A tremendous, lustrous figure crosses over the unyielding giant, lowering temperatures, shrouding the world in darkness, and silencing animals.
Solar eclipses occur when the moon covers the sun, leaving a shadow on the earth. Lunar eclipses are somewhat common events, while solar eclipses are a bit more rare, usually occurring only twice a year. However, they are only visible in specific parts of the world, and only to a certain extent. According to Aparna Kher’s article titled, “How Often Does a Solar Eclipse Occur?”, the solar eclipse that occurred on Oct. 14th, 2023 was 60% visible in Memphis, Tenn. Despite the lack of visibility, many Memphians still watched it.
“I saw the eclipse at my house … between twelve and one [in the afternoon],” Anthony McGuire (12) said. “I kept going outside [to check] on it.”
There are two main types of eclipses: solar and lunar. Types of solar eclipses include both total and annular eclipses. The Oct. 14th eclipse was an annular eclipse, and the Aug. 21st and Apr. 8th eclipses are considered to be total eclipses. Annular eclipses form a “ring of fire” that looks like a glowing ring in the sky with a black circle in the middle. The ring is only visible in certain areas of the world, and only lasts for a matter of seconds. Total eclipses have five key features, “shadow bands,” the “diamond ring” effect, visibility of the Sun’s corona, Baily’s beads and visibility of the Sun’s chromosphere. These sights then reappear in reverse order, ending the eclipse.
“[The eclipse] looked pretty cool,” Saphe Khader (11) said. “I was staring at it for like 10 [or] 15 minutes.”
During an eclipse, temperatures drop and animals often fall silent. The immediate darkness drops temperatures in affected areas as the Sun’s heat cannot reach the Earth as much. It can also confuse animals, causing birds to stop chirping and other animals to prepare to sleep.
“My sister was really excited to see it,” McGuire said. “We went outside about 5 times within the span of … 30 minutes [of] seeing the moon pass by. [My sister] was like, ‘look it’s moving, it’s moving.’’’
Using certain types of equipment to view the eclipse is necessary as the sunlight can damage the viewers eyes. These apparatus include special glasses and pinhole projectors. The only way to view an eclipse without any sort of equipment is when an eclipse is at its totality, which is when the Moon completely covers the Sun, but this lasts anywhere from seconds to minutes.
“I was at the … Benjamin L. Hooks Library, and they were giving out the little glasses for it, so I got a pair and … went out to go see it,” Khader said.
The last total eclipse that was visible in North America was on Aug. 21st, 2017. The next is predicted to be on Apr. 8th, 2024. Apr. 8th’s eclipse will be close to totality when viewed in Memphis, but only to the North or West of Memphis, in Jonesboro for example, will it be completely visible.
“I wanted to see [the eclipse] because … I don’t remember seeing [the last eclipse] at all,” Khader said.
