On October 14, 2023, thousands of Puerto Ricans gathered at different points on the island to enjoy a significant astronomical event, an annular solar eclipse that covered the Sun and only exposed the edges of the star.
However, on April 8 of this year, astronomy fans in specific areas of the Americas will be able to enjoy a total solar eclipse, a phenomenon that, although it will not be fully appreciated from Puerto Rico, “will be worth seeing.”he assured Eddie Irizarry Roblespresident of scientific dissemination of the Caribbean Astronomy Society (SAC).
“We are talking about a solar eclipse that for certain areas of USA It will be total and for other areas, including Puerto Rico, it will be partial. Here it will be a slight partial eclipse. It is an eclipse that most likely, if one looks around, it will not be noticeable that some astronomical event is occurring in the sense that (…) we will probably not notice that there is a significant decrease in sunlight “Irizarry Robles explained by telephone.
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), during a total solar eclipse, the Moon perfectly blocks the Sun, so a strip of the Earth is under darkness.
When will it happen?
He Monday, April 8, The sky will be adorned with this particular astronomical phenomenon.
The eclipse will begin around 2:39 pm, reported Irizarry Robles. However, the event will reach its peak bias between 3:10 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. This will be the best time to appreciate it using proper eye protection.
Meanwhile, it is estimated that the event will end around 4:00 p.m.., so it would be an event of almost an hour and a half.
The former president of the SAC explained that the eclipse will begin from the western part of Mexico, moving towards Texas. The shadow will then travel through a total of 13 states of the North American nation, culminating in Maine. During that time and in some areas, observers could even see planets and stars in the sky.
From which areas of Puerto Rico can it be best appreciated?
For this partial eclipse, the Moon will cover about 6% of the Sun. However, the scientific popularizer clarified that this percentage will depend on the area in which the observer is located.
1/9 | Hundreds come out to see the eclipse in Puerto Rico. Dozens of Puerto Ricans gathered in different parts of the island to witness the annular solar eclipse that took place this Saturday, October 14.
– Nahira Montcourt
He explained that, since San Juan and the metropolitan area, it will be perceived how the satellite covers 6.27% of the main sequence G-type star. Meanwhile, citizens in Aguadilla would enjoy the highest percentage, being 7.01%. According to Irizarry Robles, this is due to the geographic proximity of the municipality to the area where the total solar eclipse will be occurring in the United States, which is precisely in the northwest direction of the archipelago.
“The closer one is to the place where the eclipse is occurring, in this case in the northwest, the more intense it looks. But it is not a very significant difference for a person to be able to say that from Aguadilla they saw it much better than how it was seen from San Juan,” he explained.
How does it compare to the annular eclipse in October 2023?
In October 2023, the island was the scene of an astronomical spectacle that thousands of people enjoyed as they gathered to appreciate an annular solar eclipse in which the Moon, in its new phase, covered the Sun and left its edges exposed, creating a “ring of fire.” However, in Puerto Rico, it was also perceived as a partial solar eclipse.
The scientific communicator recalled that this event was more significant and intense since the Moon covered about 43% of the Sun. He stressed that, although the eclipse on April 8 is mild, it will be worth seeing since it will not be until January 2028 that a similar phenomenon will occur. Irizarry Robles added that the next significant solar eclipse, like the one in October, will arrive in 2038.
“It is certainly a little milder than last year, since they do not occur as frequently, at least from Puerto Rico. One of the reasons why you don't see as much from here, especially the most significant ones, which are the total or ring ones, is because of the limited territorial extension,” he pointed out.
What are the precautions you should take?
To enjoy this event, people must take appropriate precautions, including the use of glasses with filtered lenses that meet or exceed the ISO 12312-2 standard of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). You cannot use the dark glasses that people regularly use to protect your vision against the Sun and its rays.
Irizarry Robles also shared that people can create devices such as solar projectors with household materials. However, it is important that, when creating it, each step is followed meticulously.
(Learn here how to create a projector with a cereal box)
Calendar of the next significant astronomical events for the island
1 / 22 | Photos: This is what the annular solar eclipse looked like around the world. Tourists and locals gathered to watch the annular solar eclipse, called “the ring of fire,” from the Cancun Planetarium in Quintana Roo, Mexico. – Alonso Cupul
- Although these astronomical events will be observed on the island in the coming years, The next significant annular solar eclipse will be in 2038, when the Moon is expected to cover about 88% of the Sun.
- Later, in 2045, Puerto Rico will partially experience a total solar eclipse in which the satellite will cover about 98.5% of the star.. “It is an eclipse that will have totality in several states of the United States, but the line of totality will pass exactly over Dominican Republic. For that reason, it will look so intense from here,” explained Irizarry Robles.
- According to SAC models, The next total solar eclipse that could be observed in Puerto Rico will be on October 17, 2153. If so, the sky will look completely dark for a few minutes. He mentioned that some Puerto Ricans say they saw a total solar eclipse in 1998. However, he clarified that it was not an event of this type, since the Moon covered about 90% of the Sun, and not 100%.