On August 21, there will be yet another beautiful solar eclipse. The total solar eclipse will be visible across a stretch of land about 70 miles, from Oregon to South Carolina. Many photographers have geared up for this eclipse and are prepared to take pictures to capture this event.
However, due to the moon slowly moving away from Earth, about 4 centimeters a year, according to a NASA statement, meaning these total solar eclipses will disappear, in about 600 million years. Why is this?
In order for a total solar eclipse to happen, when the moon lines up perfectly between Earth and the sun. The alignment has to be just right, or the eclipse will not happen.
These eclipses occur because the sun and the moon appear to be the same size, though this is not the case. The sun is actually around 400 times bigger than the moon, yet the moon is 400 times closer to Earth, therefore giving the illusion that they are the same size. This means, as the moon moves away, the illusion of the same size will no longer happen, resulting in the end of total solar eclipses.
"Over time, the number and frequency of total solar eclipses will decrease," Richard Vondrak, a lunar scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, said in a statement.
This phenomenon happens, on average, every 18 months. And yet, this year's total eclipse only happens in the same spot every 375 years. So if you live in the 70 mile stretch where the total eclipse is happening this year, you're in luck, because it won't be there for another 375 years.
Now when you go outside to view the total (or partial) eclipse, depending on where you live, make sure you wear protective lenses on your eyes. It's never safe to stare directly at the sun, especially when you don't know when the sun will reappear.
If you plan to take photos, please be aware that it might destroy your devices if you don't use the proper lenses. Without a proper filter, a camera's lens can intensify (and probably will) the sun's light to extreme levels which will lead to the destruction of the internal components of the device.
