Free Astronomy Magazine May-June 2024

MAY-JUNE 2024 T he solar corona, showing some jets and irregularities. The more dis- tant reaches were masked by the veil of high-altitude clouds. [F. Blateyron] attenuated, and the coolness began to be felt. Thin, high-altitude clouds formed a veil that still allowed the Sun to be seen. Five minutes before totality, tension and excitement es- calated, with some counting down. The darkening of the surrounding environment was clearly visible, and the horizon began to show colors in contrast to the opaque atmosphere around us. At 11:07:25, the diamond to the left of the Sun announced the onset of facilitated this operation. The par- tial phase began at 9:51, and two minutes later the solar disk showed a very slight indentation due to the Moon on the west side. The sound of the shutters was accompanied by comments from observers equipped with special eclipse glasses. After thirty minutes, the Moon had eclipsed half of the solar disk, and the atmosphere began to change little by little. The drop in bright- ness was evident, the contrasts were totality. The crown suddenly ap- peared, gaudy and imposing, ac- companied by the shouts and applause of the audience, fasci- nated by this spectacle. At that mo- ment, I thought about the Mayan, Aztec, and Zapotec peoples who once populated Mexico and who had necessarily observed this won- der, which was at the same time frightening and fascinating, and which they did not understand at the time. The sight was enough to