Eclipse offers views of every planet in solar system... if weather cooperates
The total solar eclipse on April 8th is a truly rare celestial event. Its the first solar eclipse to pass over Central Texas in several hundred years, millions are expected to travel for it and it will offer a rare midday look at every planet in our solar system.
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The total solar eclipse on April 8 is a truly rare celestial event. It's the first solar eclipse to pass over Central Texas in several hundred years, millions are expected to travel for it and it will offer a rare midday look at every planet in our solar system.
"All of the naked eye planets are there," said Lara Eakins with the University of Texas Department of Astronomy. The eclipse will block out all of the sun's light during totality, making the night sky visible for anyone with a clear view.
"It's not going to be like, you know, really, really dark. So that is going to limit your ability to see Saturn, Mars and Mercury. But Venus, definitely you should be able to pick out because you can see Venus in the daytime now," Eakins said.
All of the visible planets and a comet will be in the sky, but where do you look? This below illustration lays it out for you:
Venus and Jupiter will be visible to the naked eye, but the other planets will require binoculars or a telescope. A comet, passing near Jupiter, may be visible with the naked eye if it flares up during the event.
Eakins describes the event as twilight conditions, with a faint glow along the horizon. "Even that little tiny sliver of the disk of the sun when it's showing like right before and after totality is already enough to start washing the sky back out."
Astronomy during an eclipse has been done before. During the 1919 eclipse, astronomers were able to observe several stars they thought they shouldn't be able to and in the process proved Einstein's Theory of Relativity.
Tips for viewing the planets and stars during the eclipse
Viewing the stars and planets in Austin will be challenging. Totality lasts a little over a minute in the metro. In the Hill Country, totality lasts several minutes, giving you a better chance to see the planets.
You can use binoculars or a telescope during totality, when the moon fully blocks out the sun, but only during totality. In the moments leading up to and after totality, you will risk damaging your eyes because of the brightness of the sun.
One trick you can use is grabbing an eye patch. "A lot of amateur astronomers do that. While they're setting up their equipment, they'll put an eyepatch on their main observing eye, let it go ahead and dark adapt so that when they get everything set up, they're ready to go," Eakins said.
All of this is, of course, dependent on the weather. While thin clouds won't fully obscure the sky, storm clouds will make it impossible to see the night sky.