A STUNNING solar eclipse is blotting out the Sun for millions of Americans this afternoon.
The rare event – which plunges a huge swath of the United States into darkness – won’t happen again for another 20 years.
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A solar eclipse happens when the Sun, Moon, and Earth all line up.This means the Sun’s light is blocked from reaching Earth.
Sometimes this is only a partial blockage, but today’s event is a total solar eclipse for American viewers.
For the most part, viewers in just 13 U.S. states experience the total eclipse today: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Vermont.
The first location to see the eclipse in continental North America is the Pacific coast of Mexico at 11.07 am (Pacific Time).
Nasa explains: “The path of the eclipse continues from Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
“Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse.
“The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton.
“The eclipse will exit continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. NDT.”
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Viewing the eclipse in the “path of totality” largely depends on luck with the weather.
Some areas will experience too much cloud cover to properly see the event.
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ECLIPSE? TOTALLY!
Partial eclipses are very common, but it’s rare for you to see more than a handful of total eclipses in a lifetime – unless you specifically seek them out.
This happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth so precisely that the entire face of our nearest star is blocked out.
The sky turns dark as if it were approaching night-time.
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How to watch a solar eclipse safely
Here’s the official advice from the American Astronomical Society…
Looking directly at the Sun is unsafe except during the brief total phase of a solar eclipse (“totality”), when the Moon entirely blocks the Sun’s bright face, which will happen only within the narrow path of totality.
The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” or handheld solar viewers.
Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the Sun; they transmit thousands of times too much sunlight.
Always inspect your solar filter before use; if scratched, punctured, torn, or otherwise damaged, discard it. Read and follow any instructions printed on or packaged with the filter.
Always supervise children using solar filters.
If you normally wear eyeglasses, keep them on. Put your eclipse glasses on over them, or hold your handheld viewer in front of them.
Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up at the bright Sun. After looking at the Sun, turn away and remove your filter — do not remove it while looking at the Sun.
Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device.
Similarly, do not look at the Sun through a camera, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays could damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury.
It also means that the Sun’s corona (its outer atmosphere) – which normally can’t be seen – becomes visible.
The United States won’t experience another total solar eclipse until August 22, 2044.
This will only be visible from a few northern states.
Another total solar eclipse with a much better view for the lower 48 states will take place on August 12, 2045.
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SEE IT SAFELY
A solar eclipse is amazing – but extremely dangerous.
“Safety is the number one priority when viewing a total solar eclipse,” Nasa warned ahead of the big event.
The space agency continued: “Viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury.
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“When watching the partial phases of the solar eclipse directly with your eyes, which happens before and after totality, you must look through safe solar viewing glasses (“eclipse glasses”) or a safe handheld solar viewer at all times.
“You can also use an indirect viewing method, such as a pinhole projector.”
According to scientists, the main danger comes from the high-energy wavelengths of light triggering chemical reactions that damage your retina.
Normally humans instinctively look away from the sun, but “you can psychologically override” that desire during an eclipse, Professor Aaron Zimmerman of Ohio State University told AFP.
Worryingly, viewing a solar eclipse without eye protection can leave you with permanent visual damage.
“In some cases, it’s just partially damaged and it may resolve so that you don’t notice it anymore,” said Professor Neil Bressler, of Johns Hopkins University, speaking to AFP.
“But in other cases, it can leave a permanent blank spot… and we don’t have a treatment to reverse that. It’s like brain tissue, once you lose it, it won’t grow back.”
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WEIRD AND WONDERFUL
Total solar eclipses trigger a whole host of strange occurences.
The U.S. Sun spoke with a Nasa expert who said there’s a big impact on wildlife.
“Animals do behave differently,” Nasa heliophysicist David Cheney told us.
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“They could be a little confused and a lot of them think it’s night.”
Zoos, in particular, are a prime place to be for an eclipse: “All the animals get confused because of the eclipse,” he said.
The sky darkening in the middle of the day can leave some animals thinking a storm is coming.
This can lead to creatures seeking shelter or showing signs of concern.
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You may also hear insects like crickets suddenly performing their evening song.
The dark sky will result in some animals nesting or even laying down due to the illusion that nighttime has arrived.
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