Last update: 08.04.2024 | 14:04
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Astronomical history in North America: today (Monday) a total solar eclipse was observed in large areas in Mexico, the United States and Canada. This is the first total solar eclipse in the United States since 2017. The solar eclipse is considered an exciting event for many residents of the continent, and may generate significant tourism revenue in areas from which it can be viewed.
NASA documentation of the solar eclipse:
Many are looking forward to the solar eclipse, because the path along which the sunlight will disappear completely (path of totality, literally: the path of perfection) is extremely long and contains densely populated areas. About 31 million residents live in it, and within a driving distance of 200 miles (about 320 km) there are about 150 million people. The vast majority of residents of the United States will be able to observe at least a partial solar eclipse.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon hides the Sun or part of it for observers from Earth. Because the Sun is about 400 times larger than the Moon, but also about 400 times farther from Earth, their size in the sky appears similar, so the Moon may hide the Sun under certain conditions. Throughout history, solar eclipses have been a significant event in many religions and cultures.
The solar eclipse in the sky of Mexico (Photo: AP)
The moon is between the earth and the sun every month, at the time of the birth of the moon (first month in Hebrew), but usually at an inclined angle relative to the orbit of the earth around the sun. A solar eclipse occurs only when the rotation of the moon around the earth and the rotation of the earth around the sun “synchronize”, so that the moon is both at birth and is on a plane of rotation as the sun around the sun (the milka plane).
A total solar eclipse happens when the moon completely hides the sun. It does not happen in all areas at the same time, but “moves” along the ‘path of perfection’, and it lasts only a few minutes at each site it reaches.
An amateur astronomer in Mexico prepares a telescope for the expected solar eclipse (Photo: AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Along with the excitement, the solar eclipse is also a dangerous time, in terms of car accidents and potential damage to vision. To watch a solar eclipse without danger, safety measures are required, the most prominent of which are special glasses, which are much stronger than sunglasses. Viewing the sun with naked eyes, even with regular sunglasses, can cause permanent damage to the retina, but the eclipse creates an illusion that can be viewed safely. In the few minutes of the full eclipse itself, it can be observed without protection.
From Israel it will be possible to observe a significant solar eclipse (about 90% of the sun is hidden) in August 2027, in Eilat. The next total solar eclipse will only be in November 2180, also in the Eilat area.
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