On August 21, 2017, the Moon completely covered the surface of the Sun. An unprecedented event for decades, since in the United States it crossed the continental territory from coast to coast . Scientists around the world captured the event as an opportunity to study the Sun’s atmosphere, also called the corona, which would not otherwise be visible. In Spain it could be seen from some points of the peninsula, such as from the Teide Observatory, in Tenerife.
About every year and a half a solar eclipse takes place on Earth, but there will be few that happen near where we live. As Martin Pawley, from the Coruñesa Ío Astronomical Association, explains: “Although throughout our lives we live with many eclipses of the Sun, there will be few that take place near where we live. In Spain, for example, total eclipses of the Sun were seen. in 1900, 1905 and 1912, but since then we have not seen any other total , although we have seen several partial ones, such as that of 2015 “.
The next total solar eclipse that we will see in the peninsula will be in 2026. Remember: the only safe way to look at the Sun during an eclipse is through approved filters, such as eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers. Contrary to what we might think, homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe to look at the sun. As Pawley explains, ” homemade tricks are not valid and, of course, neither are sunglasses In the best of cases, these tools reduce the visible brightness of the star a little, but they are transparent to other forms of radiation, with which the danger remains, even increased by the false sense of security that they transmit. ” We don’t want you to take risks!
Understanding the Sun has always been a priority for space scientists. These scientists study how the Sun affects space and space, the environment of the planets. As a source of light and heat for life on Earth, scientists want to understand how our Sun works , why it changes, and how these changes influence life on Earth. The constant flow of solar material and radiation can affect spacecraft, communications systems and astronauts in orbit.
