Solar eclipse this Monday afternoon: Some details and how to observe safely
HAVANA, Apr. 8 This Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will occur whose umbra (darkest part of the Moon’s shadow that is projected on Earth) will pass through Mexico,
United States and Canada. In Cuba it will be visible as a partial eclipse, the Institute of Geophysics and Astronomy (IGA) of Cuba has reported.
According to the IGA, for those observing from Havana, the beginning of the eclipse will occur at approximately 1:40 p.m., the maximum point will be at 2:53 p.m., and the end at 4:05 p.m. The coverage of the solar disk will reach 42.3%.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon comes between the Earth and the Sun, completely or partially blocking sunlight. The celestial phenomenon is possible when the Sun and the Moon are aligned from the Earth’s perspective. It causes darkness in broad daylight for a few minutes, leaving only a ring of sunlight visible around the lunar silhouette.
In national territory, the greatest coverage of the Sun (43.9%) will be observed from Cabo de San Antonio, Pinar del Río, at 2:46 p.m.
In his account at X the Institute of Geophysics and Astronomy, he invited those interested to open observation at its headquarters, at Calle 212 e/29 y 31, La Coronela, La Lisa.
On its Facebook wall, the IGA made the following recommendations:
It is important to know that you cannot observe an eclipse without adequately protecting your eyesight, as the intensity of sunlight will be high enough to cause serious and irreversible burns to the retina.
The safest protection is obtained with optical filters designed for this purpose. Homemade filters, such as smoked glass, black nylon, or colored films can be very dangerous and should never be used because although they attenuate visible light, some allow dangerous ultraviolet radiation to pass through.
The most appropriate and safest thing for a good solar observation will be to never look directly at the Sun. If we have a small telescope or even a simple piece of cardboard with a tiny hole, we can project the image of the Sun on a white screen and observe the solar disk indirectly.
