the Sun’s atmosphere, which is why it bears this name. At this point, totality of the eclipse is almost upon us, but it is still not safe to remove your glasses.
The totality
When the entire “diamond ring” time has finally passed, you can remove your glasses and observe the eclipse safely. NASA recommends that at this point you look around you and enjoy the spectacle of darkness.
Totality is the phase that lasts the least, since we will only have one to two minutes depending on where we are, to be able to observe this unique phenomenon. After this, we will value again Baily’s diamond ring and pearls.
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In Mexico City you can enjoy a partial solar eclipse from 10:51 am to 1:36 pm and it will darken by up to 74 percent. In the State of Mexico it will be at the same time and it will get dark at the same percentage.