Solar Eclipses
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Solar Eclipse Brochure
In Texas
Texas is known as the home to many things, but over the next year it will lay claim to a rare set of events. There are two eclipses passing though Texas, one an annular eclipse Oct. 14, 2023, the other a total eclipse passing through April 8, 2024.
The annular eclipse will begin along the Pacific coast in Oregon and travel through Texas down to the Gulf Coast. The total eclipse will begin along the Southern Pacific coast and travel through Texas, ending along the Atlantic coast in Canada.
Eclipse Eye Wear and Safety
When looking at the sun you need to make sure you have the correct type of protective eyewear. Looking at the sun without eyewear could cause permanent damage to vision. Viewing through a phone camera, binoculars or a telescope without a solar filter can cause severe eye injury.
Eclipse glasses and solar viewers are safe ways to observe a solar eclipse. Sunglasses are never a safe way to view an eclipse even if they are dark.If you are wearing eclipse glasses, avoid using cameras, binoculars, or other methods of solar viewing, the rays can burn through and can cause significant injury to eyesight.
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During the brief moments of totality in a total solar eclipse solar glasses may be removed by viewers, but only for those in the path of totality of the solar eclipse.
Three Types of Eclipses
Solar eclipses are unique astronomical events. This video explains the three types of solar eclipses.
For those wanting to engage in STEM activities during the annular solar eclipse on Saturday, October 14th, you might want to take part in a citizen science project. There are several ideas on the Eclipse Soundscapes website.
What about animals?
The Texas Tech Center at Junction will have researchers engaged in a variety of experiments during the annular solar event on October 14, 2023. You, too, could participate in simple studies by recording your observations of animals. View this video on What Do Animals Do During a Solar Eclipse for ideas.
Annular Solar Eclipse
October 14, 2023
An annular solar eclipse will cross the Americas on Oct. 14, 2023. This eclipse will be visible across parts of the United States, Mexico and many countries in the South and Central Americas. Millions of people in the Western Hemisphere will get to experience the eclipse.
An annular solar eclipse happens when the moon moves between the sun and Earth while
it is at its farthest point from Earth. Since the moon is farther away from Earth,
it appears smaller than the sun and does not completely cover it. This creates a ring
around the moon that looks like a “ring of fire” in the sky.
The annual eclipse will begin in the United States, traveling from the Oregon coast
to the Texas Gulf Coast, making the eclipse visible from Texas Tech University in
Lubbock and other parts of Texas including TTU Center at Junction between 10:17 a.m
and 1:19 p.m, with the eclipse peak happening at 11:44 a.m.
The annular eclipse will continue to follow a path to Central America, passing over
Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama. In South America, the eclipse will
travel through Colombia before ending off the coast of Natal, Brazil, in the Atlantic
Ocean.
With the eclipse falling Oct. 14, it happens to coincide with Texas Tech University's homecoming, leaving plenty of opportunities for fans attending the festivities ahead of the homecoming football game that day a chance to view the event from Lubbock.
Total Solar Eclipse
April 8, 2024
A total solar eclipse is one in which the moon will completely cover the sun's face. This eclipse is still not safe to look at without specific glasses manufactured for solar viewing.
There will not be another total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until 2044. The If you are not in the path of totality for the solar eclipse, then you will only be able to see a partial solar eclipse.
Total solar eclipses offer unique opportunities for research across multiple fields. For instance, the corona - the sun's outer atmosphere - is usually not visible from earth due to the brightness of the sun's core, and solar eclipses offer rare opportunities for scientists to learn more about the outer edges of the star.
Wildlife biologists also plan to use the eclipses to learn more about wildlife movement ecology and how the short-term lunar events can impact them.
Outreach & Engagement
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