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This Monday at noon the eyes of the world will turn to Latin America, where you can see a solar eclipse that only in some areas of Chile and Argentina will be total, an unusual phenomenon that will provide astronomers with an opportunity to spread information about the universe.
During 24 minutes, the new Moon will pass over the face of the Sun and will completely cover for no more than 120 seconds, a phenomenon that has been described by NASA as a “heavenly coincidence”.
The eclipse will last for almost three hours, starting at 11:39 am and ending at 14:30. However, at 13:01 you can see the exact moment when our natural satellite will cover the star.
The interesting thing will be to observe the solar corona, the glow around the Sun dwarfed by the Moon, which on this occasion will be much more asymmetric than on other occasions, explained the astronomer Hugo Messias, member of the ALMA observatory, the largest in the world, located in the Atacama Desert, north of Chile.
In addition, the expert detailed, this will be a unique occasion for scientists It will be an opportunity for them to observe the magnetic fields leaving the poles of the Sun.
“A phenomenon like this too it will help us researchers to transfer astronomical reality to people’s daily lives“, he added in a virtual press conference.
The event can be partially observed in several South American countries such as Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay or Paraguay, but It will be in Chile and Argentina where it can be seen in its entirety.
In Chile, one of the places with the cleanest skies in the world for stellar observation, the most suitable areas to observe the eclipse are located in the south of the country, in the regions of La Araucanía, Los Ríos and Biobío.
According to experts’ estimates, in the Biobio 94% will be seen; in The lakes visibility will be 93%; in Ñuble 92% will be seen; at Maule and O’Higgins 87% and 81%, respectively; Meanwhile in Aysén it will be 79%; and in the regions of Valparaiso and Metropolitan visibility will reach 78%.
What will be the visibility by regions of the solar eclipse? 🤔 This will cross the La Araucanía region and part of the Los Ríos region, being partially visible throughout the national territory 🌒✨ For more information, visit https://t.co/UpYr8KhVvn pic.twitter.com/uOeZDlvrYR
– Government of Chile (@GobiernodeChile) December 12, 2020
With regard to astrophysical research, the north of the country is more convenient, added the astrophysicist from the Autonomous University of Chile, Angie barr, an area that has already established itself as the most important observation point in the world with the inauguration of ALMA in 2011.
This observation center, which has giant optical, submillimetric and microwave instruments, is the largest astronomical project in the world and was born as an international association between Europe, North America and East Asia, in collaboration with Chile.
ECLIPSE IN PANDEMIC
He Jul 2, 2019 Another similar phenomenon took place, with an eclipse that in Chile covered in its entirety from the Region of Coquimbo to the Atacama, in the north of the country and gathered hundreds of thousands of tourists who came from all over the world.
On this occasion, the phenomenon will take place in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemicTherefore, the authorities have already prepared protocols to avoid crowds at key points such as beaches, parks and hills from which there is a good panoramic view.
“We want to have an event that is not tarnished by sanitary restrictions, but that does not pose a risk to the citizens of our region”, he claimed Pia Bersezio, government spokesman for the eclipse.
In order to observe it, it is not necessary to go to a public place, Bersezio recalled, but it can be done in private homes, being essential to protect the eyes with suitable glasses that block ultraviolet and infrared light that cannot be shared to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
“This historical phenomenon will allow us to see how astrotourism becomes even more relevant for our country“, he concluded.
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