And EcTotal Solar lipse that was visible this Monday in Mexico, the United States and Canadaattracted the attention of millions of people, who saw in this celestial phenomenon a scientific, economic and even sentimental opportunity, and left spectacular images.
The event was first visible on the west coast of Mexico, starting at 3:00 p.m. (Argentine time). The path then crossed 15 US states, from Texas to Maine, before ending its journey in eastern Canada. It had its most important point, the total solar eclipse, 3:32 p.m.when the entire region was completely dark.
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Several regions declared a “state of emergency” to better cope with the influx of visitors and the authorities developed safety instructions, in particular the need to use special glasses to look at the Sun and avoid eye damage.
This year’s totality path was 185 kilometers wide and included a region where they live almost 32 million Americans. Another 150 million live within 320 km of the strip and those further away were able to enjoy a partial eclipse.
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The total eclipse, which was broadcast live by NASA for three hours, occurred when the Moon was positioned exactly between the Earth and the Sun, temporarily blocking its light in broad daylight. The Sun is about 400 times larger than the Moon, but it is 400 times farther away, so they both appear similar in size.
While on Earth many hotels saw their reservations exhausted with exorbitant prices and there were traffic jams in dozens of states, the astronauts of the International Space Station will see the shadow of the Moon crossing the surface of the Earth. Many schools closed or allowed students to leave early.
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The event is also of scientific interest, as NASA launched three small sounding rockets before, during and just after the eclipse from Virginia, in the eastern United States, with the aim of measuring the changes caused by the darkness above. of the Earth’s atmosphere, the ionosphere, through which a large part of the communication signals pass.
Total solar eclipses offer “incredible scientific opportunities,” NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said at a news conference this week about the celestial event.
The total eclipse also gave scientists the opportunity to study changes in part of Earth’s upper atmosphere known as the ionosphere, important because it affects radio waves used for communication and navigation.
“Disturbances in this layer can cause problems with GPS and communications,” said Kelly Korreck, director of the eclipse program at NASA Headquarters. The ionosphere, which is where Earth’s atmosphere meets space, is affected by the Sun, which electrically charges particles there during the day.
The next total eclipse visible in the United States (excluding Alaska) will take place in 2044. Before that, there will be a total eclipse in Spain, in 2026.
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