Costa Rica will have the opportunity to observe a spectacular solar eclipse next Saturday, October 14, 2023. This annular solar eclipse will cover 90% of the sun, which means that the solar disk will appear as a ring of fire around the moon.
“An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon lines up between the Sun and Earth, but at its farthest point from Earth. Since the Moon is farther from Earth, it appears smaller. It does not block the full view of the Sun.
“When the Moon faces the Sun, it will appear as a dark disk on top of a larger bright disk. This creates what looks like a ring around the Moon (also called a ring of fire),” NASA explains on its website.
The climax of the astronomical event will take place between 10:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. and 1:46 p.m. that Saturday, as explained to the newspaper La Nación Alejandra León-Castellá, director of the Cientec Foundation. The phenomenon will last three and a half hours.
However, most of the country will only see a deep partial eclipse, which means that the Moon will occult a large part of the Sun (between 84% and 90%, depending on the observing location) at its maximum. Only in the extreme east of the Caribbean region of the country will the Moon be seen to be completely within the solar disk, which will produce a ring of the Sun around it for a few minutes.
In other words, it will be in the northern and southern Caribbean where the complete phase of annularity can be seen. Some of the places where the phenomenon can be observed include Tortuguero, Puerto Viejo, Cahuita, Manzanillo and other nearby beaches.
The eclipse will begin at 10:15 a.m. and will peak at 12:01 p.m. (when the Moon covers more of the solar disk and annularity occurs). It will all be over by 1:46 p.m. of that Saturday, October 14.
It is important to mention that this is not a total eclipse, since the Moon will be further from Earth in its orbit and its apparent size will be smaller when viewed from our planet. Despite this, it is emphasized that at no time can the phenomenon be seen without protection, since there is a high risk of retinal burns from direct observation of the Sun.
The Caribbean will see the show in the front row
As Cientec explains, the Caribbean will be the area of the country where the celestial spectacle will be best seen, but what is the reason?“The Sun will be covered between 84 and 90% throughout the country. There will be a privileged area, the Caribbean, especially to the east, because it is within what is known as the annularity strip. This means that in the Caribbean you will be able to see how, practically, the Moon covers the Sun, it only leaves a little border around it, causing what is known as a “ring of fire”; that is, it will be seen as a luminous ring around the Sun covered by the Moon”, León-Castellá explained.
Thus, the Solar Eclipse will begin to be seen in Tortuguero at about 10:15 a.m., reaching its maximum point at 12 noon.While the amazing show will start at 10:18 am.in Manzanillo, Cahuita, all of Limón east and Puerto Viejo.The peak of this amazing event will occur at 12:05 p.m., before culminating around 1:46 p.m.
Sale of special filters
Alejandra León-Castellá emphasized that, even with certified solar filters, an eclipse should be observed for only five seconds and rest for at least 20 seconds.This is because when the environment darkens and the use of filters causes a dilation of the iris that can allow more light and radiation to enter the retinas.
Cientec plans to sell certified sunscreens that comply with ISO 12312-2:2015 and are made of scratch-resistant silver-black polymer, capable of filtering 100% of ultraviolet radiation, 100% of infrared and 99.99% of visible light intensity.
These devices will generate a clear, orange-toned image of the Sun and will be available for sale starting in April at a price of ₡ 2,260 per unit (including value added tax).
Those interested can write to the following form and coordinate their withdrawal to the numbers 22804561 and 8925-6977 or delivery by Correos de Costa Rica, with additional expenses.
