There are only a few days left before one of the most important astronomical events of the year takes place, a total solar eclipse which promises to be fascinating, even bigger than what those of us who have seen other solar eclipses in the past are used to.
The solar eclipse can be seen from much of northern Mexico, although it can only be seen in its total state in some states. Others will be able to partially benefit from this event, in the morning and noon of Monday April 8. If you want to see the eclipse and photograph it with your smartphone, here’s what you need to know.
When and from where the total solar eclipse will be observed in Mexico
Image: Map by Xavier M. Jubier (Click on the image to access the map website)
The solar eclipse can be observed from much of northern Mexico, although in most territories it is only partially visible. The eclipse will begin between 10:45 a.m. and 11:20 a.m., depending on the city, on Monday April 8. Some states in which it can be observed are Chiapas, Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Baja California and Mexico City, among others, as reported by our colleagues from Xataka México.
Durango, Sinaloa and Coahuila are the states where the total solar eclipse can be observed, with 100% darkening of cities like Mazatlán, Torreón and Monclova. Other areas that will also become completely dark are northern Nayarit, the municipality of Mineral de Cucharas and part of Chihuahua.
The municipality Nazas, with just 4,000 inhabitants, will be the place closest to the point where the total eclipse will last the longest. This is the first time a similar event has been observed in Mexico in more than 30 years, since the 1991 solar eclipse.
States and cities where the solar eclipse can be observed, in local time:
|
State capital |
Start and end of partial eclipse |
Maximum point |
|---|---|---|
|
Aguascalientes / Aguascalientes |
10:54 a.m. / 1:36 p.m. |
12:13 p.m. |
|
Baja California / Mexicali |
11:04 a.m. / 1:26 p.m. |
12:13 p.m. |
|
Baja California Sur / La Paz |
10:49 a.m. / 1:26 p.m. |
12:05 p.m. |
|
Campeche / San Francisco de Campeche |
11:14 a.m. / 1:48 p.m. |
12:31 p.m. |
|
Chiapas / Tuxtla Gutiérrez |
11:04 a.m. / 1:37 p.m. |
12:19 p.m. |
|
Chihuahua / Chihuahua |
11:03 a.m. / 1:41 p.m. |
12:20 p.m. |
|
Mexico |
10:55 a.m. / 1:36 p.m. |
12:14 p.m. |
|
Coahuila/Saltillo |
11:03 a.m. / 1:45 p.m. |
12:22 p.m. |
|
Colima / Colima |
10:47 a.m. / 1:29 p.m. |
12:06 p.m. |
|
Durango / Durango victory |
10:55 a.m. / 1:36 p.m. |
12:14 p.m. |
|
Guanajuato / Guanajuato |
10:54 a.m. / 1:36 p.m. |
12:13 p.m. |
|
Guerrero / Chilpancingo de los Bravo |
10:51 a.m. / 1:31 p.m. |
12:09 p.m. |
|
Hidalgo / Pachuca de Soto |
10:57 a.m. / 1:38 p.m. |
12:16 p.m. |
|
Jalisco/Guadalajara |
10:50 a.m. / 1:32 p.m. |
12:09 p.m. |
|
Mexico / Toluca de Lerdo |
10:54 a.m. / 1:35 p.m. |
12:13 p.m. |
|
Michoacan / Morelia |
10:52 a.m. / 1:34 p.m. |
12:11 p.m. |
|
Morelos / Cuernavaca |
10:54 a.m. / 1:35 p.m. |
12:13 p.m. |
|
Narrated / Tepic |
10:49 a.m. / 1:31 p.m. |
12:08 p.m. |
|
New León / Monterrey |
11:04 a.m. / 1:47 p.m. |
12:24 p.m. |
|
Oaxaca / Oaxaca de Juárez |
10:56 a.m. / 1:34 p.m. |
12:13 p.m. |
|
Puebla / Puebla de Zaragoza |
10:56 a.m. / 1:36 p.m. |
12:15 p.m. |
|
Querétaro / Santiago de Querétaro |
10:55 a.m. / 1:37 p.m. |
12:14 p.m. |
|
Quintana Roo / Chetumal |
11:19 a.m. / 1:47 p.m. |
12:32 p.m. |
|
San Luis Potosí / San Luis Potosí |
10:56 a.m. / 1:39 p.m. |
12:16 p.m. |
|
Sinaloa / Culiacán Rosales |
10:53 a.m. / 1:32 p.m. |
12:11 p.m. |
|
Sonora / Hermosillo |
10:59 a.m. / 1:32 p.m. |
12:13 p.m. |
|
Tabasco / Villa Hermosa |
11:06 a.m. / 1:40 p.m. |
12:22 p.m. |
|
Tamaulipas / Ciudad Victoria |
11:02 a.m. / 1:45 p.m. |
12:22 p.m. |
|
Tlaxcala / Tlaxcala de Xicohténcatl |
10:56 a.m. / 1:37 p.m. |
12:15 p.m. |
|
Veracruz / Xalapa-Enríquez |
10:59 a.m. / 1:39 p.m. |
12:18 p.m. |
|
Yucatan / Mérida |
11:18 a.m. / 1:52 p.m. |
12:35 p.m. |
|
Zacatecas / Zacatecas |
10:55 a.m. / 1:38 p.m. |
12:15 p.m. |
How to protect yourself to see the eclipse
We all want to enjoy an event as spectacular as a solar eclipse, especially if it is a total solar eclipse that will produce total darkness in several cities. But even though this may seem obvious, there is something extremely important to remember: We should not look at the eclipse directly, nor should we allow children to do so..
The correct way to view a solar eclipse is to use glasses or glasses certified according to the international standard ISO 12312-2 and that meet safety standards to be able to observe the eclipse, or a safe portable solar viewer. We should not wear ordinary sunglasses to view the eclipse, no matter how dark they are.
It is also very important that even if you have glasses certified to observe the eclipse, these They cannot have scratches or any type of damage. If so, they no longer meet the safety standards needed to observe the eclipse.
If we don’t have eclipse glasses or an observer on hand, we can use an indirect observation method. For example, make a small hole with a pin in an index card and project an image of the Sun onto a surface, always facing the Sun.
How to photograph the eclipse with your cell phone
Something important that we must take into account when photographing an eclipse is that, in the same way that sunlight is harmful to our eyes, can be very harmful to camera sensorsthis includes the camera on our smartphones.
This is why if we want to take a direct photo of the total solar eclipse, we must use a solar filter to protect the camera and avoid damaging the sensor. We can use the same type of glasses or solar viewers that we use to protect our eyes when viewing an eclipse.
Taking this into account, we can play with our creativity by taking a photo of the eclipse With the cell phone:
- Do a burst of photos during the eclipse to have several results and not miss the unique opportunity to take a superb photo.
- Considered use a tripod for greater stability, and a timer so the phone takes the photo a few seconds after pressing the shutter button. This way we avoid movements and vibrations when taking photos.
- Set focus and exposure while taking the photo for a better result (by keeping your finger pressed on the object (i.e. Sun) and adjusting the exposure bar manually. Let’s not depend on autofocus.
- Use the ultra angular sensor for a larger photo of the eclipse and our surroundings.
- Finally, we can be creative and photograph the eclipse shadow on a surface or the effect of the darkness of the eclipse around us.
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