On Saturday, tens of millions of Americans gawked skyward as the moon slid between the Earth and the sun, transforming the solar disk into a hollowed-out ring of fire for nearly five minutes. But if you missed the display, don’t fret — an even greater opportunity will arise on April 8, 2024, for residents of the Lower 48 from San Antonio to northern Maine.
This weekend’s eclipse happened during lunar apogee, the point in the moon’s orbit when it’s farthest from the Earth. That made it appear smaller in our skies, so it wasn’t large enough to fully block the sun. Only a beaded necklace of piercing sunlight protruded from behind the moon’s silent silhouette.
But April’s eclipse is a total solar eclipse, which will plunge folks from Mazatlan, Mexico, to Newfoundland into a midday darkness. The sun’s atmosphere will be briefly visible, something only ever directly seen, and charted, when the moon completely extinguishes daylight.
Simply stated — there is no natural phenomenon on this planet that compares to the grandeur of a total solar eclipse, and Saturday’s annular eclipse, while striking, isn’t in the same ballpark. Instead it was just the appetizer.
Naturally, professional astronomers and casual astrotourists alike have begun plotting their exodus to the path of totality, and airline tickets and dwellings are surging in cost.
Why is a total solar eclipse special
Witnessing a total solar eclipse allows skywatchers to take in the solar corona, or the sun’s atmosphere. It’s made of diffuse plasma that’s been superheated to more than a million degrees Kelvin, and is one ten trillionth as dense as Earth’s atmosphere. The corona stretches millions of miles into space in all directions.
The faintly luminous material in the plasma traces magnetic field lines in space, revealing critical information about the sun’s magnetic structure. It’s reminiscent of the hairs of an angel radiating outward in delicate ebbs and flows.
All the while, the abrupt midday slumber caused by a sudden loss of daylight evokes a visceral reaction from wildlife — crickets begin to chirp, birds return to their roosts and other creatures stumble around confused. Night descends in a matter of seconds, compared to hours as is typical each evening.
And the moon’s occultation of the sun leaves a jet-black circle that is entirely absent of light — akin to a hole in the sky that resembles a portal to another universe.
Who gets to see the eclipse?
2024 Total Solar Eclipse
Indianapolis
2024 Total Solar Eclipse
Indianapolis
San Antonio
Washington,
D.C.
Indianapolis
2024 Total Solar Eclipse
San Antonio
The eclipse technically begins over the Pacific about 2,000 miles south of Hawaii. The path of totality, which will be about 120 miles wide, then comes ashore during the early afternoon in Sinaloa, Mexico, before crossing into the United States south of Del Rio, Texas. The San Antonio and Austin metros are sideswiped by the path of totality; residents in both cities ought to plan to drive west.
Then Dallas and Little Rock are in the zone, as are folks along the Ohio River in southern Illinois and northwest Kentucky. That includes Carbondale, a city of 21,000 that was also on the centerline of the Aug. 21, 2017, total solar eclipse.
Indianapolis, Dayton, Cleveland, Buffalo and Rochester, N.Y., are in the path of totality. So is Montreal, at least on the south side of the city. Eventually the path crosses New Brunswick and Newfoundland before continuing over the open Atlantic.
Where should I go to view it?
Realistically anywhere in the path of totality should do. The difference between a 99 percent partial eclipse and a total solar eclipse is night and day, literally; there isn’t much that’s readily noticeable during a partial solar eclipse, but taking in a total solar eclipse is like being briefly transported to another planet.
It leaves onlookers feeling like, albeit briefly, they’re the center of the solar system and somehow able to peer into the eye of the universe.
That said, weather will be the biggest factor. Statistically, the best options appear to be Mexico or West Texas, while New England, the Ohio Valley and southeast Canada are often socked in beneath stubborn cloud cover because of large-scale sprawling storm systems.
Is it too late to book?
Considering that tens of millions will probably flock to the path of totality, it’s prudent to begin making travel arrangements in advance. Already hotel prices in Texas are surging and campgrounds in many places are sold out.
During the 2017 eclipse, flight prices to destinations within the path of totality skyrocketed as the date neared.
It’s certainly not too late to book — but the longer you wait, the less luxurious your trip may be. Rental cars will sell out fast, too, so snatching those up sooner rather than later is important.
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October 17, 2023 at 08:00PM
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A total solar eclipse is coming in 2024. Here’s where you can see it - The Washington Post
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