What causes a solar eclipse?
If the moon goes in front of the sun and blocks its light, that’s a solar eclipse, also called eclipse of the sun.
Is there dangerous radiation on the day of an eclipse?
The sun on eclipse day is no different than on any other day. The sun is always dangerous to look at unless you protect your eyes! You wouldn’t stare at the sun any ordinary day, because it would hurt your eyes. If part of the sun is covered on eclipse day, even if only a little of the sun shows, it still can hurt your eyes. During the partial eclipse, you must protect your eyes to watch. Another way to put it – there’s no new or strange radiation on eclipse day, but the ordinary radiation from the sun is too bright to look at without protection.
Can I wear sunglasses to watch the eclipse?
NO, NO, NO! The special eclipse watching glasses are 1000 times darker than sunglasses.
Can I take pictures of the sun with my phone?
Yes, but the camera MUST be protected with a filter.
How different is a TOTAL eclipse from a partial eclipse?
VERY different! A partial eclipse is interesting, fun to watch and take pictures of. You put eclipse- watching glasses over your eyes, and it takes one or two hours (depending on where you are) for the moon to slowly cross in front of the sun. But… A TOTAL eclipse is unbelievable! It is impossible to explain how moving it is to someone who hasn’t seen it. It is so strange! People scream, shout, and celebrate. The sky darkens and the unearthly silver streamers of the sun’s corona stretch across the sky, while pink “flames” – prominences – decorate the sun’s edge. It gets cold. The landscape color changes, and it feels like the ordinary world is ending. All this lasts for just a few minutes. You can see people’s reactions in the Total Eclipse video. Comparing a partial eclipse to a total eclipse is like comparing a photo of the Grand Canyon to being in the canyon, or like comparing hearing a song with earbuds to being at a concert and sitting right in front of the stage! Even animals respond to a total eclipse: whales, dolphins, llamas! ONLY during the total part of the eclipse, do you take off your protective glasses and marvel at the amazing scene.