By: Ariana Walker
During this cosmic dance between the sun and moon, people explore the fascinating event of how a solar eclipse may change the colors we see, revealing the mysteries and miracles of our own eyes' perception.
A solar eclipse happens when the moon moves in front of the Earth and the sun, blocks some or all of the sun's light. Only during a new moon, when the moon's orbit is exactly between the Earth and the sun and casts its shadow on the surface, does this celestial pairing occur.
A solar eclipse's time can vary based on several variables, such as the kind of eclipse and the part of the world from which it is watched.
Three types of solar eclipses mostly occur around the world which is total, partial, and Annular eclipses.
When the moon fully obscures the sun's disk, a momentary state of darkness known as totality is produced. This is the case during total solar eclipses. Totality lasts anything from a few seconds to a maximum of around seven minutes and thirty-one seconds.
However, the majority of total solar eclipses only last a few minutes.
Only a bit of the sun is hidden from view by the moon when there is a partial solar eclipse. The length of a partial eclipse can change based on how much of the moon is obscured by the sun. From the start of the partial phase until the finish, it might take several hours.
Annular solar eclipses happen when the moon is too far away from Earth to fully cover the sun's disk. This makes the "ring of fire" of sunlight around the moon.
When looking at the eclipse people are told to wear a specific type of glass so people won’t mess up their eyes because you can go blind. Looking at it the eclipse can be very fun because people are looking at the moon and sun cross each other. This is something that rarely happens.
One of the main questions is how people can see different colors when looking at them.
“In this zone, our eyes are utilizing both the cone and rod cells. So while warmer colors like reds and oranges will appear as being less vibrant, greens and blues will get brighter and more vibrant.”
“This unique effect is known as the Purkinje effect. This is a phenomenon that changes how we perceive colors in low light.”
Wearing the glasses that most people got handed out to them will let them be able to see the lighting for the eclipse without going home.
“Our perception of this color transformation arises from the specific anatomy of our eyes. Working within the retina—a light-reactive layer of tissue at the back of the human
eye—are two types of cells called cones and rods.” (Williams, 2024)
The eyes are compassionate so that the people can see the eclipse they are surprised.
“Cone cells provide photopic vision, or the ability to see clearly and perceive colors in well-lit spaces, whereas rod cells give scotopic vision, or the ability to see in dim light but with much less color.” (Williams, 2024)
In conclusion, a solar eclipse is itself an amazing astrological occurrence, but the event of seeing different hues throughout one adds even more wonder to it. The moon modifies the way light is scattered and refracted in Earth's atmosphere by blocking out the sun's brightness.