Do You Have Your Glasses?
The total solar eclipse on April 8, will occur when the Moon moves between the Earth and Sun completely obscuring the Sun. During totality, you may view the Sun without proper eye protection, such as solar glasses. But during all other phases of the eclipse, you should only look at the Sun when your eyes are protected.
1 Minute 12 Seconds of Totality
Here in the Gardens, we are fortunate to be within the edge of the totality viewing area.
Safety is the most important thing to consider during any solar eclipse.
Looking directly at the Sun is unsafe except during the brief total phase of a solar eclipse (“totality”), when the Moon entirely blocks the Sun’s bright face, which will happen only within the narrow path of totality (1 minute, 12 seconds here in the Gardens). Before and after totality, the only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” or hand-held solar viewers. Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the Sun.
Solar Eclipse Map
The National Solar Observatory (NSO) is the national center for ground-based solar physics in the United States (www.nso.edu). Below is a link to their website with a GREAT solar eclipse map. You can zoom into any area and find the precise times that the totality of the eclipse will be visible.
As you can see, this may be a good time to plan a visit to your friends or relatives in the Hill Country.
