The best advice I got for witnessing the amazing solar eclipse
In a world of hype, a total solar eclipse cannot be overhyped.
"On a scale of one to ten, a partial eclipse is a seven," Terry Virts, a former NASA astronaut who experienced his first total eclipse (from down on Earth) in 2017, told Mashable. "And a total eclipse is a million." (A partial eclipse is when just a portion of the sun is blocked by the moon — an interesting experience, but nothing like totality.)
On April 8, 2024, millions like myself experienced the marvel of totality, when the moon completely blocked the sun. Leading up to the event, I received some invaluable advice from space and eclipse experts.
SEE ALSO:Solar eclipses were once extremely terrifying events, experts sayA total solar eclipse won't return to the Lower 48 states for another 20 years. But such an event does happen, somewhere on our planet, every one or two years. Whenever you happen to go to see one in the years or decades ahead, I'd suggest taking these bits of eclipse-wisdom.
Don't try to take pictures on your phone.
Three minutes goes by awfully fast.
Rather than waste a second taking a likely subpar photo, embrace the eerie darkness, the strange animal behaviors, the planets, the sun's corona, and beyond.
"Use those precious few minutes to observe all around you."
"Don't worry about trying to get great photos of it," Richard Fienberg, an astronomer and senior advisor at the American Astronomical Society, told Mashable. "Use those precious few minutes to observe all around you."
A particularly vivid solar prominence seen on the bottom of the moon-covered sun on April 8, 2024.Credit: NASA / Joel KowskyStrive to watch the total eclipse with friends or family.
Most people can't describe their total eclipse experience to me. It's all at once thrilling, disquieting, reflective, and beyond. It's the perfect event to share.
"It's most fun to experience with other people, because of the surprise, and the awe."
"It's most fun to experience with other people, because of the surprise, and the awe," Melissa Barden Dowling, a Roman historian at Southern Methodist University, told Mashable.
Don't fret about weather predictions.
Climatologically, one of the regions with the worst odds for clear skies in early April is Vermont: It's often overcast or rainy in the spring. Yet much of the Green Mountain State had largely clear weather on April 8, 2024, making for an excellent eclipse experience. Weather, as you know, is terribly fickle.
"Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get," Fienberg told Mashable.
"Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get."
Of course, it's fine to chase the best weather as the prediction (about five to seven days out) becomes clearer. But many places with great odds for open skies didn't see much of the eclipsed sun, and vice versa. Sometimes, it's best to let the whims of weather be what they may, drop the atmospheric anxiety, and embrace what we're given along the rare path of totality.
Related Stories
- The amazing total solar eclipse is incredible luck. Here's why.
- What's the big deal about solar eclipses? It's a 'full-body experience.'
- A stunning phenomenon appeared on the sun during the solar eclipse
- If a scary asteroid will actually strike Earth, here's how you'll know
Tweet may have been deleted
Make sure your eclipse glasses are on this list.
In the modern day — rife with scams and devious claims on the internet — purchasing approved solar-viewing glasses can be a murky undertaking. For example, many sellers claim their products are "NASA-approved," but NASA doesn't endorse or promote any such products.
Problem solved: Use the American Astronomical Society's (AAS) carefully vetted list: https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety/viewers-filters.
"We're not going to link to anybody who is making false claims," Fienberg told Mashable. "Not only are we convinced the products are safe, we feel comfortable linking to these companies because they're following good business practices."
You simply don't want to miss a total solar eclipse.
Find a way to get in the path of totality. You won't regret it.
"If it is possible, make the effort and go see this thing."
"If it is possible, make the effort and go see this thing," the former astronaut Virts told Mashable.
(责任编辑:新闻中心)
- Best smart home deals this week
- On Fox News, Donald Trump won the midterms.
- 走进宝兴县戴维小镇采风创作
- Robert Mueller’s investigation will roar back to life now that the midterms are over.
- Doosan scraps controversial Robotics
- Webb scientists haven't found a rocky world with air. But now they have a plan.
- 全省优秀第一书记表扬对象推荐人选公示
- Apple bans app that promoted secret parties during pandemic
- OnePlus has a phone that changes color, and it actually sounds useful
- By a technicality, August's full moon is blue. Here's why.
- Facebook exec warns company not to be anti
- 持续开展绿化美化工作 为城市发展增花添彩
- The polar vortex has been disrupted. What does that bode?
-
How much will PCB's Champions Cup mentors be paid?
ListentoarticleThe Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed five distinguished mentors for the upc ...[详细] -
YouTube’s new 'made for kids' content rules are a good first step
Creators are used to taking a beating from YouTube. They make the content that drives people to the ...[详细] -
With the PlayStation 5’s gameshare feature, you can play your friend or family member’s ...[详细]
-
Here's the real reason Mark Zuckerberg is so afraid of TikTok
Mark Zuckerberg has already made it clear he has no love for TikToK, but we now have an even clearer ...[详细] -
From Prairie Grasslands to Man
The Tree-Planter’s State is not a moniker that Nebraska takes lightly. That’s because what early exp ...[详细] -
Joe Biden calls Zuckerberg 'a real problem' and wants to revoke Section 230
Joe Biden is angry at Facebook — and wants to fundamentally change the internet because of it. ...[详细] -
It's been three months since we started our OLED burn-in test, where we've been using the MSI MPG 32 ...[详细]
-
S. Korea, Indonesia finalize fighter jet costs amid default rumors
South Korea and Indonesia reach a deal on sharing the cost of building a fighter jet together. (Defe ...[详细] -
Norris stuns Verstappen at Dutch GP
ZANDVOORT:McLaren's Lando Norris stormed to victory at the Dutch Grand Prix Sunday, a superb dri ...[详细] -
雅安日报/北纬网讯清明节,不仅是祭拜祖先的传统节日,更是缅怀革命英烈的重要节日。在清明节前夕,我市在网上推出“清明祭英烈”献花寄语活动,广大干部群众可通过登陆雅安文明网、雅安文明有约微信公众号参与。通 ...[详细]
- 50 Places to Eat and Drink Before You Die
- Xiaomi Mi 11 has a Snapdragon 888 chip, 108
- 持续开展绿化美化工作 为城市发展增花添彩
- Trying ‘Dry January’? What to know about apps that claim to help.
- Unionized hospital workers pull out from strike
- Mark Zuckerberg gives up on doing personal 'yearly challenges'
- 21 iPhone shortcuts that'll make your life easier (or more fun)