Puerto Ricans will be able to appreciate, although partially, the solar eclipse which will happen on April 8 and that it can be seen, in its entirety, in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
Due to the positions of the sun and the moon at the time of the astronomical phenomenon, residents in the aforementioned states will be able to observe a total solar eclipse, while in Puerto Rico a partial eclipse will be observed. The last time this phenomenon occurred in the United States and the Americas region was in 2017, and the next total solar eclipse that can be seen in the United States will occur in August 2044.
On that occasion, in Puerto Rico the moon covered 80% of the sun.
Miguel Martínez Ledesmaresearcher of Department of Heliophysics of the Goddard Space Flight Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), indicated to The new day that from Puerto Rico a partial eclipse will be seen that will bring with it a slight reduction in temperatures and the intensity of sunlight.
“When there is an eclipse, even a partial one, we will perceive a drop in temperatures… the atmosphere will also be affected by this drop in the energy it receives and then there will be different air masses”explained Martínez Ledesma.
1 / 31 | PHOTOS: See how the solar eclipse graced the sky around the world. From San Antonio. -Eric Gay
As part of this year's event, NASA will launch several rockets in Virginia that will study the ionospherethe layer of the Earth's atmosphere collides with the vacuum of space. The ionosphere receives a constant bombardment of solar radiation that ionizes suspended molecules (molecules lose or gain electrons due to solar radiation) and therefore imparts an electrical charge to them.
This incessant bombardment with solar radiation, according to a NASA article, makes the ionosphere a constantly changing environment. Most launched satellites operate in the ionosphere, as does the International Space Station (ISS).
Looking directly at the sun during a solar eclipse can cause permanent damage to people's vision, so those interested in viewing the partial eclipse should be sure to purchase glasses specifically designed to protect their eyes. Here you can get information and links to stores that sell solar eclipse glasses that comply with the 12312-2 standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
A visual spectacle for those who are in the strip where the total eclipse will be observed
NASA expects that at least 30 million people will be able to appreciate the total eclipse that would begin to be seen in Mexico and, as the day goes by, it will be observed in the aforementioned states.
“We are going to be able to see something that normally cannot be seen, which is the outer part of the sun. Since we have covered what the disk is, what we can see is the corona, which is the outermost part, the area in which the sun emits particles, which is what is known as the solar wind.”revealed Martínez Ledesma.
Due to the solar period we are in in 2024, NASA also expects that solar flares or “emissions of a large amount of energy at very high temperatures” will be generated during the eclipse.
“They are small flares that can be seen at the time of totality (total eclipse), if they occur”detailed the researcher.
As if that were not enough, during the totality you could also see what are known as “Baily beads”.
“They are small moments in which the sun only passes through that valley or crater (on the moon) and lets the light pass through, which gives it the appearance of a little pearl”stated Martínez Ledesma.
People who wish to see the total solar eclipse will be able to appreciate it through a live video available on the portal science.nasa.gov.
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