First look at the 2024 total solar eclipse (path of the eclipse will pass right thru the center of the good ol' USA!)

Astronomy Magazine ^ | 4/8/2021 | Michael E. Bakich

[LibWhacker]

First look at the 2024 total solar eclipse

Exactly three years from now, on April 8, 2024, millions of Americans will witness the Moon entirely blot out the Sun, providing one of the most mesmerizing sights a person can witness.

By Michael E. Bakich  |  Published: Thursday, April 8, 2021

RELATED TOPICS: SOLAR ECLIPSE

Cowboy Nicolas Silva enjoys his view of the total solar eclipse on July 2, 2019, from atop a mountain ridge near Cabalgatas Altos de Cochiguaz, a ranch in Chile’s Elqui Valley.

Rick Armstrong

On August 21, 2017, millions who live in or traveled to the United States witnessed a spectacular event — the first total solar eclipse in the continental U.S. in 38 years. The narrow path of totality on American soil started in Oregon and ended in South Carolina, captivating all of those fortunate enough to witness it. But after the excitement of the Great American Eclipse died down, every viewer was left with just one question: “When is the next one?”

The answer, happily, is April 8, 2024. That’s when the next total solar eclipse will cross the United States. And although six years and seven months (plus 19 days) sounds like a long time since August 21, 2017, it’s much shorter than the average time between two eclipses appearing at a given location on Earth (330 years in the Northern Hemisphere and 550 years south of the equator).

The path of the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse begins in the United States in Texas and ends in Maine.

Google, INEGI

The basics of the 2024 total solar eclipse

The length of totality varies from one total solar eclipse to the next. That’s due to the fact that Earth is not always at the same distance from the Sun, and the Moon is not always the same distance from Earth. The Earth-Sun distance varies by 3 percent and the Moon-Earth distance by as much as 12 percent. The result is that maximum duration of totality for any eclipse between 2000 B.C. and A.D. 3000 is 7 minutes 29 seconds. (However, that extra-long eclipse doesn’t occur until July 16, 2186, so don’t get too excited for it.)

While the maximum length of totality during the April 8, 2024, eclipse won’t be that long, it’s still a worthy chunk of time: 4 minutes, 28 seconds. And as with the Great American Eclipse in 2017, everyone in the contiguous U.S. will at least be treated to a partial eclipse. In fact, as long as you have clear skies on eclipse day, the Moon will cover no less than 16.15 percent of the Sun’s brilliant surface — and that minimum coverage comes at Tatoosh Island, a tiny speck of land west of Neah Bay, Washington. But keep in mind, although our satellite covering any part of the Sun’s disk sounds cool, you’ll want to set your sights higher.

Likening a partial eclipse to a total eclipse is like comparing almost dying to dying. If you are outside during a solar eclipse with 16 percent coverage, you won’t even notice the Sun getting darker. And it doesn’t matter whether the partial eclipse above your location is 16, 56, or 96 percent; only totality reveals the true celestial spectacles: two diamond rings, the Sun’s glorious corona, 360° of sunset, and stars revealing themselves in the daytime.

This spectacular photographic sequence around totality shows some of the features you'll see if your sky is clear and you're in the path of totality April 8, 2024.

Ben Cooper

To see any of this, you must be in the path of totality. That said, your next goal is to be as close to the center line as possible. The fact that the Moon’s shadow is round means that the longest eclipse occurs at its center line, because that’s where you’ll experience the lunar shadow’s full width.

The big day: April 8, 2024

The Moon’s shadow first touches Earth just north of Penrhyn Island, one of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. That location will experience a 98-percent partial eclipse. Seventy-three minutes later, totality first strikes land at Socorro Island, a possession of Mexico. If you choose that location to view the eclipse, be sure to position yourself at the island’s far southeastern tip — you’ll enjoy an extra 34 seconds of totality there. (The span is 3 minutes 36 seconds.)

The shadow’s path covers a few more tiny islands before it encounters North America just southeast of Mazatlán, Mexico. Viewers at that location will enjoy an impressive 4 minutes 27 seconds of totality. And if you wish to stay in Mazatlán itself, you’ll lose only 10 seconds off that span.

The greatest duration of totality — 4 minutes 28.1 seconds — occurs when the shadow reaches San Martín, north of Torreón and roughly half the distance from the coast to the Mexican border with Texas. Fortunately, the duration of totality along the center line is never more than 1 second less than this maximum during the shadow’s more than 550-mile (885 kilometers) voyage through Mexico.

The eclipse crosses the border

Totality first reaches the United States when the Moon’s shadow crosses the Rio Grande River at the wonderfully named Radar Base, Texas, which lies in Maverick County. There, totality lasts 4 minutes 27 seconds. As the eclipse progresses through the Lone Star State, a huge number of people won’t have to travel anywhere to see it. That said, venturing just a few miles to the center line can increase their duration of totality.

San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Dallas, and Fort Worth all lie under the shadow, although none is on the center line. Still, that’s more than 11 million people who can experience the eclipse with little to no effort. And we’re not even out of Texas yet.

Only being on the center line will allow viewers to see the diamond rings and the interval of totality between them.

Ian Wardlaw

The center line then passes through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Vermont, and Maine. Those wishing to observe the eclipse from the same location the center line crossed during the August 21, 2017, eclipse should head to a location near Makanda, Illinois, which lies just south of Carbondale. A word of warning, if I may: The weather in Illinois in April — and I’m specifically talking about cloud cover here — is a far cry from what it is in August. Your chances of actually seeing the 2024 eclipse increase dramatically as you move toward the southwest. Not to mention that you’ll pick up an extra 15 seconds of totality from center-line locations near San Antonio.

Other major cities in the 2024 eclipse path include Little Rock, Arkansas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Dayton and Cleveland, Ohio (with northwestern parts of Cincinnati and Columbus under the shadow); Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, New York; and about half of Montréal, Québec, Canada.

A long wait after 2024

This chart shows the paths of totality for 15 solar eclipses occurring between 2009 and 2028.

Astronomy: Roen Kelly after Fred Espenak, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

For those wanting to view another total solar eclipse in the contiguous United States after the 2024 event, it’ll be a 20-year wait until August 23, 2044, for the next one. Plus, that eclipse is visible only in north-eastern Montana and a tiny segment of North Dakota. Its greatest duration of totality, 2 minutes 4 seconds, happens over Canada’s Northwest Territories.

At the intersection of the center line of the 2044 eclipse and the United States-Canada border, totality is 20 seconds shorter: 1 minute 44 seconds. The small towns near that point, namely Hogeland and Turner, Montana, experience totalities only a few tenths of a second less than that. And the Montana cities of Chinook, Zurich, Harlem, Dodson, and Malta lose only another second.

After 2044, three more total solar eclipses track through the contiguous United States in the 21st century. So, if 2044’s eclipse disappoints you, you’ll be thrilled to know that another happens less than one year later. The event on August 12, 2045, is a truly spectacular cross-country eclipse — with totalities lasting 4 minutes 23 seconds on the Northern California coast to an amazing maximum of 6 minutes 6 seconds at Port St. Lucie, Florida.

This spectacular image shows details in the Sun's corona (its outer atmosphere) you won't spot with your eyes.

Image: Don Sabers and Ron Royer; Processing: Miloslav Druckmüller

Next, the center line of the total solar eclipse on March 30, 2052, lands only on Florida and Georgia, but totality in that small path will only last between 3 minutes 30 seconds in Savannah, Georgia, and 3 minutes 44 seconds near Laguna Beach, Florida. The final total solar eclipse whose path intersects the contiguous United States in the 21st century occurs May 11, 2078. Like the eclipse in 2052, this one also tracks through the southeastern United States. Totality will last 5 minutes 17 seconds in Nags Head, North Carolina.

For those of you who stood beneath the Moon’s shadow in 2017, no convincing will be necessary to get you to seek out darkness in 2024. If you can catch it, an eclipse is a sight you’ll never rate as anything other than awesome. Just be sure to check the weather first!

[LibWhacker]

where the 2017 and 2024 path cross

Wow, what's the probability that someone would have two total solar eclipses pass over his house in seven years???... You ever consider lottery tickets?

[libertylover]

These solar eclipse stories make me think about global warming hype.

In 2017 the predictions of the times and location of the eclipse were spot on. I believe 2024 will probably be just as good. These predictions that come true show a real understanding of the system.

When the global warming crowd can, for example, predict that, “On August 17th, 2021 there will be a Category IV hurricane that will make landfall near Palm Bay, Florida”, and if they can do that consistently and it consistently comes true, it will demonstrate to me a real understanding of the climate.

But they have no understanding of the global climate and can’t do anywhere close to that prediction. Just how many times are these people going to predict the earth will end in 10 years if we don’t take drastic action?

[hanamizu]

You ever consider lottery tickets?

---

I figure eclipses owe us. We went to Hawaii in 1991 to view that year’s eclipse. Camped out on the volcano on the big island. Woke up to clear skies but as totality approached the clouds completely obscured the sun. Did get to see the moon’s shadow racing towards us from Maui which was neat, but not like what we saw a few years ago.

From an eclipse book we got in ‘91 we realized that if we lived, we’d have two eclipses at home. I can say that totality is totally awesome.

[djf]

I saw the total solar eclipse of what was it, Aug 23rd 2017? I was at Salem Oregon, pretty much right in the center of the path.
It was spectacular - and weird.
The weird part was looking all around us and it looked like sunrise in every direction!
And it was weird seeing the stars during the day.

[djf]

And there is an annular eclipse not sure exactly when basically going thru the exact same spot. 2023 I think.

[cyclotic]

We led a group of about 200 people at an eclipse party in South Carolina a couple years ago. Dead center of totality

A friend lives dead center in Ohio. We’ve already talked.

[xp38]

You were at the Winnipeg one too? Wow....memories. Our group of about 15 or so was a group of American and Canadians and I will never forget it. I thought I was nuts at the time but it was so so worth it. Even in freezing February. :)

[al baby]

yeah it sucked

[PLMerite]

Looks like it’s gonna pass almost directly over my place.

[CtBigPat]

I saw the 2017 eclipse on Lake Murry, SC. It was an amazing sight.

[Paul R.]

I wonder if Ozzy Osbourne can be persuaded to show up again?

[DBrow]

Plan now, people will have been booking hotel rooms along the centerline already.

[KarlInOhio]

I got very lucky in 2017. I decided a couple of weeks before the eclipse to go see it. I found one hotel room south of Nashville (outside totality) for under $100 when every other room left was $300-500. Six hour drive there and the longest 12 hour drive back. Traffic was still jammed up crossing into Cincinnati at 2am from the eclipse traffic.

I'm aleady parked for the 2024 eclipse. :)

[vis a vis]

Are you inviting any of your Freeper friends for the event? 8-)

[HartleyMBaldwin]

My wife and I traveled from Arizona to Oregon for the 2017 eclipse. Stayed a night with my brother in Bend, then drove from Bend to Seneca (between Burns and John Day) the day before the event and camped out in the Malheur National Forest, up the gnarliest logging road I could drive in a Nissan Sentra. There were some clearcuts at the top of a ridge, and we had a very nice view of the total eclipse. Only one other person anywhere nearby.

I also saw a total eclipse in February 1979 in Oregon. I was very lucky to get to the only hole in the clouds for at least 50 miles in any direction, arriving no more than 10 minutes before the eclipse started. That was along the Columbia River, not far east of The Dalles.

I imagine we’ll see the 2024 eclipse somewhere along the track of totality, no idea yet where we’ll go.

[hanamizu]

The weird part was looking all around us and it looked like sunrise in every direction!

---

For me the weirdest part was hearing night insects making their noises during totality and then shutting off, when the sun started shining again. It also turned noticeably cooler. But looking at that black hole in the sky surrounded by the light of the corona...

By all means if you get a chance get into the path of totality. You won’t forget it.

[Peter ODonnell]

Have been fortunate enough to see two, the 2017 event in Baker City OR and on March 7, 1970, at Virginia Beach. Chased one in May 1984 but had to settle for two minutes of darkness under cloud, which was widespread (also near the VA-NC border). Would recommend south Texas for best probability of clear skies in April along that track. Pretty much a certainty that a long stretch of that track will be overcast, no telling what stretch yet of course, but chances are about the same from Arkansas to Quebec, no particular reason to choose any place along that stretch yet. The best idea is to have more than one target, and decide a week in advance, take a motel 150-200 miles from the center line, on your route to the target, and (this eclipse is well timed for a morning drive into position) get into place from there, and return there at your leisure in the heavy traffic you can expect. The reason for that plan is that the motel 150-200 miles out won’t likely be fully booked a couple of days before the eclipse. The motels near the totality line will be (probably a year before, and at highly inflated prices too). The other viable plan is to choose a sparsely populated area and camp out on federal land, organized campsites will all be booked too.

What’s the most surprising part of this experience? I found the sudden drop in lighting unexpected, about a minute before totality you feel like it’s just like sunset, then a few seconds before totality, the light drops to near darkness very quickly. If you’re in a crowd of people, there will be a large gasp of amazement at that point. The other end is the same in reverse except you’re expecting that.

[DouglasKC]

We were in the path of totality in 2017 in west Kentucky. 2024 MIGHT be in the path but still going to friends in Cape Girardeau just in case.

By the way the actual interestion of the 2017 and 2024 eclipses happens just a bit west of Makanda, Ill.

[Western Phil]

August in Nebraska is usually hot & dry so I persuaded my older brother and my youngest son & family (all of us a day’s trip away) to view the eclipse from the family farm about 70 miles east of Grand Island. The farm is about two miles south of the path of totality. We gathered at the farm and within a few minutes of totality, the sky clouded over. We could see that the sky was clear all around, but all we got was darkness. Just at that time what appeared to be a commercial airliner approaching from the northeast turned and followed the path of totality.

[ealgeone]

Well, we are in an age of darkness.