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On Monday, April 8, the total solar eclipse of 2024 will grace the skies over North America.
While all of North America and Central America will see at least a partial solar eclipse, those within a path about 115 miles (185 kilometers) wide pass through 15 U.S. states. Mexico and Canada will also see a full moon, with the Moon covering the entire disk of the Sun.
You can Watch the total solar eclipse live on Space.com. You can also follow all the events related to the eclipse through our website Live updates of the 2024 total solar eclipse Blog.
Don't be in the dark about the 2024 total eclipse
There are three main types of solar eclipses. A total solar eclipse, such as the one that occurred on April 8, occurs when the moon is relatively close to the Earth and completely obscures the disk of the sun.
Because the Moon's orbit around our planet is an ellipse, it is sometimes farther away and thus appears smaller. The eclipse at these times sees the Moon as only a vague part of the Sun's disk, with the Sun appearing as a glowing ring of fire. These events are called annular solar eclipses, and the last one seen in the United States occurred on October 14, 2023.
Finally, a partial solar eclipse is an event that occurs when the Earth, Moon, and Sun are not perfectly aligned, resulting in the lunar disk covering only part of our star, making the Sun appear as if a morsel has been taken out of it. Partial eclipses also occur at the beginning and end stages of total and annular eclipses.
On April 8, 2024, the Moon will be in the new moon phase, and will appear relatively large, meaning that it is able to cover 100% of the Sun’s disk as seen from the narrow path of totality. The portion of the Sun's diameter that is covered by the Moon is known as the extent of the solar eclipse. On April 8, 2024, this value will be 1.0566, According to EclipseWise.comslightly more than the total coverage.
NASA released Interactive map of the total eclipse, Which space enthusiasts can use to track the total eclipse as it drifts around the world. However, location will not be the only factor affecting the appearance of the total solar eclipse on Monday. The eclipse will pass through 5 distinct phases, with each of these phases occurring at different times across different locations.
What are the stages of an annular solar eclipse?
Stage 1: First contact
In the first phase of the eclipse, the moon will begin to pass in front of the sun, beginning a partial solar eclipse. During this phase, the Moon's dark lunar disc will make the Sun appear as if a morsel has been taken out of its bright face. This “sting” will get bigger and bigger as college approaches.
During the first phase of a total solar eclipse, some observers will be able to see long, rapidly moving dark bands called “shadow bands” on the sides of buildings or the ground. Bailey's beads, caused by light streaming through valleys on the moon's horizon, may also be visible at the edges of the moon during this initial phase. These phenomena are repeated during the second partial eclipse that occurs after the total eclipse.
On April 8, this phase of the partial eclipse will be first seen near Pu'uali'i, Hawaii, at 6:27 a.m. local time (12:27 p.m. EDT, 1627 GMT).
The second stage: the second contact
The first contact will last 70 to 80 minutes, and its end will be marked by a single bright dot, or “diamond ring,” appearing on the edge of the moon. This marks the second contact stage and heralds the coming college.
On April 8, a total solar eclipse will make landfall in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico, at 9:51 a.m. local time (12:51 p.m. EDT, 16:51 GMT).
Stage 3: College
Phase 3 and the midpoint of the total solar eclipse is totality. At this stage, the moon completely covers the disk of the sun. During the entirety of the Sun's outer atmosphere, the corona may become visible as white bands on the edge of the Moon. This area is usually bathed in bright light coming from the surface of the Sun, which is the photosphere. The Sun's inner atmosphere, the heliosphere, can be seen as a faint halo around the edge of the Moon.
A total eclipse may also cause stars and planets to appear in the dark sky that are usually not visible from America during daylight hours.
On April 8, the first location to experience the total eclipse will be Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico 11:07 AM local time (2:07 PM EDT, 1807 GMT). The first location to experience the total eclipse in the United States will be Florentino Ramos near Colonia, Texas, at 1:27 PM local time (2:27 PM EDT, 1827 GMT).
The duration of a total eclipse depends on the path through which the eclipse is viewed. In Mexico, the total eclipse will last for 40 minutes and 43 seconds. Skywatchers in the United States will collectively experience a total eclipse lasting 67 minutes and 58 seconds. Spectators in Canada will witness a total solar eclipse lasting 34 minutes and 4 seconds.
Stage 4: Third contact
The fourth stage of the total solar eclipse, the third contact, will witness the moon beginning to move away from the disk of the sun, thus the total eclipse ends and the second partial eclipse period begins. The brightness appears on the opposite side of the moon, as it happened during the second contact period.
At this time, skywatchers will have another chance to spot Bailey's beads along the moon's edge and the shadow streaks on the buildings and ground around them, as this phase mirrors the second contact phase.
The total solar eclipse ends on the Atlantic coast at 5:16 pm local time (3:46 pm EDT, 1946 GMT).
The fifth stage: the fourth contact
The fifth and final stage of the total solar eclipse. The Moon is moving away from the Sun's disk, which means that at fourth contact, the Moon is no longer partially blocking the Sun. At this point, the total solar eclipse of 2024 will end.
On April 8, on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, the partial eclipse phase ends at 6:18 PM local time (4:48 PM EDT, 2048 GMT).
If you intend to view any of these stages, the most important thing to consider is how to watch them safely. Looking at the sun without adequate protection at any time is harmful to the eyes, so eclipse watchers should take precautions on Monday.
Sunglasses, regardless of their tint, cannot protect the eyes from the impact of the sun, so specialized eclipse glasses made of safe materials will be needed to filter solar energy. If skywatchers intend to view the event using a telescope, special filters will be needed to make the viewing experience safe.
Our How to Safely Observe the Sun guide tells you everything you need to know about safe solar observations.
After the total solar eclipse in 2024, sky watchers in the United States will then get the chance to see a total solar eclipse on Earth. March 30, 2033. This total eclipse, which will last for two minutes and 37 seconds, will be visible in Alaska. After this, on August 23, 2044The total solar eclipse will be visible in the US states of Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota, as well as in most parts of Canada.
Less than a year later, on August 12, 2045Another total solar eclipse will sweep across the United States, and will be visible from the states of California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, as well as from the United States. Caribbean and South America.
Submit your photos! If you took a photo of the April 8 total solar eclipse and want to share it with Space.com readers, send photos, videos, comments, your name and location, and permission to use the content to [email protected].
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