Get Ready for the 2024 Solar Eclipse!
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Weather permitting (fingers crossed!), the first location in continental North America that will experience totality (the period of an eclipse when light from the sun is totally obscured) is Mexico’s Pacific coast at around 11:07 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
The eclipse path continues from Mexico, enters the United States in Texas, and travels through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The eclipse will exit continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. Newfoundland Daylight Time (NDT).
This eclipse is different from most in that it is a total eclipse. That means, for just a few brief minutes, the moon will totally black out the sun, leaving the sun’s outermost layer (called the corona) visible to the naked eye (but only if you are wearing protective glasses!) It will look much like a glowing ring in the sky.
Needless to say, you won’t want to miss this event! For more detailed information about how to view this incredible event, visit this site.
Fun Facts About the 2024 Solar Eclipse
It’s not just that this eclipse is a total eclipse that makes this event special. Other factors surrounding this particular eclipse make it a potentially once-in-a-lifetime experience. For example:
- In this eclipse, the moon will cover the sun while the moon is much closer to the Earth than it was in, say, the August 21, 2017 eclipse. That means skywatchers will get a glimpse of total darkness, and that darkness will last longer than it does in most eclipses. For example, this eclipse will last about four minutes, whereas most eclipses last half that time or less.
- Roughly 45 million people live along the path of totality for this eclipse, which happens to arc through some major cities, including Akron, Austin, Buffalo, Cleveland, Dallas, Dayton, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, and San Antonio.
- This eclipse will occur when the sun is near the peak of its 11-year activity cycle, starkly contrasting to the August 2017 eclipse, which occurred when the sun’s activity was near a minimum in activity. Astronomers are looking forward to comparing the two, and they're saying the 2024 eclipse may offer opportunities to witness sunspot activity.
- Because of when this eclipse is occurring in relation to the sun’s activity, viewers are likely to see a larger, more detailed corona that may even include sunspot outflows and bursts, and potentially even spike-like structures.
- This will be a once-in-a-lifetime event for many. Eclipse chasers make a habit of traveling wherever (and whenever) an eclipse occurs, but that’s not an option for many. For example, the next total eclipse to touch North America won’t happen until March 30, 2033, and that one will be far in the Arctic Circle in Alaska, inaccessible for most. Then, the next total eclipse to reach North America won't occur until August 23, 2044, two decades from now.
- This eclipse is one of the most accessible ever. Because the 2024 solar eclipse passes through several states in the contiguous U.S., it’s considered an accessible eclipse (most eclipses pass over the ocean or inaccessible portions of the continents). That means the 2024 event is a rare opportunity to see a total eclipse of the sun easily!
Solar Eclipse Safety Guidelines
Everyone knows looking at the sun with the naked eye or even with sunglasses is unsafe. Even during eclipse events, wearing protective eye gear is still essential. According to NASA, “Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing. Viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury.”
Yes, the 2024 solar eclipse is a total eclipse, but that does not mean the entire event can be viewed safely with the naked eye. Again quoting NASA’s safety recommendations, “When watching the partial phases of the solar eclipse directly with your eyes, which happens before and after totality, you must look through safe solar viewing glasses (‘eclipse glasses’) or a safe handheld solar viewer at all times. Eclipse glasses are NOT regular sunglasses. Regular sunglasses, no matter how dark, are not safe for viewing the Sun.”
It’s also important to remember not to view the sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer. The concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury.
NASA offers this three-step procedure for safely viewing the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse:
1). “View the Sun through eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer during the partial eclipse phases before and after totality.”
2). “You can view the eclipse directly without proper eye protection only when the Moon completely obscures the Sun’s bright face – during the brief and spectacular period known as totality. (You’ll know it’s safe when you can no longer see any part of the Sun through eclipse glasses or a solar viewer).”
3). “As soon as you see even a little bit of the bright Sun reappear after totality, immediately put your eclipse glasses back on or use a handheld solar viewer to look at the Sun.”
2024 Solar Eclipse Art
Every iconic event and natural experience warrants commemoration, and what better way to remember a rare historic experience such as this than with some swanky solar eclipse art! As soon as one is done planning their eclipse-chasing adventure, one should commemorate the experience with classic, vintage-looking eclipse poster art!
Our award-winning poster artists at Anderson Design Group hand-rendered eclipse art and illustrations showcasing the 2024 total solar eclipse in vintage poster design and retro style. The collection of 14 original eclipse illustrations showcases several of the cities located within the path of totality, plus a few national parks where one can view the eclipse. Our artists also made a total eclipse map and a cheeky B-movie horror flick-inspired poster of the eclipse.
To learn more about the upcoming solar eclipse, check out our interview with Dave Clark, founder of nationaleclipse.com.
We hope you’re prepared for this awesome event and that you’ll commemorate the occasion with art of the eclipse and solar eclipse posters! Don’t forget to practice safe viewing.
Safe travels, and may the event take your breath away!
-Ren Brabenec
Anderson Design Group Staff Writer
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