There is only one week left for the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, which will cross a wide swath of the United States. Authorities in the country expect that 34 million Americans will witness the celestial spectacle.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth and, for a brief period of time, completely blocks the face of the sun. When the Moon passes in front of the Sun on April 8th, a large part of North America will be plunged into darkness, which will be a rare celestial phenomenon that will not happen again for decades.
The solar eclipse of 2024 will last longer than the one that more than 20 million people saw in August 2017 and, according to NASA, it will not happen again until 20 years from now. In the last 150 years, fifteen total solar eclipses have been recorded in the United States, and the next one is expected in August 2044.
The path of the Moon’s shadow on the surface of the Earth is called the path of totality, and to witness the total solar eclipse on April 8th, spectators must be within the 185-kilometer-wide path.
Comparatively, the total solar eclipse of 2024 is “better” than the one in 2017, because the path of totality is almost 60% wider and the duration of the eclipse is approximately 60% longer. Some places within the path will experience up to four and a half minutes of the eclipse.
In the United States, the path of totality begins in Texas and will travel through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Small portions of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse, according to NASA.
Those who are in the United States and are not within the path of totality will also be able to witness the spectacle. In any case, those who want to see this unique event will need special glasses to protect their eyes.
