Total Solar Eclipses
- RRHS ScienceNHS
- Mar 3, 2024
- 1 min read
Updated: Apr 3, 2024
By: Catherine Tu
On April 8th, North America will witness a rare celestial event: a total solar eclipse. As the moon travels between Earth and the sun, it will momentarily obscure the sun’s light. This phenomenon will give rise to the diamond-ring effect, characterized by a ring of light emanating from behind the moon resembling a diamond ring. Another captivating sight during this eclipse will be the Bailey’s beads effect, which, like the diamond ring effect, is exclusive to total and annular solar eclipses.
Due to the moon’s topography, fragments of the sun’s disk are allowed to peek through, creating a bejeweled appearance. For Austin residents, the eclipse will become noticeable by 12:33 pm, with the period of totality occurring between 1:32 and 1:41 pm. However, it’s essential to exercise caution during this spectacle, as the sun’s UV rays can cause retinal damage with prolonged direct exposure. Therefore, it’s important to use eclipse glasses (which reduce sunlight to safe levels by blocking them) to observe this rare occurrence. Total solar eclipses are surprisingly not rare; they occur every 18 months. However, because only small areas of Earth can experience each totality, in the long run, a specific location can only experience a total solar eclipse roughly once every 360 years.
I thought that the explanation of the diamond-ring and Bailey’s beads effects was very interesting since it connects the moon’s uneven surface to what we actually see during totality. The comparison between how often total solar eclipses occur throughout the world versus how rarely they can be seen from 1 location was also important. I thought it was pretty surprising that total solar eclipses happen every 18 months, but can only be seen from 1 location every ~360 years!
I think what makes it so fascinating is that something so rare for one place, only once every few centuries, can pass by in just a few minutes. The diamond ring and Bailey's beads effect sound incredible. I was also very surprised to find out that the period of totality during a solar eclipse only lasts for 9 minutes.
I never realized that these types of solar eclipses happen more often than we think! It's super cool to know that every 18 months a certain place around the world gets to experience such an amazing event while we can just be going about our daily lives unaffected!
I never realized that these types of solar eclipses happen more often than we think! It's super cool to know that every 18 months a certain place around the world gets to experience such an amazing event while we can just be going about our daily lives unaffected!
I find it very interesting how rare total solar eclipses are and the various shapes that sun light escaping from the edges of the moon can form diamond rings. Another intriguing thing about the total solar eclipse that will occur on April 8th is that the moon is much closer to the Earth at this time, so it will cover the Sun more completely and therefore increase totality and therefore it'll be dark for almost 4 minutes.