On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
The total solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean.
Weather permitting, the first location in continental North America that will experience totality is Mexico’s Pacific coast at around 11:07 a.m. PDT.
New Jersey residents will be able to detect the solar anomaly shortly before 2 p.m. local time but the Garden State is not in the path of the total solar eclipse, which will be visible along a narrow track stretching from Texas to Maine on April 8, 2024.
A partial eclipse will be visible throughout all 48 contiguous U.S. states.
The path of the eclipse continues from Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse.
The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton.
The eclipse will exit continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. NDT.
A total solar eclipse is the most arresting astronomical event of them all, but the experience one you must be within the Path of Totality.
A rare celestial event, a total solar eclipse occurs when a New Moon crosses the Sun as we see it, throwing a Moon-shadow onto the planet. If you stand under the path of that shadow, all of the Sun’s rays will be blocked out for a few minutes, and you’ll experience darkness in the day – even if it’s cloudy.
However, those few minutes – called Totality – are about a lot more than darkness.
During Totality people can see the Sun’s powerful, pulsing corona visible around the edges of the Moon.
Explosions on the Sun’s surface are also sometimes visible, as well as beads of sunlight pouring through the valleys of the Moon. A few minutes later, the Sun emerges from behind the Moon, causing a flash of light called the diamond ring and it’s all over.
Spexial solar eclipse glasses must be worn for the partial phases of the eclipse.
If you’re outside the Path of Totality, that’s the whole 2.5-hour experience: don’t ever take them off and look at the Sun.
For many, preparing for this event brings memories of the magnificent total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017.
In 2017, an estimated 215 million U.S. adults (88% of U.S. adults) viewed the solar eclipse, either directly or electronically.
They experienced the Moon pass in front of the Sun, blocking part or all of our closest star’s bright face.
The eclipse in 2024 could be even more exciting due to differences in the path, timing, and scientific research.
Wider, More Populated Path
The path of totality – where viewers can see the Moon totally block the Sun, revealing the star’s outer atmosphere, called the corona – is much wider during the upcoming total solar eclipse than it was during the eclipse in 2017.
As the Moon orbits Earth, its distance from our planet varies. During the 2017 total solar eclipse, the Moon was a little bit farther away from Earth than it will be during the upcoming total solar eclipse, causing the path of that eclipse to be a little skinnier.
In 2017, the path ranged from about 62 to 71 miles wide. During the April eclipse, the path over North America will range between 108 and 122 miles wide – meaning at any given moment, this eclipse covers more ground.
The 2024 eclipse path will also pass over more cities and densely populated areas than the 2017 path did. This will make it easier for more people to see totality.
An estimated 31.6 million people live in the path of totality this year, compared to 12 million in 2017. An additional 150 million people live within 200 miles of the path of totality.
