By Rebekah Sherman
On Monday, April 8, 2024, North America was treated to a rare natural phenomenon: a total solar eclipse. The path of the total solar eclipse – also known as the path of totality – allowed millions of people to view this spectacular event. The path of totality began in Mexico, crossed into Texas, then moved through parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine before heading into Canada. The remaining 35 states in the contiguous U.S. experienced a partial solar eclipse.
“We are on the brink of experiencing a partial eclipse with 93.8% of the sun being covered by the moon, happening this Monday, April 8,” said Kristine C. Goodwin, Esq., Vice President and Chief Experience Officer at Western New England University. “In our region, the eclipse will begin around 2:13 p.m. with the peak at 3:27 p.m. and ending at 4:37 p.m.”
Approximately thirty-two million people in the United States were within the 115-mile-wide path of the total solar eclipse. People who viewed the total solar eclipse experienced the sky darkening similar to the dimness during dusk or dawn. Depending on the weather, people who viewed the solar eclipse were able to see the Sun’s corona, the Sun’s outer atmosphere, which the Sun’s brightness usually conceals.
The website greatamericaneclipse.com projected that between 1 and 4 million people would travel to see the eclipse on April 8. One of those who did travel was Dr. Karl M. Martini, Professor of Physics and Assistant Dean for Graduate and Part-Time Programs at Western New England University. Martini was near the Canadian border to experience totality.
While Martini’s scientific curiosity spurred him to view the phenomenon, he noted that total solar eclipses don’t need to be seen by scientists on the ground. There’s “very little scientific return nowadays,” he said. In fact, “we can [get data] with satellites better” than we can from watching an eclipse from Earth.
But gaining scientific knowledge isn’t the only reason to see a total solar eclipse. These phenomena, he said, are “more a cultural/religious event than anything else. [This] has been so since the beginning of civilization, maybe even before.”
Still, science is important for helping people view the eclipse without damaging their eyes permanently. “You need to have a safe way to look at the sun, [like an] eclipse viewer,” said Martini. “Use solar eclipse glasses or a projection method, like a pin hole viewer.”
Similar to Martini, Goodwin also advised students to take safety measures to view the partial solar eclipse in a university email on Thursday, April 4, 2024. “Viewing the sun’s rays, even when mostly obscured, without the right protection can lead to “eclipse retinopathy,” a condition akin to a sunburn on the retina. This can cause irreversible damage to our eyesight, including permanent vision loss,” said Goodwin. “To ensure that everyone can enjoy this event without risking their health, we urge you not to use ordinary sunglasses or any device that does not meet the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard for direct sun observation. Instead, please make sure to use approved eclipse glasses or viewers that comply with these safety guidelines.”
Although the view of a partial and total solar eclipse is spectacular, it is important to remember to protect oneself and others from potential harm, which is why it is wise to follow the safety measures that Martini and Goodwin suggested for the future.
The next time a total solar eclipse sighting will occur in the United States is August 2044. However, if you or anyone you know has missed the opportunity to look at the partial or total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, or are interested in learning more about the partial and total solar eclipse, feel free to log onto NASA’s website, https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/, to view a 3D visualization of the total eclipse or to watch NASA’s official broadcast.
