Solar eclipse 2024: where, when and how to observe it ?

“Solar eclipse 2024: where, when and how to observe it?”

SUN ECLIPSE. This Monday, April 8, 2024, a solar eclipse will be visible across the Atlantic. From which countries exactly and à what time ? How to observe it live in France ?

[Mis à day April 5 2024 à 3:28 p.m.] This Monday, April 8, North America is ready to take off. experience an incredible spectacle in the sky. The 15th total eclipse of the 21st century will be visible on this continent, over a perimeter of approximately 185 kilometres. egrave, starting in western Mexico and ending in eastern Canada crossing the United States. nbsp;from south to northeast.

A total solar eclipse is an extremely rare spectacle that occurs when the Moon is perfectly aligned with the Earth and the Sun . The show will perform in the afternoon, offering an incredible celestial experience, worthy of any audience. an end-of-the-world scenario: in fact, the total solar eclipse will plunge certain regions into black night for nearly 4 minutes!  

Europe unfortunately will not be able to enjoy the show. If in France, the next total solar eclipse will not occur before September 3, 2081, it will be possible to follow the eclipse ;online event. On which sites ? And how to explain the phenomenon of total, annular or partial solar eclipse? Find out everything.

The next solar eclipse will be total and will fall on Monday, April 8, 2024. It will begin near the Pacific coast of Mexico near Mexico. 11:07 a.m. PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) or 8:07 p.m. French time, and will end on the Atlantic coast of Canada &agrav; 5:16 p.m. NDT (Newfoundland Daylight Time) i.e. 9:46 p.m. French time. Astronomy lovers, you can follow the show of the clip broadcast live on NASA's YouTube channel and on the Timeanddate website. com. 

Between the partial and total eclipse, the annular eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are perfectly aligned with the Earth but the apparent size of the Moon is slightly smaller than that of Earth. that of the Sun. This then forms a bright ring surrounding the lunar disk. The next annular eclipses will be completely visible from France on the following dates: November 5, 2059. nbsp;since February 27, 2082.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Earth, Moon and Sun are perfectly aligned in the same plane. The Moon then projects its shadow on the Earth, thus masking the Sun, and plunging part of our planet into darkness for a few minutes. 

The Earth revolves around the Sun in a plane called the 'cliptic plane'. The Moon on its side orbits the Earth in another plane. Thus, &agrav; the new moon, when our satellite is located between the Earth and the Sun, it is generally not aligned perfectly with them. This is why there is no solar eclipse at all. each new moon. Exceptionally, all the conditions are met: Earth, Moon and Sun are aligned in this order on the plane of the planet. cliptic. A solar eclipse then occurs.

A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Earth-Moon-Sun alignment is not perfect, when the Moon passes slightly above or below -below the Earth-Sun alignment. The Moon hides only a piece of the Sun, which is not enough to completely darken the sky. "To begin à have a feeling of darkness in the sky, à To perceive a sort of cold light, you need at least 95% obscuration of the Sun, precise to AFP Florent Deleflie, astronomer à the Paris Observatory. This astronomical phenomenon of partial solar eclipse, which occurs when the Sun, Moon and Earth are imperfectly aligned, does not darken the sky and can only be observed with adequate protection, otherwise it will burn “irreversible retinal defects”, warns Florent Deleflie, of the Paris Observatory.

Ésolar eclipse in a cloudy sky © alexander rieber/EyeEm – stock.a

On Tuesday October 25, 2022, a partial solar eclipse was visible in the sky in France. Nevertheless, the Sun had not been there. hidden in the same way depending on the region. Indeed, it was in the east of the country that the partial eclipse was most visible. À Strasbourg, the obscuration rate was almost 20%. Even at the maximum of the eclipse, at – above Kazakhstan, the Sun was hidden &agrav; more than 80%. An insufficient figure to have a perception of darkness. in broad daylight, since obscuration of at least 95% of the Sun is required. Discover the most beautiful photos of this solar eclipse. ;agrave; around the world:

Find all the dates of the next total solar eclipses in the world, but also partial and annular solar eclipses in France, in our file below. 

The next solar eclipses visible from France will be partial. A partial eclipse gives see only part of the Sun obscured by the Moon. They will be visible in France on the following dates:  on 29&March 2025 and on 12&août 2026. 

An extremely rare phenomenon, a total solar eclipse only occurs when the Sun, Moon and Earth are perfectly aligned. ;nbsp;French astronomy enthusiasts will have to be patient. The next total solar eclipse in France will take place on September 3, 2081, followed by a second complete eclipse on September 29, 2090. In the meantime, it will still be possible to see the Moon partially obscure the Sun.

If you want to enjoy the spectacle of a total solar eclipse in Europe, you will have two chances to see one…&nbsp ; In 6 years! On August 12, 2026 first, darkness will cover the north of Spain and part of Iceland. This total solar eclipse will only be partially visible in France. The following year, August 2, 2027 , a second total eclipse will be visible at the far south of Spain. If you stay in France, you will still be able to enjoy a very beautiful partial eclipse. < /p>

To observe a solar eclipse à with the naked eye, it is imperative to wear special glasses. Classic sunglasses are not sufficient to protect the retina. During the eclipse, with the decrease in luminosity, the pupils will tend to dim. to dilate. At the moment when ù If the sun suddenly reappears, serious retinal damage may occur. These burns are not painful, so you should be particularly careful of them.

Tricks like watching the eclipse through a CD or à through smoked glass are not effective. To protect your eyes and make the most of the eclipse, go to an astronomy club where you can watch the eclipse. you will be able to observe the eclipse indirectly by projection. The simplest solution: make a small hole in a piece of cardboard, point it towards the sun and observe the projected eclipse. Please note that glasses allowing you to observe the eclipse without danger are available for around 2 euros. It is also possible to buy them in shopping centers or in stores like Nature et Découverte, or to order them on the Internet. All the tips are in our file below: