The citizens and residents of countries in North America -United States, Mexico and Canada- would experience a total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
“Safety is the number one priority when viewing a total solar eclipse. Be sure you’re familiar with when you need to wear specialised eye protection designed for solar viewing by reviewing these safety guidelines,” stated NASA while making the announcement.
According to the information on safety, it is not safe to look directly at the sun without specialised eye protection for solar viewing, with the exception of the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the moon totally conceals the sun’s dazzling face.
It additionally advises that looking at any part of the brilliant sun through a telescope, binoculars, or camera lens without having a special-purpose solar filter fastened over the front of the optics would instantly result in serious eye damage.
“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,” NASA added.
The agency highlighted that the solar eclipse would be different from the last one experienced in 2017.
The agency claims that during the forthcoming total solar eclipse, the path of totality—where viewers may watch the moon completely cover the sun and reveal the star’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona—will be significantly wider than it was during the eclipse in 2017.
The Moon’s shadow will land on Mexico’s Pacific coast at 2:07 pm ET , then speed northeast across a 15-state swath of the United States and on to Canada, exiting the continent over Newfoundland just under an hour and a half later, according to NASA.
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