NEW YORK — An exciting celestial event unfolds Saturday across the country – an annular solar eclipse.
Vanessa Murdock from CBS New York interviewed NASA to discuss the exciting start of a significant year in heliophysics.
The spectacle produced when the moon obscures the sun is something that cannot be forgotten. Although the Big Apple did not experience complete darkness during the total solar eclipse in August 2017, the 70% coverage was still highly remarkable and worth the wait.
At sunrise in June 2021, a captivating annular eclipse formed crimson devil horns, and as the sun ascended the horizon, it bore a striking resemblance to a crescent moon.
According to NASA’s Patrick Koehn, this Saturday will witness yet another annular eclipse, commonly known as a “ring of fire” eclipse. This spectacular event will bring joy to millions of people throughout the country, fill social media platforms with awe-inspiring images, and also signify the beginning of an important year for heliophysics.
Koehn, the research and analysis lead for NASA’s Heliophysics Division, mentioned that an exhilarating series of events, spanning approximately fourteen months, commenced with the eclipse on Saturday.
On Saturday, the path of totality stretches from Texas all the way to Oregon. Within our local area, between noon and 3 p.m., the moon will gradually eclipse approximately 25% of the sun.
Jackie Faherty, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History, expressed her enthusiasm for Saturday’s event but shared her lack of excitement over the weather forecast for the same day.
According to Faherty, the presence of a cloud near the sun is the most detrimental factor that can affect an eclipse.
Your First Alert Weather Team is forecasting clouds and then some Saturday.
However, this poses no issue for George Aronson, a dedicated enthusiast of eclipses.
He mentioned that he can watch it online anytime.
Regrettably, your fancy eclipse glasses won’t be put to much use this Saturday. However, make sure not to hide them too deep in the closet, as you’ll definitely need them again on Monday, April 8, 2024.
Faherty emphasized that the upcoming event, a total eclipse, is the one that everyone should make note of on their calendars.
This marks the second major event in the significant year for heliophysics.
“Koehn expressed that there is an undeniable human essence to it, something deeply ingrained.”
According to Faherty, Buffalo and Rochester will experience a total solar eclipse. However, here in the city, the moon will only obscure 90% of the sun. Hopefully, there won’t be any interfering clouds.
In December 2024, Heliophysics’ eventful year reaches its climax as NASA’s Parker Solar Probe achieves its closest encounter with the sun. This remarkable mission aims to collect crucial data that will contribute towards predicting substantial space weather phenomena.
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