Mexico will witness the astronomical phenomenon of the year. Minutes after noon on Monday, April 8, the Moon will come between the Sun and Earth causing a total solar eclipse, the first of its kind in the country since July 1991. The Moon's shadow will block sunlight completely , giving rise to darkness that will last for a maximum of four and a half minutes. The phenomenon will be visible in a strip of about 200 kilometers wide that will begin its journey in the Mexican Pacific, cross the center of the United States and end in the Atlantic, after traveling through eastern Canada.
Where will the eclipse be seen in Mexico?
The strip of totality of the eclipse where the Moon will completely cover the Sun will enter national territory in Mazatlán, Sinaloa. The umbra will continue its course through the neighboring states of Durango and Coahuila. The phenomenon will darken the sky in both Nazas, Lerdo, Durango and Gómez Palacio (Durango); such as Torreón, Cuatro Ciénegas, Monclova, Ciudad Acuña and Piedras Negras (Coahuila).
In the rest of the country, the phenomenon will be visible as a partial eclipse, with the shadow of the Moon partially covering the sunlight to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the distance of the observer from the strip of totality. In Monterrey, for example, the proximity to the strip will cause 95% coverage of sunlight, an effect similar to the 91% that Chihuahua will experience or the 90% in Guadalajara. In the center and south of the country, the phenomenon will be less visible: in Mexico City, the lunar shadow will cover the Sun by 74%, in the port of Veracruz 65% and in the capital of Oaxaca, the solar disk will appear a 61% covered.
Times and path of the eclipse in Mexico by city
CITY | MAXIMUM POINT (LOCAL TIME) |
MAXIMUM DARKNESS (PERCENTAGE OF SOLAR DISC COVERED) |
---|---|---|
Acapulco Guerrero | 12.07 | 70% |
Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes | 12.13 | 91% |
Campeche, Campeche | 12.31 | 52% |
Cancun Quintana Roo | 13.41 | 46% |
Chetumal, Quintana Roo | 13.33 | 42% |
Chihuahua, Chihuahua | 12.20 | 91% |
Chilpancingo, Guerrero | 12:09 | 71% |
Mexico City | 12.14 | 75% |
City Juarez Chihuahua | 12.25 | 82% |
Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas | 12.22 | 87% |
Colima, Colima | 12.06 | 87% |
Cuernavaca, Morelos | 12.13 | 74% |
Culiacan, Sinaloa | 11.11 | 97% |
Durango, Durango | 12.14 | 100% (totality) |
Ecatepec, State of Mexico | 12.14 | 75% |
Guadalajara Jalisco | 12.09 | 90% |
Guanajuato, Guanajuato | 12.13 | 85% |
Hermosillo, Sonora | 11.13 | 77% |
La Paz, Baja California Sur | 11.05 | 91% |
León, Guanajuato | 12.13 | 87% |
Mazatlan Sinaloa | 11:09 | 100% (totality) |
Merida Yucatan | 12.35 | 53% |
Mexicali, Baja California | 11.13 | 58% |
Monclova, Coahuila | 12.24 | 100% (totality) |
Monterrey, Nuevo Leon | 12.24 | 95% |
Morelia, Michoacan | 12.11 | 82% |
Nazas, Durango | 12.17 | 100% (totality) |
Oaxaca, Oaxaca | 12.13 | 61% |
Pachuca, Hidalgo | 12.16 | 75% |
Piedras Negras, Coahuila | 13.29 | 100% (totality) |
Puebla, Puebla | 12.15 | 71% |
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco | 12.06 | 96% |
Querétaro, Querétaro | 12.14 | 82% |
Saltillo Coahuila | 12.22 | 96% |
San Luis Potosí, SLP | 12.16 | 88% |
Tepic, Nayarit | 11.08 | 97% |
Tijuana Baja California | 11.11 | 55% |
Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala | 12.15 | 72% |
Toluca, State of Mexico | 12.13 | 76% |
Torreon, Coahuila | 12.19 | 100% (totality) |
Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas | 12.19 | fifty% |
Veracruz, Veracruz | 12.19 | 65% |
Villahermosa tabasco | 12.22 | 53% |
Xalapa, Veracruz | 12.18 | 69% |
Zacatecas, Zacatecas | 12.15 | 94% |
How does a total solar eclipse occur?
Solar eclipses occur when the Moon gets in the path of sunlight to Earth. On average, two partial eclipses of this nature occur on the planet every year; However, total solar eclipses, those in which the umbra (the darkest part of the lunar shadow) entirely covers the solar disk in a specific path, called the strip of totality, occur every 1.5 to two years. Even more complicated is for a total eclipse to occur twice at the same point on the planet. According to Primoz Kadjic, a researcher at the UNAM Institute of Space Sciences, it takes about 375 years on average to watch a second solar eclipse in the same place where one occurred. Hence, for each total solar eclipse, thousands of people are willing to travel dozens and even thousands of kilometers to witness the phenomenon, although the darkness of its total phase is barely noticeable for a few minutes.
The movement of the Moon around the Earth determines whether a solar eclipse is total or annular. On average, the distance that separates both stars is 384,400 kilometers; However, our natural satellite moves closer or farther away depending on where it is located in its orbit. When the Moon reaches the farthest point of its orbit from the Earth (apogee) it appears slightly smaller in the night sky, while at the closest point (perigee) it appears larger. The ellipse that it describes around our planet is to blame for this phenomenon: according to NASA, the distance between the Moon and the Earth during an average apogee is 405,000 kilometers, while at perigee, both stars are located about 363,000 kilometers. This variation, which can range up to 50,000 kilometers, is the key to knowing if the Moon will completely hide the Sun (total eclipse) or if the perimeter of the solar disk will cause a ring of light around the Moon, as happened in the October 2023 annular eclipse visible in the Yucatan Peninsula.
How to see the solar eclipse safely?
The best way to see an eclipse is through special lenses or optical instruments such as telescopes or binoculars with previously installed solar filters. Otherwise, looking directly at the Sun or doing so without adequate protection can cause temporary or permanent eye damage. Regular sunglasses, glass bottles, cellophane, x-rays, cameras, and telescopes or binoculars without solar filters are not safe for looking directly at the Sun.
The only time it is safe to view a solar eclipse without protection is during totality, that is, when the Moon completely blocks sunlight and produces momentary darkness. Outside of the strip of totality that will cover some cities in Sinaloa, Durango and Coahuila, in the rest of the country it will be necessary to use special lenses at all times to look at the astronomical phenomenon.
Where to get glasses to see the eclipse in Mexico?
E-commerce giants like Amazon and MercadoLibre offer lens packages in pairs, dozens, and even hundreds; However, delivery time is a disadvantage that increases as the eclipse approaches. Before purchasing online, it is necessary to verify that the lenses comply with the ISO 12312-2 certificate, an international standard that conforms to the opacity values necessary to safely look directly at the Sun.
In Mexico City, the Secretariat of Citizen Security announced the sale of special glasses manufactured by inmates in penitentiary centers in the capital. The glasses are on sale for 88 pesos at the police headquarters, located in the Cuauhtémoc mayor's office.
Within the totality zone, the Planetarium of Torreón (Coahuila) offers both special lenses and viewers to take photographs using a cell phone or camera for 90 and 70 pesos, respectively. In Mazatlán (Sinaloa), the local government will deliver about 200 thousand glasses to residents and tourists, both in the Municipal Palace and in other modules located in designated observation areas. If you cannot get special lenses, the only safe alternative to look at the eclipse directly is to do so through a welding filter with an opacity of number 14.
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