14 DAY TRIAL // This September 13, the Moon will move between Earth and the Sun. The result: a solar eclipse. So, yes, now would be a good time to ready your protective goggles and put special filters on your telescope, if you own one.
Unlike the total solar eclipse that happened back in March, the one scheduled for this coming Sunday will only be a partial one. NASA scientists say that, when its orbit takes it between the Sun and the Earth, the Moon will obscure about 80% of the star's surface.
It won't be enough to turn the day into night, but with the right gear, observers should have no trouble witnessing the silhouette of the Moon traversing the face of the Sun.
The upcoming partial solar eclipse will be visible from southern Africa and much of Antarctica. The NASA animation below shows which regions will get the best view.
“If you're lucky enough to be in one of the areas in the Southern Hemisphere that will see the eclipse, remember that you should never look at the sun directly,”
“A partial eclipse should only be observed by using a telescope with a special solar filter, eclipse glasses, or a pinhole projector,” the space agency advises.
This partial eclipse is of little interest to scientists
While definitely fun to observe, the partial solar eclipse that will happen this Sunday, September 13, is of little importance to scientists. Apparently, they have much bigger fish to fry.
NASA tells us that, in a couple of years, on August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will be visible from a 100-mile-wide (160 kilometers) path cutting diagonally across the US. It is this cosmic event that scientists are counting down the days to.
This is because, during total solar eclipses, the star's atmosphere, which is about a million times dimmer than the Sun's surface, becomes visible in exquisite detail. Hence, it can be studied to better understand solar activity.
