Another Eclipse Is Coming This Week. Here ’s What to Know About the Partial Solar Eclipse

The second solar eclipse in six months is coming later this week. The partial solar eclipse will be visible in Antarctica and a sliver of southern South America, experts say. Skygazers in Uruguay, Argentina, southern Chile, far western Paraguay, far southern Brazil and Antarctica can see the celestial event on Thursday, Feb. 15 for up to about two hours, according to Ernie Wright, a programmer in the Scientific Visualization Studio at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. While a partial solar eclipse is not nearly as remarkable as a total solar eclipse, keen spectators wearing the proper protective eyewear will be able to notice a change in the sun’s shape. It comes on the heels of a total lunar eclipse on Jan. 31. Here’s what to know about the partial solar eclipse: Photo courtesy NASA’s Ernie Wright What is a partial solar eclipse? A partial solar eclipse happens when the moon only blocks a portion of the sun. It’s different from a total solar eclipse, which occurs when the moon completely blocks the sun, momentarily engulfing some areas on Earth in sudden darkness. The U.S. experienced a total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, which made history for being the first total solar eclipse seen only in the United States since the nation’s birth in 1776. What will we see during the partial solar eclipse? You won’t be able to notice much about Thursday’s partial solar eclipse, even if you live in Antarctica and the parts of South Ame...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized onetime space Source Type: news