As Moon Eclipses the Sun, Take a Second to Look at the Shadows, And You'll See Something Breathtaking
Millions of spectators will be glaring into the sun — hopefully with protective eye gear — as the moon eclipses it during Monday’s historic event, but some may opt to instead focus on their shadows.
For one, your shadow will look very different during the eclipse.
In fact, WXIN reported that beautiful, crescent-shaped shadows will be visible as the appearances of the sun wanes into a thin crescent, according to an interview with the American Astronomical Society.
“Look at your own shadow — notice how you can see the shadows of individual hairs on your head or arms,” the AAS told WXIN.
Experts reportedly say something called a “pinhole camera effect,” which allows light through a tiny hole in a screen, is what causes anything that can cast a shadow to create the effect of the crescent shadows.
Trees will be especially prone to casting this type of shadow on Monday.
Sunlight filtering through the branches of trees will create a field of crescent-shaped light on the sidewalk below it. It’s the pinhole camera effect, multiplied naturally hundreds of time underneath each tree. #SolarEclipse2024 pic.twitter.com/LMbWinQITL
— hilary roberts (@hrob57r7) April 4, 2024
Partial solar eclipse viewing. Trees give a great pinhole camera effect. 😀 pic.twitter.com/BQlQ9jtUwu
— Heli Juottonen (@helijuottonen) June 10, 2021
“The change in lighting makes shadows look sharper on the ground, so it’s possible to see individual hairs on your head in your shadow,” according to the Cooperation through Education in Science and Astronomy Research, which is a joint educational program developed by the European Space Agency.
Tree leaves seemingly form a pinhole camera effect. #eclipse pic.twitter.com/gwSzgX55LX
— Kevin J. Jones (@kevinjjones) August 21, 2017
CESA further noted that any shadows on the ground will likely appear sharper as the apparent size of the sun shrinks and the moon closes in over it.
“The tiny gaps in the leaves will act like multiple pinhole cameras, projecting the Sun’s image to the ground,” CESA said.
NASA has created a graphic to help anyone interested see the path of the April 8 total eclipse.
And for anyone who wishes to view the total eclipse from the security of their own home, you can watch it here.
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