Partial Solar Eclipse
On August 21 there will be a total solar eclipse of only for the first time in 99 years in the United States. If you are not one of the lucky ones who reside or will be there for tourism, there will be many more ways to watch it in streaming. In Spain, it will be seen only partially. Also, remind all observers that wherever they are, you must wear the regulatory glasses for this.
In Spain, the community that can see the phenomenon with the most intensity is the Canary Islands. In the peninsula, Only part of the partially eclipsed solar disk can be seen from Galicia. If you reside in any other place in Europe, it will not be visible, the best place for the European continent will continue to be Galicia. People who choose to see it live, it will be visible at sunset. You can see "in the solar disk you can see a small shadow, like a bite," says the astrophysicist from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Miquel Serra.
The next total solar eclipse that we will see in the peninsula will be in 2026
Total Solar Eclipse
We will have to wait a bit for it. Taking into account that there have been no total eclipses of the Sun since 1900,1905 and 1912. Since then, no total eclipses have been seen, only partial, like the one in 2015.
Remember especially that only approved glasses and filters They are the ones for those who want to see it. No homemade products, and not even glasses that say "they are very dark!" It is one thing for the filter we intend to see to be dark, and the other to actually "filter" the rays. We could find a case of a very dark filter, but it does not filter ultraviolet rays. If we look at the Sun, or any other source of light, we would find that our pupil would be much more dilated than it would be if we did not wear those glasses. So, precisely carrying a non-approved filter would cause even more damage in our eyes that if we did not take it. This is the great risk. The false security we can trust by believing that everything is not so transparent.
How does a total or partial solar eclipse occur?
Annular Solar Eclipse
It is the phenomenon that occurs when the Moon hides the Sun, seen from Earth. This can only happen during the new moon (Sun and Moon in conjunction). It is the lunar phase in which the Moon is exactly between the Earth and the Sun. In other words, its illuminated hemisphere cannot be seen from our planet, only an illuminated halo is seen. A solar eclipse can be observed in three different ways.
Total Solar Eclipse
Without a doubt the most spectacular to see. In its band of totality the Moon totally covers the SunOutside that band the eclipse is partial. It is observable for all those who are within the cone of shadow projected by the Moon to the Earth. It measures about 270km (the total eclipse zone), and is traveling at a speed of 3.200km / h in an easterly direction. The total eclipse is observable in an interval between 2 and 7 minutes. In total, the whole phenomenon lasts about 2 hours.
Annular Solar Eclipse
When the Moon is near the apogee and, its angular diameter is smaller than that of the Sun. In its maximum phase what is observed is the ring of the Sun's disk. This is visible in the part of annularity or antelight. Outside of it the eclipse is partial
Partial Solar Eclipse
The case that we will have in Spain. When we see partially the Moon covering the Sun. It appears as a waning, like a bite.
How to see it in real time?
Finally, for all those who do not have the opportunity to see it live because they are not in the area or due to weather conditions, it will be broadcast from several websites. Among them that of NASA itself.
Link to NASA website from where the live broadcast will be made.
From the San Francisco exploratory
And this for the curious, how do elephants react to the eclipse? Tennessee Elephant Sanctuary