Red dot seen during Spain's eclipse was a solar prominence
The red dot spotted during the eclipse was a solar prominence. Viewing it without glasses carries a risk of eye damage. Safety tips.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Eclipse: the red dot people think they saw is not an alien
They took off their glasses during totality to see better. What they saw was a ring of reddish dots around the moon and a bright point on the left side. Several observers did the same and gave the same description. A moment of wonder for some, antiestéticar of blindness for others.
What that red light was
It was not an alien, nor a defect in the eye. Solar prominences are eruptions of plasma trapped by the sun's magnetic field, seen as reddish arcs or knots at the edge of the lunar disk during totality. The first seconds of darkness are when they stand out most. The red diamond is, in fact, a perfectly well-documented phenomenon.
The price of looking with the naked eye
The phase of totality allows, and indeed recommends, removing your protection to appreciate the solar corona. The danger comes as soon as the edge of the sun reappears: at that point the retina receives a dose of radiation that does not hurt at the time, but shows up days later as blurred vision or blind spots. One of the witnesses admitted something was stinging; he did not see a doctor, but any damage will show up later.
Although there were no serious injuries, the anecdote sums up well the economics of poorly measured risk: what can be seen for free during totality can be paid for dearly in the retina.
They took off their glasses during totality to see better. What they saw was a ring of reddish dots around the moon and a bright point on the left side. Several observers did the same and gave the same description. A moment of wonder for some, antiestéticar of blindness for others.
What that red light was
It was not an alien, nor a defect in the eye. Solar prominences are eruptions of plasma trapped by the sun's magnetic field, seen as reddish arcs or knots at the edge of the lunar disk during totality. The first seconds of darkness are when they stand out most. The red diamond is, in fact, a perfectly well-documented phenomenon.
The price of looking with the naked eye
The phase of totality allows, and indeed recommends, removing your protection to appreciate the solar corona. The danger comes as soon as the edge of the sun reappears: at that point the retina receives a dose of radiation that does not hurt at the time, but shows up days later as blurred vision or blind spots. One of the witnesses admitted something was stinging; he did not see a doctor, but any damage will show up later.
Although there were no serious injuries, the anecdote sums up well the economics of poorly measured risk: what can be seen for free during totality can be paid for dearly in the retina.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (13 replies).
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