Everything You Needed To Know About The April Total Solar Eclipse
The next one will be in 2045.
It’s not often we get treated to a total solar eclipse, but on April 8, 2024, the United States is in for a visual treat.
In Kerrville, Texas, the moon will start blocking the sun at 12:14 PM, achieving total darkness by 1:32 PM.
Along the pathway of the eclipse, total darkness would be around 4 minutes.
Unlike any ordinary day, this eclipse will offer a unique opportunity for millions of Americans to witness a rare and captivating event. Building on the excitement of the 2017 eclipse, this year’s spectacle is expected to surpass its predecessor in several aspects.
The path of totality will be wider, allowing more people to experience the full eclipse, and the duration of darkness will be longer, providing ample time to marvel at the celestial show.
The path of total darkness will move from the Pacific Ocean and make landfall in Sinaloa, Mexico and will enter the U.S. in Texas, then move in a Northeastward track across America until it reaches the lower eastern parts of Canada.
The path will hit Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland in Canada.
The other states will also see the eclipse, but the farther you are from the path, the less coverage the moon will have on the sun. So for example, other places might see just 50% coverage and those farther can see 25% coverage.
Observers in different locations along the eclipse path will have varying start times and durations of totality.
As mentioned, in Kerrville, Texas, the eclipse will begin at 1:32 pm local time, enveloping viewers in darkness for over four minutes and twenty-four seconds.
In Houlton, Maine, the eclipse will commence at 3:32 pm local time, and have three-minute and twenty-seconds window of totality.
This upcoming eclipse is not just a scientific event. It’s a moment of wonder and awe that connects us to the grandeur of our universe.
So get your sunglasses ready. (Never stare into the sun with your naked eye!)
