I read that it might be possible but I am wondering can I actually see small flames jetting from the surface around the circumference of the eclipse assuming they are active at the time? There is a total solar eclipse in 2024 that I will be able to see.
I have binoculars and since I will have about a minute of total coverage would the binoculars add any value and would they be safe?
If by 'solar flare' you mean a coronal mass ejection, then yes, in theory you could see one during a total eclipse if there happened to be one that was at approximately 90 degrees to Earth at the time of the eclipse. You might have a hard time distinguishing it from the rest of the corona depending on the exact geometry, but if there's one there in the right position, you'll probably see it as an extension or bulb in the corona.
Using binoculars or telescopes during an eclipse is a risk. It's very dangerous to look towards the sun with any sort of magnifying device. While you could possibly see more detail in the corona and technically wouldn't be in danger of eye damage during totality, viewing any part of the sun's surface through binoculars or a telescope could cause permanent damage, and you could easily lose track of how long you have left. I personally wouldn't risk it -- the naked eye view is spectacular enough that you won't miss your lenses. I'll leave it to the professionals to get magnified photos of totality.
Note that you can put a solar filter on a magnifying device (on the SUN POINTING end, not the eyepiece!), but that's for viewing the unobstructed surface and would make the corona invisible during totality.
There are flares and then there are prominences These are rather different things.
A solar flare is a sudden release of energy from the surface of the sun (including a lot of X-rays). A prominence is a magnetic loop of plasma extending out from the surface of the sun.
You couldn't see a flare during an eclipse, as these would be hidden by the moon. Prominences can sometimes be visible, and were observed in pre-telecopic observations, such as from the 12th century, in which a monk describes "flame-like tongues of live embers" surrounding the sun. They are not always visible, and would always be hard to see.
Although rare, it is possible to see solar prominences with the naked eye during a total solar eclipse. The most recent was in 1991 when two very large prominences were visible to the naked eye during the total eclipse which was visible in Baja California and on the Island of Hawaii (aka the Big Island). Note that because of the distance and small apparent size, to the naked eye the prominences looked like small crimson colored smudges on the edge of the Sun, not like the "flames" that you see in astronomical photos. During most eclipses however the prominences are much smaller and would not be visible with the naked eye, although possibly with binoculars.
Below is the only copyright-free photo of the 1991 eclipse that I could find that shows the prominences. Some better views of the 1991 eclipse can be seen on the Mr. Eclipse website and on the MMV project website.
1991 Total Solar Eclipse (photo: Werner Raffetseder, via: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)
The prominences visible in a more typical total solar eclipse can be seen in a photo of the 2015 eclipse on the London Natural History Museum website.
As mentioned in another answer, a solar flare will not be visible to the naked eye. In fact it would probably not be visible even with binoculars or telescopes unless using special filters. As described in Britannica:
The most spectacular phenomenon related to sunspot activity is the solar flare, which is an abrupt release of magnetic energy from the sunspot region. Despite the great energy involved, most flares are almost invisible in ordinary light because the energy release takes place in the transparent atmosphere, and only the photosphere, which relatively little energy reaches, can be seen in visible light. Flares are best seen in the Hα line, where the brightness may be 10 times that of the surrounding chromosphere, or 3 times that of the surrounding continuum.
Prominences on the other hand can be visible during a total eclipse:
As with the chromosphere, prominences are transparent in white light and, except during total eclipses, must be viewed in Hα. At eclipse the red Hα line lends a beautiful pink to the prominences visible at totality.
It is safe to look at a total eclipse with binoculars, just as it is safe to take pictures with a telephoto lens which many people do, but only DURING TOTALITY. As mentioned in some of the comments there is a risk if you are not very careful. First of all you must be in the path of totality. Being in an area that will experience 98% or even 99% totality is not the same thing. It's sort of like being somewhat pregnant, you are either in totality or you are not. Anyone who has been in the path of totality for a total solar eclipse knows what I am talking about. If someone lives in one of the areas that will experience near totality, they should make every effort to travel the 100-200 miles or whatever it takes to get into the path of totality, otherwise they will miss the experience of a lifetime.
Even for the last few seconds before totality the tiny piece of Sun that is still visible is very bright, and can be damaging to the naked eye. The problem is that the volume of light reaching your eye at that time is much lower than normal, and so you will not feel any pain and will likely not have the reflex to look away. Even though the sky and surrounding area is getting dark, as long as even a tiny sliver of sunlight appears you must continue to only look at the Sun through eclipse glasses.
Note that it's a good idea to purchase eclipse glasses a few months before a total eclipse as they will begin to sell out as it gets closer. Welders glass can also be used, but it must be at least shade 14 which is generally not available in a typical hardware store.
Once totality starts it is safe to look at the Sun with the naked eye, binoculars, telephoto lens, etc. In North America totality will last four and a half minutes, although that is only in the center of the track, it can be less if you are further from center. The important thing for safety is to only look with binoculars, etc. during the first part of totality, since your sense of time will be somewhat distorted. My personal experience is that time seems to come to a standstill. So plan to spend maybe 30 seconds or so looking with binoculars, which should be plenty of time to observe any detail. For added safety you can set a timer to go off about a minute before totality ends. But realistically you will probably quickly realize that the naked eye view is much more impressive. Just remember that once you put your binoculars and/or camera down, don't pick them up again for the duration of the eclipse.
Also remember that the moment at the end of totality when the first tiny piece of Sun appears you should immediately begin using your eclipse glasses, as again even that tiny piece of light can be very damaging to your eyes if you stare at it. Some people don't trust their self-discipline to look away when the Sun reappears, and so they put on their eclipse glasses during the last minute of totality. There is nothing wrong with that approach either as it would be the absolute safest.
My personal opinion, having seen a total eclipse, is to forgot binoculars, cameras, etc. and just take it all in. Or plan to use those items only for the first 30 seconds or so, and then put them down and enjoy the spectacle.
Since this question was asked in anticipation of the 2024 total solar eclipse, I figured I'd follow up with a visual observation report from a rest stop near Abbott, Texas. We were very fortunate to see one naked-eye prominence during totality, visible as a bright pink point on the edge of the lunar disk. There were several other prominences present, but they were not visible without magnification. There were no significant solar flares occurring at the time, and as mentioned above, these are not visible unless they happen to occur at the edge of the sun's disk.
I took the photo below afocally using a Celestron C5+ (127 mm f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope) and an Asus Zenfone 9 pointed through a 32 mm eyepiece, with an exposure time of 1/800 s and ISO 100. No eyepiece adapter was used - I held the camera up to the eyepiece, and the exit pupil was easy to locate through the preview due to the high brightness of the corona.
The exposure was selected to reveal the prominences at the expense of outer coronal detail, but both were simultaneously visible to the naked eye and through the eyepiece. The prominence visible to the naked eye is located at the lower left of this image, and due to its extremely high brightness compared to all other features visible at the time, its features are washed out in the image. Other prominences appeared and disappeared as the moon moved throughout totality, invisible to the naked eye but clearly visible through the eyepiece.
I will reiterate the warnings from other users about observing the sun through astronomical equipment: unfiltered sunlight from the photosphere can rapidly cause lasting eye damage, which may not be immediately evident, and can damage any equipment in the optical path. A solar filter is required for visual or photographic observation of partial phases: this includes the entirety of an annular eclipse.
On top of this, I will also echo the sentiment that a total eclipse is best experienced without the burden of trying to get the perfect photograph. My goal with this event, being my first total solar eclipse, was to get one good afocal photograph, and I consider this a success. Even visual aid (binoculars or a telescope) is not necessary to enjoy the experience.
However, if you understand and accept the risks and know how to mitigate them, observing totality through a telescope is incredibly rewarding. Numerous smaller and fainter prominences (everything you can see in the image) and fine coronal detail come into full view, and you can see the ionized hydrogen of the chromosphere at the beginning and end of totality (which also serves as a great indicator for when to look away!). My setup provided a magnification of 40x, and unless you're interested in observing a specific prominence in detail, you don't need any more magnification or eyepieces.
I didn't use binoculars for the eclipse, but again, if you understand and accept the risks and know how to mitigate them, they can certainly enhance the experience. Various manufacturers make solar filters for binoculars as well, which are great for both the partial phases of eclipses and sunspot observations.
I've only seen two total solar eclipses, in 1991 and 2017. Both had prominences very visible with naked eye. Heed all the safety warnings mentioned here, but I do recommend having binoculars handy to get a quick peek. But also heed the advice to just take it all in. If you are in North America (only place the 2024 eclipse will be visible) you should be able to get more than 1 minute by getting close to the center line. Google maps has a nice interactive map. Good luck!
