Total solar eclipses occur once every two to three years. Usually in the middle of nowhere like Antarctica and Greenland. Very rarely does it pass through a populous center, and very rarely does it pass through North America. The last time North America got a solar eclipse was in 2017 and if you think, “well, that’s pretty recent…”, the last solar eclipse before that was in 1979. 39 solar eclipses have occurred in my lifetime but this was the first solar eclipse I had witnessed. (It was cloudy during the 2017 eclipse). I witnessed the solar eclipse Monday and thought it was cool. Totality would’ve been epic, but being able to witness it with the special glasses for the first time made up for it.
Solar eclipses can be classified into two categories, Total solar eclipses where everything goes dark, aka the cool one, and partial solar eclipse, like the one we got yesterday. Total solar eclipses occur in a path, as the earth and moon move, so does the effect on the eclipse on earth. The moon only covered 34% of the sun’s rays here in Salinas, since we were not in the direct path of totality.
As the time for the solar eclipse approached, I’m gonna be honest… I forgot about it, lol. But when I entered physics class at 10:40 am, I heard that the eclipse had started at 10:11 am, was going to reach its 37% maximum eclipse at 11:12 am, and it was going to end at 12:16 pm. I was studying in physics class, then Ms. Lising excitedly told us the max eclipse was happening, and we were given the “special” glasses that we need to wear in order to see eclipses. We stepped out the back door, and I put on the glasses. Everything was pitch black…till I looked up at the sun. A blazing orange perfect circle was being kinda covered by an object. It looked as if you took a bite out of an orange Reese’s pieces cup.
I really enjoyed seeing the eclipse, I thought it was cool to see something that won’t happen in North America for the next 21 years. “I was excited to see it, I was kinda bummed out that I didn’t get to see all of it,” Estrella Santos said, who had seen the eclipse at 12:00pm. “I thought it was cool, I’d never seen it before,” senior Rubi Espinoza said . “It looked like a yellow dot, with a bite mark on it”.
I’m feeling hyped for the next solar eclipse in 2045, being that it will start in California this time, which will mean a much darker solar eclipse and maybe totality, so make sure you set a reminder and buy your glasses early, or you might miss out on a once in a lifetime opportunity.
