An astronomer’s guide to the solar eclipse
Even during a solar eclipse, it isn’t safe to look directly at the sun. Astronomer Martin Griffiths shares his tips on how to view the solar eclipse safely and what to look out for.
During a solar eclipse, the shadow of the moon moves across the surface of Earth as the moon travels between our planet and the sun. Thanks to a cosmic coincidence – the fact that the sun is both about 400 times larger than the moon and about 400 times as distant – when the two line up just right, they appear the same size and the moon completely covers the disc of the sun in a total eclipse.
Martin Griffiths will be joining our New Scientist Discovery Tour in Spain. Find out more: https://www.newscientist.com/tours/
