On Monday, April 8th a total solar eclipse will darken the skies for those lucky enough to be in the narrow band of land stretching from Texas to Maine. LSU Planetary Astrophysicist Dr. Natalie Hinkel says the northwest corner of Louisiana will have the best view of the celestial marvel.
Importance of protecting your eyes during eclipse
“A total eclipse happens when the moon is at just the right angle, that it blocks out the sun’s light completely on certain places on the earth,” says Hinkel.
For Louisiana, the eclipse will begin around 12:30, with the best totality view around 1:45, and the wonder will end by 3:10, in the Bayou State.
If you can’t make it to the closest locations in Texas or Arkansas that will have a 100% view of the total eclipse, Hinkel says you’ll still want to step outside and check it out. But she warns you not to look directly at the sun unless you have specialized eyewear, not your average sunglasses.
“These are glasses that are set up to protect your eyes so that way you can look at the sun without damaging your eyes. Do not look directly at the sun with your eyes, you need these eclipse glasses,” says Hinkel.
Doing so without appropriate eyewear can cause permanent damage to your retina.
Northwest Louisiana will have a 95% view of the total eclipse, followed by the Lake Charles and Alexandria area at 90%, the Baton Rouge and Lafayette region at 85%, and southeast Louisiana with an 80% view.
If you haven’t purchased your certified eclipse glasses yet, Hinkel suggests visiting eclipse.aas.org.
“Which is a website set up by the American Astronomical Society to help people find reliable, certified, ISO-compliant eclipse glasses,” says Hinkel.
If you miss this solar eclipse the next one that can be viewed from the continental U.S. will be August 23, 2044.
To see eclipse times for your location click here.
Comments