North America Solar Eclipse 2024
On Monday April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The total solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean. Mexico will experience totality at around 11:07 a.m. PDT. The path of the eclipse continues from Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton. The eclipse will exit continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. NDT.
What is a total Solar Eclipse
A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk.
Read more about the total Solar Eclipse
Safety & how to watch
It is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing. Viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury. It’s only safe during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face.
Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun.
Solar filters should have:
- An ISO 12312-2:2015 certification
- The manufacturer’s name and address printed somewhere on the product
How to view the Solar Eclipse safely?
Where to Watch
You can watch the eclipse from the west coast of Mexico to the east coast of Canada. I’m just focusing on the United States here. When determining the location, you must take into account the weather in addition to the duration (the length of the eclipse). In the northern part of the USA it can still be very cold on April 8 and in the more central part you can experience tornadoes. I can’t go to see the Eclipse this year. I would go to Texas given the length of the eclipse, the expected weather conditions and plenty of places with little light pollution.
Based on historical weather and cloud coverage data, the best locations to go and see the April 8, 2024 Solar Eclipses are inside the totality strip close to the Mexico/Texas border, both on the Mexican and US side. These locations in particular seem to be the most promising in absolute:
- Eagle Pass, Texas
- Kerrville, Texas
- Fredericksburg, Texas
- Lampasas, Texas
If you are near major cities you can probably participate in the many events organized around the Eclipse.
Best Places to see the 2024 Eclipse based on historical Weather Information.
Link/Information:
Nasa
The Great American Eclipse (with a cool animation)
The 2024 Eclipse – Information