Next Solar Eclipse In Usa

What Is An Eclipse

The two types of eclipses that we witness here on Earth are solar eclipses and lunar eclipses:

• A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, partially or entirely blocking out its light. Solar eclipses are visible only in certain areas and require eye protection to be viewed safely.
• A lunar eclipse occurs when the full Moon enters the shadow of Earth, which cuts off all or part of the sunlight reflected off the Moon. Lunar eclipses are technically visible from the entire night side of Earth, but during a penumbral eclipse, the dimming of the Moons illumination is slight. Learn more about lunar terminology.

Not all eclipses are the same, however. There are a few different ways for lunar and solar eclipses to happen:

• A total eclipse occurs when the Moon or Sun is entirely blocked out.
• During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon is completely obscured by the dark center of Earths shadow , giving the Moon a dark, reddish hue.
• During a total solar eclipse, the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon, resulting in a brief period of awe-inspiring darkness.

The 2024 Total Eclipse Path Through Pennsylvania

By now, totality is being enjoyed by folks both north and south of the international border! The eclipse path straddles the entire border all the way from SW Ontario up through New Brunswick! We’ll talk more about that once we describe the path through Ontario.

Meanwhile, The eclipse path through Pennsylvania cuts a reasonably large part out of the northwestern portion of the state. Entering the state at 15:15:35EDT on state road 305 just west of Akerly , the shadow misses Hermitage, Franklin and Bradford. However, Meadville , Erie , Edinboro , Wattsburg , Waterford , North East , Corry , Youngsville and Union City get tickets to the show! Warren is just barely inside the path, and sees less than a minute of totality if youre there, youll want to move north or west on US62 to get farther into the path.

Folks in Pittsburgh need to head north on I-79, up as far as Meadville or so. And Phildelphia only gets an 88% partial eclipse. Head north, and get into the path! And that goes for anyone in most of Pennsylvania: Harrisburg, Lancaster, State College, Altoona, Allentown, Williamsport your closest path to the path is north, into New York!

The shadow leaves Pennsylvania at 15:20:29EDT, at the state line on the shores of Lake Erie along Lake Road, just west of the Shortman Rd exit off I-90. Having visited the Commonwealth for just under five minutes, totality is on to its next state New York!

Observing A Solar Eclipse Safely

As a solar eclipse approaches, the mainstream media often will provide a variety of warnings and advisories against looking at the sun with bare eyes, as blindness could ensue. This has given most people the idea that eclipses are dangerous.

Not so!

Its the sun that is dangerous all the time! The sun constantly emits invisible infrared rays that can damage your eyes. Ordinarily, we have no reason to gaze at the sun. An eclipse gives us a reason, but we shouldn’t.

There are safe ways, however . . .

By far, the safest way to view a solar eclipse is to construct a “pinhole camera.” A pinhole or small opening is used to form an image of the sun on a screen placed about 3 feet behind the opening. Binoculars or a good telescope mounted on a tripod can also be used to project a magnified image of the sun onto a white card. The farther away from the card, the larger you can focus the image. Look for sunspots. Notice that the sun appears somewhat darker around its limb or edge. This method of solar viewing is safe so long as you remember not to look through the binoculars or telescope when they are pointed toward the sun put another way, never look directly at the sun when any part of its blindingly bright surface is visible.

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Solar Eclipse Of April 8 2024

A total solar eclipse will take place at the Moon’s ascending node on Monday, April 8, 2024, visible across North America and dubbed the Great North American Eclipse by some of the media. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon’s apparent diameter is larger than the Sun’s, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth’s surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide.

Occurring only one day after perigee , the Moon’s apparent diameter will be larger than usual. With a magnitude of 1.0566, its longest duration of totality will be of four minutes and 28.13 seconds near the town of Nazas, Durango, Mexico , and the nearby city of Torreón, Coahuila.

This eclipse will be the first total solar eclipse to be visible in Canada since , the first in Mexico since , and the first in the U.S. since . It will be the only total solar eclipse in the 21st century where totality will be visible in the three-state set of Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

The next solar eclipse occurs .

How To Safely Watch A Total Solar Eclipse

It is never safe to look directly into the sun, even if it’s partially obscured. Anyone watching a partial eclipse must wear eclipse glasses at all times if facing the sun, or use an alternate indirect method, NASA says. This also applies during a total eclipse up until the period of totality, when the sun is totally blocked. During that short time, when the moon completely obscures the sun, it is safe to look directly at the star, NASA says, but timing is crucial. Learn more about eye safety during solar eclipses on NASA’s website.

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The 2024 Total Eclipse Path Through Illinois

No, we did not forget about Illinois! Totality enters Illinois at 13:58:15CDT along the Mississippi River, just south of East Cape Girardeau . Lots of great memories here from 2017, as we ourselves saw that eclipse from Carbondale! In 2024, Southern Illinois is again on everyones radar, as places like Carbondale , , Makanda , and Murphysboro once again take their place in the path! Giant City State Park will one again be able to host totality visitors, and the whole SIU Saluki experience will be like a great replay for a brand new generation of students!

And this time, Cairo is IN THE PATH! Just please make sure to pronounce it like the locals.

In 2024, a lot of Illinois towns get their turn at the totality they missed in 2017. Towns like Mt. Vernon, Salem , Greenup , Du Quoin and Lawrenceville will see the shadow, weather permitting. Beautiful Rend Lake might be a nice place to watch an eclipse from your boat just make sure to be as far south as possible, because the southern part of the lake gets about 15 seconds more totality than the northern part!

The shadow leaves the state at 14:07:04CDT, at a bend in the Wabash River on a road labeled E. 700th Ave, a few miles SE of Palestine. Not quite 9 minutes from first touch to last but what a lot of great memories that shadow will bring to everyone!

The 2024 Total Eclipse Path Through Arkansas

The shadow enters Arkansas at 13:45:35CDT, on the wooded shores of the Red River just south of where OK road 87 turns into AR road 108. Totality here lasts 4m5s, but we dont think there will be many intrepid eclipse chasers paddling down the river. You never know, though.

There are plenty of good-sized towns in Arkansas that you could choose for your eclipse experience: Hot Springs and Little Rock are possibilities, though if youre in the state capital youll want to be as far northwest as you can get Little Rock is very close to the southern limit! Conway may be a better choice, while Russellville will see 4m9s of totality at 13:50CDT. Clinton is almost right on centerline, while Jonesboro will get 2m29s at 13:55:30CDT.

Pine Bluff is south of the path! Head up to Little Rock, or even closer to the centerline at Conway. Fayetteville is north of the path, and even Fort Smith lies just tantalizingly outside of totality. Get over to Ozark, or even farther east on I-40, and enjoy a great show!

Arkansas bids farewell to totality at 7 seconds after straight-up 14:00CDT. Less than 15 minutes to sweep across the entire state from southwest to northeast! The community of St. Francis, on the border with Missouri, will see 3m24s of totality at 13:56:30CDT.

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Total Solar Eclipse To Cross North America In 2024

LANSING, Mich. – There will be a total solar eclipse in North America in two years Friday — on April 8, 2024.

Read: North America to experience total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024

The moon will pass between the sun and the earth and the only part of the sun that can be seen is the chromosphere. Unfortunately, Michigan wont be in the path of totality, where the moon will fully block the sun, but 13 states will.

A small sliver of southeast Michigan will be able to witness the full eclipse. A map of the path of totality can be seen above.

For exact times on when the eclipse will occur in each area, visit NASAs website.

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Cities Inside The Path Of Totality

These are the cities inside the path of total solar eclipse. Click for larger version

The path of totality first touches Mexico at Mazatlan. It then enters the United States at Texas, cuts a diagonal all the way across the country to Maine, and visits the maritime provinces of Canada.

The major cities inside the path are Mazatlan, Torreon, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Montreal.

The ovals in the map show the shadow of the Moon at five minute intervals. This path is called the path of totality.

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The 2024 Total Eclipse Path Through Kentucky

Kentucky gets its share of the path as well not nearly as much as in 2017, but there are a few places you could choose to watch totality from. Besides the Kentucky Bend region we just mentioned . You can choose some towns like Wickliffe , Paducah , Henderson , or Carrsville . is right on the edge of the path, and its airport will get a full minute of totality at 14:02CDT. But if you are in Marion, you really want to be as far northwest as you can get, in order to maximize your time in the shadow.

Thats really it for Kentucky. Owensboro is NOT in the path. Places like Bowling Green, Louisville, Hopkinsville , and Murray are not in the path! Ditto Eddyville and the Land Between the Lakes NOT good places to be, if you want to see totality!

Totality made its short trip through Kentucky in just over 7 minutes, from 13:58:17CDT to 14:05:33CDT.

The 2024 Total Eclipse Path Through New York

There is some major excitement going on as the shadow enters New York. Niagara Falls, Buffalo and Rochester are all in totality at that point! Oh, and dont forget that the shadow is also making its way across southern Ontario by this time. We have a lot to talk about, so lets first take the path through New York a little slower, and see how we got to this point.

Totality first touches New York state at 15:16:47EDT, at the state line on US20 just west of Ripley . The shadow skates up the coast, engulfing Lake Erie along its entire length before hitting Niagara Falls and Buffalo almost simultaneously. The Falls itself sees 3m30s of totality at 15:18:12EDT, while the lakefront of Buffalo enjoys 3m45s just 2 seconds later. Why the big difference in duration? Buffalo lies almost exactly on the centerline, while the Falls are somewhat north of it! If you want to be right on that centerline, then you need to be just a bit south of downtown Buffalo, perhaps at the Tifft Nature Preserve there, youll get another half-second or so of totality!

Moving on toward the East, the shadow hits Rochester and Syracuse next. Everywhere on the Lake Ontario coastline is in the path as well!

Utica is not in the path.

The shadow leaves New York at 15:29:20EDT, on a little peninsula that forms the eastern boundary of King Bay, just east of Coopersville. Totality lasts less than 13 minutes in the Empire State!

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Eclipse Dates For 2022

Partial Eclipse of the Sun. This eclipse is not visible from North America.

May 15, 2022: Total Eclipse of the Moon. This eclipse is visible from North America, except in northwestern regions. The Moon will enter the penumbra at 9:31 P.M.EDT on May 15 and leave it at 2:52 A.M.EDT on May 16 .

Partial Eclipse of the Sun. This eclipse is not visible from North America.

Total Eclipse of the Moon. This eclipse is visible from North America, although the Moon will be setting during the eclipse for observers in eastern regions. The Moon will enter the penumbra at 3:01 A.M.EST on November 8 and leave it at 8:58 A.M.EST .

The 2024 Total Eclipse Path Through Maine

Pelee Island is the first Canadian soil to see totality, enjoying 3m15s at 19:12:44. The shadow hits the mainland at Point Pelee Dr in the National Park south of Leamington, at 15:13:15EDT.

From there, the shadow follows Lake Erie perfectly, moving up Hwy 401, just missing London. And actually, the big cities of Chatham-Kent, Kitchener, Woodstock and Toronto itself also lie outside the path you really need to be down on the coast! But Hamilton is barely inside the northern limit, and weve already mentioned Niagara Falls prime location. In Hamilton, youll want to be as far southeast as you can be, to maximize your time in the shadow.

It is bad news for the really big city Toronto is tantalizingly close to totality but you have to go out into the lake, or around it to the west or south sides of it, to see totality.

The eclipse path then passes just south of Oshawa, and picks up along the Lake Ontario coastline again just west of Cobourg .

Belleville and Kingston are good for totality, but Ottawa unfortunately lies north of the path. Cornwall is also squarely in the path.

After its nice run up the coast of both lakes, the shadow leaves Ontario at 15:27:26EDT on the St. Lawrence coast, on road 2 just east of Lancaster .

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The 2024 Total Eclipse Path Through Quebec

Quebec sees totality first at Akwesasne at 15:24:52EDT, where residents and visitors will see 2m26s.

The path travels up the St. Lawrence river, and barely includes Montreal. Here, the river, the airport, and the downtown area are just barely in the path but the northern suburbs are not. Laval itself, for example, lies just outside the northern limit. Many people will be treated to a wonderful view , but it is important to remember how much totality falls off as we approach the path limits especially on the northern limit . At the University of Montreal, there will only be just about 1m in the shadow and at the curling club near Connaught Park, weve lost about 15 seconds of totality. And going the other direction, if you cross the river to Brossard, youll get a full extra minute!

Sherbrooke might be a better option though were hoping the entire population of Montreal doesnt invade their neighbors at eclipse time!

Heading further east, Drummondville lies right on the northern limit, and Victoriaville lies just outside it. Again, Sherbrooke may be your better option given favorable weather, of course!

The shadow continues eastward, and leaves the province at 15:32:47EDT in the woods east of Saint-Théophile, among all those little glacial lakes near the border with Maine. Quebecs total time in the shadow of the 2024 eclipse? Less than eight minutes

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