Millions of people across North America will soon have the opportunity to witness a rare and special astronomical event – a total solar eclipse – during which the moon will completely obscure the sun along an unusually long path of totality. To prepare you for the Great Solar Eclipse in North America, we’ve put together this handy pocket guide.
I’m dating myself here, but I clearly remember Total solar eclipse of February 26, 1979. I was only 8 years old and immature, and I did not realize that a total solar eclipse of this magnitude would not darken my skies for another 45 years.
In fact, the Great North American Solar Eclipse of 2024 marks a major astronomical event, the first total solar eclipse (as opposed to an annular or partial solar eclipse) to occur in a Canadian province since 1979, and the first to occur in a Canadian province Mexico since 1991and be the first to sweep United States since 2017.For North Americans, nothing compares, until Total solar eclipse 2045for Canadians until 2079.
Thankfully, I and many of you reading this will have the opportunity to witness the next great solar eclipse as it takes an extremely fortuitous path across the North American continent. Even if you’re not directly in the path of totality (the narrow strip of land where the moon’s shadow falls on Earth and the sun is completely blocked), you should still be able to experience the eclipse in some form, such as a partial eclipse, where the moon covers only part of the sun.
When and where does the solar eclipse occur?
Mark your calendar for Monday, April 8, 2024. That day, the first land-based observers will experience the onset of the solar eclipse in Mazatlan, Mexico, before it moves northeast across the United States and eventually reaches Newfoundland, Canada. The path of totality will be between 62 and 71 miles (100 and 115 kilometers) wide.
Observers in 15 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces will be directly under the path of totality, with major cities including San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Montreal (Total Eclipse’s path is also a short drive from Toronto and Ottawa). As many as 31.6 million people live along the road (up from 12 million in 2017), and a further 150 million people live within 200 miles (322 km) of the road. according to to NASA.
The NASA table above provides a schedule for select locations in the United States. It is worth noting that the affected areas will experience a partial eclipse both before and after the total eclipse, as shown in the table. For example, in Buffalo, the eclipse will begin when the moon first crosses the sun at 2:04 p.m. ET. Totality will last two minutes and occur between 3:30 and 3:32 p.m. The entire event will end at 4:32 pm and has a total duration of 148 minutes.
For observers in Canada, totality will begin at these locations at the following times:
- Hamilton, Ontario: 3:18 p.m. ET
- Belleville, Ontario: 3:21 p.m. ET
- Montreal, Quebec: 3:26 p.m. ET
- Fredericton, NB: 4:33 PM NB
- Summerside, Prince Edward Island: 4:27 p.m. (U.S. time)
- Gander, Netherlands: Northern Territory 5:12 p.m.
this guide will help you find the exact time based on your location, whether within or outside the path of totality. In fact, areas beyond the trail still offer dazzling sights, so don’t lose heart. For example, in New York City, approximately 90% of the sun will be blocked, which is significant. During the recent “Ring of Fire” or annular solar eclipse that swept across parts of North America on October 14, 2023, The partial view is still awesome and jaw-dropping; Seeing a chunk of the sun being taken out is always enough to give people goosebumps.
What will happen?
Simply put, from the perspective of our Earth’s surface, the Moon will pass in front of the Sun. During the path of totality, it will cause the Sun to be completely but temporarily obscured. Depending on the specific vantage point, the length of this event could last more than four minutes, not including the time it takes for the Moon to gradually move toward totality and then drift away.
During a total eclipse, the sky will darken significantly; it will feel like dawn or dusk. Excitingly, observers using special equipment such as solar filters or eclipse glasses should be able to see the Sun’s corona (i.e., the outer atmosphere) along the outer perimeter of the black disk. Of course, this is weather permitting, but the effects of darkness will be experienced regardless of cloud cover.
If you’re lucky, you might witness a phenomenon called Bailey’s beads. This phenomenon occurs before and after a total lunar eclipse and appears as small, bright spots of light around the edge of the moon. Bailey’s beads are formed when sunlight passes through the valleys and mountains of the rugged lunar terrain. A related effect is the diamond ring – when a bright spot of sunlight passes through a valley on the moon’s edge, silhouetted against the dark sun.
You should also see shadow bands, which are thin wavy lines of alternating light and dark that can be observed on solid-colored surfaces before and after totality, including the sides of buildings. Shadow bands are caused by Earth’s atmosphere distorting sunlight when the moon obscures or reveals the sun.
Why this solar eclipse is special
As already mentioned, the Great North American Solar Eclipse is famous for its long and haphazard route across North America, but its specialness doesn’t end there.
A solar eclipse coincides with a period of increased solar activity, called solar maximum (the sun has an 11-year cycle). This is good news for skywatchers and scientists alike, as increased solar activity, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, should cause the corona to be more active, active and dynamic. Stellar scientists will take the opportunity to study the Sun and its corona during a solar eclipse, as well as phenomena such as geomagnetic storms.NASA has a A bunch of citizen science projects Associated with eclipses and the sun.
In recent years, two spacecraft missions have been sent to study the solar corona, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter, a joint mission of the European Space Agency and NASA. These missions have provided direct insights into the corona, but the upcoming eclipse will allow comparative analysis with ground-based measurements.
What’s exciting is that the moon will be closer to Earth than it was during the 2017 lunar eclipse, so it will appear slightly larger, extending its stay on the sun.As NASA point out, which will result in a prolonged period of totality and darkness; the 2017 total solar eclipse lasted about 2 minutes and 40 seconds, while the 2024 total solar eclipse will result in a total eclipse lasting more than four minutes. That is, the closer you are to the center of the path, the longer the period of totality.
Notably, the town of Carbondale in southern Illinois has unique statusas it is directly in the path of totality for the 2017 solar eclipse, and will be again for the 2024 solar eclipse.
Another interesting fact about this solar eclipse is how it will Occurs simultaneously with another celestial event: The appearance of comets 12P/Pangbrooks. The comet, nicknamed the “Devil’s Comet” for its bifurcated and horn-like appearance, can be seen with a telescope or binoculars around this time.Today’s track explain”, “Although uncommon, comets have been visible during solar eclipses, when the darkness caused by the eclipse makes the sky look like night during the day. ” This brings up something else to note: In a dark sky, you should also expect to see the stars and planets, namely Jupiter and Venus.
Beware of serious eye damage
Please, please, please don’t look at the sun with your naked eyes.It may cause retinal burns, a condition also known as solar retinopathy. According to a 2013 report, the resulting eye damage is “caused by unprotected viewing of the eclipse and infrequent gaze at the sun.” study Published in Ophthalmology Case Reports.
Perhaps unfortunately, the retina is insensitive to pain, giving the illusion that all is well and no damage is done. But make no mistake, damage can definitely occur when the retina is exposed to the sun’s dangerous ultraviolet (UV) rays. Symptoms such as vision loss, distortion, or color changes may appear hours later. Retinal damage can be temporary or permanent and can occur within seconds of sun exposure.
How to watch the solar eclipse safely
Thankfully, there are many ways to experience the upcoming solar eclipse without looking directly at the sun.you should go through solar eclipse glasses (not ordinary sunglasses), Handheld solar vieweror pinhole projector. Photographers also need to use specialized solar filters (not eclipse glasses) to prevent telescopes and cameras from being blown out.
As NASA point out, “Only when the moon completely obscures the sun’s bright face – during the brief but spectacular period known as totality” can you “view a solar eclipse directly without proper eye protection,” adding that when Wear eclipse glasses or use a handheld daylight viewer to watch the sun immediately after you “see even a little bit of the bright sun reappearing” during a total solar eclipse. “
So, yes, if you’re directly in the path of totality, you’ll definitely want to take off your glasses to experience the spectacle, including the darkness.But to be clear, this is a reserved privilege Only For those who experience total sex; even a hint of sunlight may be enough to damage your eyes.
Hopefully the weather will cooperate when the big moment arrives, but by staying safe and having alternative viewing methods ready, you can still enjoy the eclipse no matter the conditions.
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