For a week, the Government of Haiti has mobilized in anticipation of the solar eclipse of Monday August 21 in order to disseminate the precautionary measures among the population.
Marie Greta Roy Clément, Minister of Public Health and Max Rudolph Saint-Albin, Minister of the Interior and Territorial Communities confirmed last Friday that their respective ministries had already taken all the necessary prevention measures to inform the population of the remote areas of the country, via the departmental and civil protection cells.
Léon Rosard Saint Cyr, the Secretary of State for Public Security, calls on the entire population to exercise utmost caution and avoid watching the sun at the time of the eclipse and recommends keeping children at home or out of any space where this phenomenon would be visible until 5:00 pm
In Haiti the eclipse will not be total, but 75%, while in Atlanta it will reach 97.15%.
Observation Schedule of phenomenon for different cities in Haiti :
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• Port-au-Prince the eclipse will begin to 1:59:23 p.m. and will reach its maximum to 3:25:17 p.m. to end to 4:40:23 p.m ;
• Port-de-Paix the eclipse will begin to 1:55:23 p.m. and will reach its maximum to 3:22:14 p.m. to end to 4:38:19 p.m ;
• Jérémie the eclipse will begin to 1:55:34 p.m. and will reach its maximum to 3:22:11 p.m. to end to 4:38:06 p.m
• Gonaïves the eclipse will begin to 1:56:37 p.m. and will reach its maximum to 3:23:14 p.m. to end to 4:38:58 p.m ;
• Cap-Haïtien the eclipse will begin to 1:56:56 p.m. and will reach its maximum to 3:23:30 p.m. to end to 4:39:10 p.m ;
• Cayes the eclipse will begin to 1:57:12 p.m. and will reach its maximum to 3:23:25 p.m. to end to 4:38:55 p.m
• Miragoâne the eclipse will begin to 1:58:11 p.m. and will reach its maximum to 3:24:16 p.m. to end to 4:38:33 p.m
• Hinche the eclipse will begin to 1:58:36 p.m. and will reach its maximum to 3:24:46 p.m. to end to 4:40:04 p.m
• Jacmel the eclipse will begin to 1:59:35 p.m. and will reach its maximum to 3:25:25 p.m. to end to 4:40:25 p.m
Eclipse observation schedule for different American Cities :
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• Chicago the eclipse will begin to 11:54:19 a.m. and will reach its maximum to 1:19:47 p.m. to end to 2:42:37 p.m. ;
• Atlanta the eclipse will begin to 1:05:49 p.m. and will reach its maximum to 2:36:43 p.m. to end to 4:01:49 p.m. à Atlanta le soleil sera couvert à 97.15% par la lune ;
• Washington the eclipse will begin to 1:17:52 p.m. and will reach its maximum to 2:42:46 p.m. to end to 4:01:35 p.m. ;
• Orlando the eclipse will begin to 1:19:27 p.m. and will reach its maximum to 2:51:13 p.m. to end to 4:14:54 p.m. ;
• New York the eclipse will begin to 1:23:15 p.m. and will reach its maximum to 2:44:56 p.m. to end to 4:00:42 p.m. ;
• Miami the eclipse will begin to 1:26:56 p.m. and will reach its maximum to 2:58:22 p.m. to end to 4:20:45 p.m. ;
• Boston the eclipse will begin to 1:28:29 p.m. and will reach its maximum to 2:46:48 p.m. to end to 3:59:28 p.m.
In Canada, in Montreal the eclipse will begin to 1:21:54 p.m. and reach its maximum to 2:38:24 p.m. to finish to 3:50:23 p.m.
Precautionary measures to be taken :
It is necessary to take precautions, the sun never having to be seen directly with the naked eye, the observation of an eclipse of the sun can cause severe and irreversible eye damage it takes only a few minutes to cause irreversible damage to the eye, although it may take a few hours before it occurs on the person. Note that the eyes of children under the age of 12 because of a still very transparent lens have eyes much more sensitive than those of adults which multiplies the risk of serious lesions.
Special glasses are required to stop 100% of ultraviolet and infrared rays. If you kept glasses dating from the last eclipse especially do not reuse them. They are for single use because the rays damage their coating.
Sun glasses do not offer adequate protection and should not be used. Do not use alternative eye protection such as: blackened glass, X-ray films, a CD or other optical instruments without special filters, that will not protect your eyes because they are ineffective.
Even equipped with special eclipse glasses, take breaks between the observation phases to allow your eyes to rest. Children should not be left unattended while observing the phenomenon.
HL | August 21, 2017
Photo: Timeanddate
