The Solar Eclipse

 On Monday, April 8, 2024, the solar eclipse will pass over North America. Crossing over Mexico, The United States, and Canada. It started by crossing over Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. They were the first city to see the solar eclipse at 11:07 a.m. local time. It also passed over 15 US states, Oklahoma, Arkansans, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. We experienced the total solar eclipse; this happens because the moon is closer to earth than usual and it blocks the entire disk of the sun. The solar eclipse has 5 stages, the first stage will be when the moon will begin to pass in front of the sun. The second stage is the second contact, which is what Mexico saw, but Hawaii was able to see a peek of the first stage at 6:27 a.m. local time. The third stage is the totality, and this is when the moon is covering the solar disk. The fourth stage brightening reappears. Fifth stage is when the moon is completely off the suns disk, called the “fourth contact”. A partial solar eclipse occurs when only a part of the sun is obscured by the moon.  This doesn't have the dramatic effect of a total eclipse. An annular eclipse, on the other hand, happens when the moon is too far from Earth to completely cover the sun, leaving a "ring of fire" around the moon. Solar eclipses have fascinated humans and have been in various cultures, often seen as omens. Today, they are celebrated events, with people traveling to different states to see the solar eclipse. Safety is important when looking at a solar eclipse. Directly looking at the sun can cause eye damage, so it's important to use proper solar viewing glasses.