- It can be seen in its entirety from cities such as Mazatlán, Durango and Torreón
- In the rest of the country this phenomenon will be seen as a partial eclipse
- A similar event will not be seen in Mexico for 28 years
- Eclipses can be enjoyed safely by strictly following safety measures
Author
National Council of Humanities, Sciences and Technologies
Publication date
April 3, 2024
Category
Announcement 504
On April 8, a total solar eclipse can be observed from Mexican territory. Although this astronomical event will be partially visible in almost the entire Republic, the strip of totality or maximum occultation will cross the northern part of the country, between Coahuila, Durango and Sinaloa.
Astronomers from the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (Inaoe), Public Center (CP) coordinated by the National Council of Humanities, Sciences and Technologies (Conahcyt), assure that this event will be a unique opportunity, since in Mexico there will be an eclipse similar until 28 years from now, in the year 2052.
It is worth remembering that the last time a total solar eclipse was observed in our country was on July 11, 1991, and it generated an important approach and interest among the population to learn about this type of phenomenon and adopt measures to appreciate it in complete safety. this spectacle of nature.
An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when the Sun, Moon and Earth align, causing the projection of the Earth’s shadow on the Moon or the Moon on the Earth. If the order on the line is Sun-Earth-Moon, then it is a lunar eclipse; Solar eclipses occur when the Moon, in its orbit around the Earth, comes between the Earth and the Sun, leaving the alignment order as Sun-Moon-Earth.
Although these three bodies have very different dimensions, it is possible to explain why they eclipse, given that the Moon and the Sun have a very similar apparent size in the sky, but the Moon is approximately 390 times smaller than the Sun, and It is 390 times closer to Earth, so both objects in the sky appear to have the same angular size.
Solar eclipses, like the one that can be observed on April 8, occur when the Moon’s disk passes in front of the Sun’s disk, appearing in three ways: total, annular and partial. Annular eclipses happen when the Moon does not completely cover the Sun and a ring or ring is observed around it; the totals, when the Moon completely covers the king star and an absence of light similar to night is seen; and partial ones occur when the lunar satellite covers a part of the Sun and the ambient lighting does not disappear, it is only reduced.
Totality or annularity occurs only for a few minutes. It is worth mentioning that there is another type of eclipse, very rare, called hybrid, in which part of its trajectory is total and another is annular.
Next April 8 we will be able to appreciate the solar eclipse in two ways: total and partial. Hours vary depending on geographic location. The three states through which the whole of the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, Coahuila, Durango and Sinaloa, have favorable climatic conditions. In the port of Mazatlán it will be seen from 9:51 a.m. to 12:32 p.m., reaching its total phase from 11:07:25 a.m. to 11:11:45 a.m. The maximum phases in Durango and Torreón will be at 12:14 h and 12:19 h, respectively.
In other cities of the national territory it will be seen as an eclipse partialthat is, the surface of the Moon will not completely cover the surface of the Sun. In Puebla, for example, the eclipse will begin at 10:56 a.m., reach its maximum at 12:15 p.m., and end at 1:36 p.m. .
In Mexico City, 74.71 percent darkening of the solar surface will be seen. Its maximum point of appreciation will be at 12:14 p.m. In other cities it will also be seen as a partial eclipse: Chetumal (1:32 p.m.), Mérida (12:35 p.m.), Tepic (11:08 a.m.), Zacatecas (12:15 p.m.) and Monclova (12:24 p.m.).
One of the most important issues surrounding eclipses is safety. As long as part of the solar disk remains visible—as in partial eclipses or partial phases—its radiation can cause irreversible damage to vision.
Therefore, it is important to never look directly at the Sun, since doing so can cause partial or total blindness. Nor should it be observed through clouds or with tinted glass or veiled films or x-rays or solar glasses.
Eclipses can be appreciated with indirect methods, such as using cardboard in which a hole a few millimeters in diameter must be made. Through the hole, the Sun’s rays enter and are projected on the floor or another cardboard. You can use a dark box, using the same principle of a hole, the reflection of a mirror on a wall, the shadows cast by the foliage of trees, making a grid with your fingers, or you can even use the shadow of a kitchen drain.
It is also possible to observe them with instruments such as telescopes and binoculars, as long as they have the appropriate filters, and under the supervision of a person trained in astronomy.
The only way it is possible to observe the Sun directly is through filters certified under the international standard ISO 12312-2, and the instructions stipulated there must be fully followed.
Solar eclipses are phenomena of great beauty that arouse interest among the humanistic, scientific, technological and innovation (HCTI) community and the population in general. However, they also generate myths without a scientific basis that, in some cases, it is important to rescue for their value within the ancestral uses and customs that are part of the culture; In others, demystifying them also helps avoid misinformation.
The study of eclipses has provided important astronomical information about the celestial bodies that make up the Universe. It was thanks to these phenomena that the solar corona was discovered, since the Sun’s disk is very bright and the corona is very faint, which prevents its appreciation under normal conditions.
Thus, the solar eclipse in question will allow us to see parts of the Sun’s structure that cannot be seen with the naked eye, such as the aforementioned solar corona, which is the outermost part of the star’s atmosphere, as well as the chromosphere and the prominences or bumps.
Eclipses have not only been important for astrophysical studies of solar structure, but have been useful for other analyses, such as the one that occurred in 1919, where a total eclipse of the Sun made it possible to experimentally test one of the predictions of the general theory of Albert Einstein’s relativity.
Thus, the study of eclipses provides relevant data about celestial bodies, demystifies legends around these phenomena and helps the development of research in techniques and technologies in the matter, of instruments such as chronographs and radio telescopes, to the understanding of the atmospheric composition of the Earth, among other advantages.
Within the framework of the multi-cited eclipse, Inaoe, as a member of the National Eclipse Committee of Mexico, promotes the participation and teaching of astronomy, through multiple activities, with highly specialized equipment and human talent to provide a better experience and study of the phenomenon. astronomical, awaken scientific vocations, and try to ensure that the majority of the population observes and enjoys these events in complete safety.
Conahcyt, through the National System of Public Centers (SNCP), deploys the HCTI task to help disseminate knowledge in the regions of the country, demystify false information, promote critical thinking based on truthful scientific evidence, and guarantee the human right to science for the people of Mexico.
For more information about the solar eclipse of April 8 and other topics related to astrophysics, optics, electronics and related disciplines, you are invited to consult the Inaoe electronic portal.
Communication Coordination and International Cooperation
comunicacion@conahcyt.mx
conahcyt.mx
