The moon will completely block the sun for millions of people in North America along a path starting from Mexico to the United States and then Canada in a total solar eclipse on April 8.
What is a total solar eclipse?
In a total solar eclipse, the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, covering the entire surface of the Sun along a small path from the surface of our planet. This is called the “Eclipse Path”. During the day, the sky turns into darkness similar to the dusk of sunset or the mist of dawn, which confuses nocturnal animals and makes them wake up thinking that night has arrived.
In places along the path of the total eclipse, people will be able to see the sun's corona, the star's outer atmosphere, which is usually invisible due to the sun's brightness. People observing from outside the path of the total eclipse will see a partial eclipse in which the moon obscures most of the sun's face, but not all of it.
A cloudy day may spoil the scene, especially since after this eclipse, the next total solar eclipse that can be seen from the United States will not occur before 2044.
* Where can it be seen?
According to the US Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the eclipse begins on April 8, over the South Pacific Ocean, and its path reaches the Pacific coast of Mexico at about 11:07 am Pacific time before entering the United States in Texas.
Its path then passes through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, a very small part of Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and a small area of Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
The path then enters Canada in Ontario and travels through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton, and exits continental North America on the coast of Newfoundland on the Atlantic Ocean in Canada, at 5:16 pm Newfoundland time. The partial eclipse is scheduled to be visible to people in all forty-eight contiguous US states.
* Where are the best places to watch the eclipse?
Some major cities and their metropolitan areas are in or near the path of totality, including Mazatlan and Torreon in Mexico; San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Fort Worth, and Dallas in Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; St. Louis, Missouri; Louisville, Kentucky; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Dayton. Columbus, Toledo, and Cleveland in Ohio, Detroit in Michigan, Erie in Pennsylvania, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse in New York, and Hamilton, Toronto, and Montreal in Canada.
* What is the width of the eclipse’s path?
On August 21, 2017, millions of people witnessed a total solar eclipse as it crossed the contiguous United States. The path of the total eclipse on April 8 will be wider than the path of 2017 because the moon was slightly away from the Earth in that eclipse. According to NASA, the path width in 2017 ranged between 100 and 114 kilometers, while the path width will range from,
This year, it is between 174 and 196 km, meaning its area is larger. The path of the eclipse this year is also scheduled to pass over more densely populated areas than those that occurred in 2017.
* What can we expect to see during the eclipse?
A total solar eclipse occurs in a few separate phases.
It begins with a partial eclipse, where the moon begins to pass between the Earth and the sun, partially blocking it and leaving the sun looking like a crescent.
In a subsequent phase, known as Bailey's beads, spots of light from the Sun shine around the edges of the Moon due to the Moon's irregular topography, producing tiny beads of light.
In the diamond ring phase, a single bright spot appears along the edge of the Moon as the Sun's atmosphere leaves a ring of light around the Moon. The image appears to be a diamond ring. This phenomenon precedes the total eclipse.
After the total eclipse, the other phases are repeated as the moon continues to move along its path until the eclipse ends.
*How is this different from an annular solar eclipse?
On October 14, 2023, people along the route from the Pacific Northwest across Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Brazil will witness an annular solar eclipse, a slightly different event. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth when the Moon is at or near its farthest point from our planet. Therefore, it does not completely cover the sun, leaving what looks like a “ring of fire” in the sky.
* How can you watch the eclipse safely?
Experts warn that it is unsafe to look directly into the bright sun without using specialized eye protection designed for looking toward the sun's rays. According to these experts, viewing the eclipse through a camera lens, binoculars or telescope without using a special solar filter can cause serious eye injury.
They recommend using safe sunglasses or safe hand-held sunglasses, noting that regular sunglasses are not safe for viewing the sun. The only moment when eye protection can be safely removed is during a total solar eclipse which is the brief time during which the Moon completely obscures the Sun's surface.
* What is the size of the Earth, Moon and Sun?
For those looking from Earth, the Moon will only cover the face of the Sun because the Moon is actually much smaller than the Sun but much closer to our planet. The diameter of the Moon is 3,476 km, compared to the diameter of the Sun, which is about 1.4 million km, and the diameter of the Earth is 12,742 km.
How does a solar eclipse differ from a lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth lies between the Moon and the Sun and our planet's shadow covers the Moon's surface. This makes the moon appear dark from Earth, and sometimes a reddish color. A lunar eclipse can be seen from half of the Earth, which is a much wider area than a solar eclipse.
* Future eclipse
NASA said that people in different parts of the world will witness more eclipses in the coming months and years.
An annular solar eclipse will occur on October 2 of this year, which can be seen in South America, with a partial eclipse visible in South America, Antarctica, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and North America.
A partial solar eclipse will occur on March 29, 2025, visible in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean.
A partial solar eclipse will occur on September 21, 2025, and can be seen in Australia, Antarctica, the Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean.
An annular solar eclipse will occur on February 17, 2026, and will be visible in Antarctica, with a partial eclipse visible in Antarctica, Africa, South America, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean.
The next total solar eclipse will occur on August 12, 2026, and can be seen in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and a small part of Portugal, with a partial eclipse that can be seen in Europe, Africa, North America, the Atlantic Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean.
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