Some locations are reporting increased traffic because people are flocking to various locations to watch today’s solar eclipse taking place this afternoon on April 8, 2024. If you’re watching the solar eclipse today, then make sure you have solar viewing glasses. Check your local news for traffic reports to see if there’s any delays.
How to watch a solar eclipse? Exploratorium.com said this about viewing a solar eclipse:
Never view the Sun with the naked eye or by looking through unfiltered optical devices such as binoculars or telescopes! This is critical! Why? You may have taken a magnifying glass out into the Sun and burned leaves with it. If so, you’ll remember that when sunlight is focused onto a small spot with a lens, it can start a fire. Your eye also has a lens, and if you look at the Sun without proper protection, your eye’s lens will focus sunlight onto a very small spot on the retina on the back of your eye. This literally burns your eye, causing permanent eye damage or blindness. In addition, since there are no pain sensors in your retina, you won’t even know it’s happening!
It is never safe to look at an annular eclipse without eye protection, but during a total solar eclipse, there are a few short moments when it’s safe to look directly at the Sun. This is the ONLY time: when the moon completely blocks the face of the Sun. Called totality, it lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes. The instant the moon begins to move off the Sun’s face, you must go back to using safe viewing techniques.
