Doing anything Thursday afternoon? Have a few minutes to spareThere’s a partial eclipse of the Sun visible across much of North America and of Mexico you might like to catch. For observers in the U.S. and Canadian West the whole event begins and ends in the afternoon before sunset. Those living east of the Great Plains will see the Sun set while still in eclipse.
Solar eclipses occur when the Moon glides between the Earth and the Sun, temporarily blocking it from view. Total solar eclipses get most of the attention because the Earth- Moon-Sun alignment is perfect. Like a snug lid on a pot, the Moon blanks out the Sun completely to create a dramatic spectacle of a black, fire-rimmed disk set in a plush solar corona.
Partial eclipses happen because the Moon’s orbit is tipped a few degrees to the Sun-Earth line. Most months, it passes north or south of the Sun and misses it completely. But during a partial eclipse, the Moon’s close enough to that line to partially block the Sun from view. Unlike a total eclipse, all phases of a partial eclipse are unsafe to view unless you use a safe solar filter or view it indirectly via projection.
As you can see from the map, nowhere will this eclipse be total. Maximum coverage will happen in Nunavut Territory in northern Canada where the musk oxen might catch sight of a fat solar crescent 81% covered by the moon at sunset. The farther north you live in the U.S. or Canada, the deeper the eclipse. Northern U.S. states will see around 60% covered compared to 40% in the deep south.
In Duluth, Minn. for example, the eclipse begins at 4:21 p.m., reaches a maximum of about 65% at 5:33 p.m. and continues into sunset at 6:06 p.m. Since the sun will be low in the western sky from many locations, be sure to get a spot with a wide open view in that direction.To find out times and coverage for your city, use these links:
* U.S. Cities
* Cities in Canada and Mexico
Solar filters come in a variety of styles from inexpensive eclipse glasses that use an optical polymer to glass welder’s filters to caps you place over the front end of a telescope. It’s important to use the correct kind – don’t stack a bunch of sunglasses and figure “it’ll do” or look through smoked glass. They still allow dangerous UV and infrared light to pass through and will mess up your retinas for life.
Because we’re on the heels of the eclipse, if you don’t already have a pair of eclipse glasses I recommend a #14 welder’s glass. It’s my favorite actually because it’s easy to stuff in a pocket and heavy-duty enough to take a few dings. You can pick one up for a few dollars at a welding supply shop. Only buy a #14 – lower numbers won’t cut it.
Projection provides a fine alternative to using a filter. You can mount a pair of binoculars (or small telescope) on a tripod and project the Sun’s image on a sheet of white paper or build your own pinhole projector using the instructions above.
If leaves still cling to your trees this season, the narrow spaces between the leaves act like natural pinholes and will cast multiple images of the eclipsed Sun on the ground below.
You can even place one hand atop the other and let the sun shine through the gaps between your fingers to see the eclipse. Low tech as it gets, but works in a pinch.
Here are some other things to watch for during the eclipse:
* If you live where half or more of the sun will be covered, you may notice a change in the quality of daylight. To my eye, the light becomes “grayer”. What do you see?
* Telescope users will see the mountains and crater rims along the moon’s edge as tiny bumps and projections against the brilliant solar photosphere. You’ll also notice how much blacker moon is compared to sunspots. Guess what? We’ve got a huge sunspot out there right now – Region 2192. Perfect for comparison!
* Those living where parts of the eclipse happen at sunset will get an extra special view of the sun with a big bite out of it right sitting atop the southwestern horizon.
I wish you excellent weather – good luck!
It was neat seeing the moon this morning, knowing that the forecast us for clear skies tomorrow afternoon. I thought that it would be neat to get away with the family but I have to work, driving bus. But, my last student should get off at 4:45, and that is the minute in Sioux Falls for the deepest eclipse. So, I will have my no. 16 dark goggles along for a view, and then continue to sunset. I have one question. If the Moon takes 29 and a half days to make an orbit, which would average just less than 15 days from New to full, how come the lunar in October 8 is 15 days and several hours to the solar tomorrow? Just, a thought on the close fly by of Siding Spring. I imagine that the results would have been devastating, had the comet slammed into one of the small Martian moons.
Edward,
I saw the delightful thin crescent this morning too. I’m going to make an educated guess to your question on moon time. Since perigee was on Oct. 6, much of the past two weeks, the moon’s been heading toward its apogee on the 18th and then slowly coming back since then. Possibly those additional hours come from its decreased speed and increased distance during that time.
The last time I photographed a solar eclipse at a certain point, when the sun is actually below the horizon and we view it as a mirage, the solar filter rendered the image too dark to see. At this point is it appropriate to pop off the filter and adjust the exposure? I wouldn’t look through it with my eye, but to photograph it there is little downside risk. What do you think?
Troy,
You’re right. When the sun is right at the horizon regular solar filters make it too dark for photography. You can either use a neutral density filter or very carefully frame the sun in the camera viewfinder while not looking at it directly. That’s how I took the picture of the eclipsed sun setting. If your camera has a “live view” option, that’s best.
I actually use a telescope and an eyepiece camera so it would be a matter of removing the filter and adjusting the exposure. While I got a lot of images of the eclipse, a band of clouds on the horizon obscured what would have been a glorious setting eclipsed sun so it didn’t come up.