On April 8, A solar eclipse the skies will darken. It’s a rare astronomical event: the last total solar eclipse in North America was on August 21, 2017, and there won’t be another one visible on the continent until 2044. Path of totality – where the sun will be completely blocked by the Sun. ay — covers more than 30 million people in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Those lucky people can see the sun’s corona and the “diamond ring” – both of which are dramatic sights. Other regions will experience partial eclipses by level depending on how close to totality you are. It’s still a great sight to watch the moon eat even a little bit of the sun.
So, which cities and regions will experience totality and when? What is the weather forecast in those areas? If you have a clear vision, how can you safely monitor and record the event?
Where and when will you experience the totality of the solar eclipse in the US?
The good news is that many major centers are within a 100-mile-wide band, so millions of people will be able to see the total solar eclipse. It’s heading northeast, so Mazatlan, Mexico’s Pacific coast, will get its first views at 10:57 a.m. PDT (the total eclipse begins at 12:07 p.m. PDT), followed by the city of Torreon (all times local) .
The total eclipse moves into the US (Eagle Pass, Texas) at 12:10 a.m. CDT, then hits Austin, Fort Worth, and Dallas—three of the five most populous cities in Texas. From there, it travels to Little Rock, Arkansas, then to select parts of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana (including Indianapolis).
Ohio cities Dayton, Toledo and Cleveland get the full show, followed by Erie, Pennsylvania, then Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse in New York, along with Maine. Canada is also in on the fun, along with parts of southern Ontario (Hamilton, Niagara Falls) and Quebec (Montreal), New Brunswick, PEI and finally Bonavista, Labrador at 16:03 NDT (Newfoundland time).
If you’re on another continent and can’t travel, know that the closer you are to the band of totality, the more the sun will be covered by the moon (this map shows how long the eclipse will be depending on where you are on the continent).
An impressive list of major hubs are only 200 miles away, so they’ll get 90 percent or better coverage (Houston, St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Toronto, New York, Boston).
Anyone in the southern, midwestern, and northeastern United States should see a decent show, as should those living in southeastern Canada and the Atlantic coast. Even if you’re not in these areas, you can still see (and photograph) the mini-eclipse.
How long will the 2024 solar eclipse last?
The length of time from when the moon first begins to cover the sun (a partial eclipse) to when the two bodies part ways is long—two hours and forty minutes in Dallas and 2:18 in Caribou, Maine.
However, the totality itself is short lived, depending on how close you are to the center of the totality band and the time of day. It’s less than four minutes in Dallas, less than three minutes in Presque Island, Maine, and just one minute and 12 seconds in Montreal. So you have to be prepared and hope that the skies will be clear during this short window.
What is the weather forecast in my area?
It is too early for an exact forecast, but a week is enough to get a general idea by region. Suffice to say, April is not an ideal month for clear skies. However, the eclipse can still be seen with light cloud cover, and even if it is thick, the sky will darken dramatically.
Unfortunately, the chance of precipitation is really high above average throughout most of the ecliptic. Forecasters predict that the chance of clear skies is better the further northeast you live, contrary to historical trends.
To wit, Dallas has a forecast for showers during the day (58 percent), which means persistent cloud cover, and if that continues, it won’t be a clear picture. By the time we get to Indianapolis, it gets a little better (partly cloudy, 24 percent chance of rain), while things are better in Buffalo, New York (partly cloudy, 11 percent).
Things are looking good in Montreal right now, with mostly sunny skies and only a 9 percent chance of rain, and the same goes for Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Niagara Falls also shows favorable weather conditions during the eclipse (mostly sunny, 18 percent), which caused the destruction of the city. State of emergency carelessly. Officials estimate that a million people could flock to the area, creating a potentially dangerous crowd.
How can I watch the solar eclipse at home?
Staring at the sun is obviously dangerous to your eyesight, and doing so during an eclipse can be just as harmful. Even if you don’t feel discomfort right away, you can damage your eyes with a so-called trouble solar retinopathy. This can lead to serious consequences such as eye pain, blind spots, blurred vision and more.
To see it safely, you should buy approved solar eclipse glasses based on international safety standard. ISO 12312-2 (regular sunglasses will not work). This, along with the range of wavelengths (UVA, UVB, and infrared) allowed, dictates the maximum light transmission.
If you don’t already have one, there’s certainly still time to grab a pair. The American Astronomical Societyy (AAS) has many recommendations for manufacturers and sellers, both online and in retail networks.
Warby Parker is offering free glasses for one person (limit two per person while supplies last). You can also find them at Staples, Lowes, and Walmart, or online at B&H and many science and astronomy stores.
AAS advises not to look for the lowest price on Amazon or eBay, but if you get a bad hit. “Before purchasing a solar tracker or filter online, we recommend you make sure (1) the seller is listed on the site and (2) the seller is listed. this page“, – says the website of the Solar Eclipse in America.
How to watch a solar eclipse safely without glasses
It is also possible to see the eclipse without glasses by indirect means. The simplest way is to make a small round hole in thick paper or cardboard, then place it so that the sun shines through the hole onto the ground or a flat surface (you can also cover the hole with a piece of foil. NASA shows it here). This will allow you to see the eclipse in real time by projecting an image of the Sun’s disk.
The same pinhole principle will allow you to use anything with holes in the surface as a filter that projects dozens of tiny eclipses. Trees can do the same thing, casting strange leaf shadows with tiny bits of solar eclipse from them.
For a slightly better experience, you can build a rough box projector. With this, the sun shines through a hole in the tin foil onto the white card and you can look at the card through a larger hole with the sun behind you. The Canadian Space Agency explains exactly how to do it.
Never, ever look directly at an eclipse through a pair of binoculars or a telescope, as this is a guaranteed way to damage your eyes. You can use a pair of binoculars or a telescope for this project sun on a piece of paper as shown in the picture this video.
How to take photos or video of a solar eclipse
Unfortunately, you can’t simply point your smartphone or camera at the sun to record an eclipse, because the brightness will overwhelm the sensor and distort the image (and possibly damage the sensor). Fortunately, you can protect your camera the same way you protect your eyes.
The cheapest way to do this is to buy an extra set of capture glasses, then cut an eyepiece from one and attach it to the smartphone (or other camera) lens. This will reduce light levels enough to see details in the partial eclipse and the sun as a whole.
You can also get special smartphone solar filters VisiSolar Photo Filter, designed for cameras and not direct viewing. Another option Solar Snap Eclipse App The kit also offers a program that helps you take photos of the eclipsed sun. To protect your eyes, it is recommended that you also wear sunglasses when setting up your smartphone or camera.
If you’re shooting a lunar eclipse with a dedicated mirrorless or DSLR camera, you will need either a mylar, 16-stop ND (neutral density) or hydrogen alpha solar filter. Again, if the lens doesn’t have one of those filters (the electronic viewfinder on a mirrorless camera is safe), don’t look directly into the DSLR’s optical viewfinder in the sun.
To capture the eclipse with a smartphone, turn off the flash and set the camera to ultra-wide or wide mode so that it stays in the frame. Unless you’re wearing eclipse glasses, don’t look directly at the sun to line up your camera.
Do not use digital zoom to try to zoom in on the eclipse, as you will lose resolution (you can zoom in later in a photo editing program). Once the focus is set on the sun, use the smartphone’s focus lock feature so it doesn’t “hunt” for focus and blur the eclipse.
In total, the “diamond ring” effect only lasts for a second, so use your camera’s burst mode or you’ll miss the shot. Try shooting RAW (rather than JPEG) images to retain the maximum possible detail for later editing. Some iPhones and Android smartphones have a built-in RAW function, if not, you can use a third-party software.
If you decide to shoot video, of course you will also need a filter. But you should also use a tripod, because shooting handheld will cause blurring and shaky video. Even a cheap tripod along with will do the trick simple smartphone owner. Shoot the highest resolution you can (4K or even 8K) at the highest quality possible. You should also refrain from any clapping, shouting, etc. you will draw — a precious souvenir that you can look at again and again.
More resources
There are many public and private websites with more information about the eclipse, starting with AAS eclipse siteeye safety, imaging, resources and even a integrity program — “An interactive map showing what you’ll see anywhere in North America for the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse.”
NASA also offers a dedicated site North American eclipseas it is National Weather Service and National Solar Observatory. Personal site called The Great American Eclipse mostly commercial in nature, but along with a comprehensive list of eclipse times and durations, there’s a very useful map showing how many eclipses you’ll see depending on the band of totality and location. across the city.
Update, April 5, 12:30 p.m. ET: This story has been updated since publication to include more details about the total solar eclipse’s path of totality.
