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Today ( April 8) , a totalsolar eclipsewill sweep across 15 U.S. states , souse a 115 - mile - broad ( 185 kilometers ) , 10,000 - mile - long ( 16,000 klick ) path into sudden darkness as the moon ’s tremendous shadow glides across the font of the sunlight .
It ’s a cosmic coin trick that has always evoked feeling of both awe and dread in skywatchers down on Earth , and eclipses have beeninterpreted throughout historyas content from gods , bad omens or heralds of close at hand Revelation .
An image of the moon passing in front of the sun.
In the present , scientists fuck a lot more about eclipse ( and are even chase today ’s eclipse down in blue jet planes ) but that does n’t stand for that all of mankind ’s fear around the celestial events have been assuaged .
Thankfully , many of these myths have already been debunked byNASA , including one democratic claim that total solar occultation produce especially harmful beam of light that can cause sightlessness .
Related:2024 solar eclipse mathematical function : Where to see the eclipse on April 8
" During a totalsolar eclipsewhen the disk of the moon fully covers the sun , the brilliant electric glow emits only electromagnetic radiation sickness , though sometimes with a green chromaticity , " NASAwrote in a web log postfor the 2017 Great American Eclipse . The sunlight ’s corona — its hot , out aura — peeks out from around the moon during a total eclipse andwill look spiky , like a hedgehog , due to this radiation .
" Scientists have study this radiation for hundred , " the post reads . " Being a million times fainter than the ignitor from the Lord’s Day itself , there is nothing in the coronal light that could spoil 150 million kilometers of outer space , penetrate our dense atmosphere , and cause cecity . "
This is true during sum , the only time it ’s safe to view the eclipse with bare eyes . But during fond phase angle of the eclipse , when the sun is n’t yet covered up , staring at it can get permanent damage to the retina . Rarely , thisdamage can cause blindness .
— Total solar eclipse April 2024 : The 10 biggest cities within the route of totality
— What is a solar occultation ?
— How to make a solar eclipse spectator to safely watch the total solar eclipse on April 8
NASA notes , since thesun ’s glare can cause this retinal hurt , you should only look at the fond eclipse directlywith certified glassesor indirectly with your owneclipse viewer .
Despite not bring out any specially harmful light , total eclipse do have a noteworthy , brief impact upon the areas they move through , causing temperature to suddenly dropand swarm to stop andeven dissipatein the sky .
