Solar Eclipse 2024: A Spectacle in the Skies
When a total solar eclipse creates a spectacle in the skies over Mexico and North America on April 8, it will mark the first time such an event has occurred in this part of the world for nearly seven years — and the last time one will until 2044.
Total solar eclipses happen when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, completely blocking the sun’s face. But these celestial events aren’t all exactly alike.
While April’s eclipse has a path similar to the one that occurred on August 21, 2017, albeit moving in the opposite direction and covering more ground, there are quite a few differences between the two that make 2024’s occurrence one to anticipate, according to NASA. One key factor that sets this year’s event apart is who will be able to see it.
NASA estimates that 215 million adults across the US saw the 2017 eclipse directly or virtually. “This year’s total solar eclipse will be at least partially visible to all in the contiguous United States, making it the most accessible eclipse this nation has experienced in this generation,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, in a statement.
Bill Ingalls/NASA
This composite image shows the progression of a partial solar eclipse over Ross Lake in Northern Cascades National Park in Washington on August 21, 2017.
More people will be able to see the 2024 eclipse because the path of totality, or locations where people will witness the moon’s shadow completely covering the sun, will be wider. The moon’s distance from Earth varies as it orbits our planet, and during the 2017 total solar eclipse, the moon was farther away from Earth and caused the area of totality to be narrower, extending from about 62 to 71 miles (100 to 114 kilometers) wide.
But the moon will be closer to our planet during this year’s event, so the path its shadow will follow over North America is expected to stretch about 108 to 122 miles (174 to 196 kilometers) wide.
The path of the 2024 eclipse also passes over more densely populated areas and major cities than before. Only 12 million people lived within the area of totality for the 2017 eclipse, while nearly 32 million are in the 2024 path, and 150 million people live within 200 miles (322 kilometers) of it.
People outside the path of totality will still be able to see a partial solar eclipse, where the moon only blocks part of the sun’s face. A whopping 99% of those living across the US, including parts of Hawaii and Alaska, will be able to glimpse at least a partial solar eclipse without having to travel.
April’s eclipse will also have longer period of totality than 2017 because of the moon’s proximity to Earth. Totality is one of the shortest phases of an eclipse, and its duration is dependent on viewing location. Observers closest to the center of the path will experience the longest totality, and the length of