Total solar eclipse 2024: total eclipse path 185 kilometers wide
Solar eclipse fever swept North America on Monday, with the stunning astronomical spectacle attracting tens of millions of people and providing a rare blend of scientific interest, business opportunities and daytime partying.
At 11:07 a.m. local time (1807 GMT), the moon’s shadow plunged Mexico’s Pacific coast into total darkness before sweeping across the United States at supersonic speeds, returning to the ocean off Canada’s Atlantic coast in less than an hour. Halfway through landing.
Put it all in.
We’re getting a first look at total solar power in 2024 #eclipse as its shadow lands in Mazatlan, Mexico. pic.twitter.com/FdAACmQGkm
— NASA (@NASA) April 8, 2024
Festivals, viewing parties and even group weddings are held along the “total path” of the total solar eclipse, wowing people with the sun’s corona glowing from behind the moon.
“It’s spectacular. I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Paulina Nava, a 36-year-old resident of the Mexican seaside city of Mazatlan.
People were “screaming, clapping, some were taking pictures, others were kissing,” she added. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who traveled to the city, called the event “a very beautiful and unforgettable day.”
Thousands of miles away in downtown Montreal, Canada, office workers poured out of skyscrapers to take photos with their cellphones and eclipse glasses.
“My heart was beating really fast,” said 26-year-old Erica Park.
The path of totality is 115 miles (185 kilometers) wide and is home to nearly 32 million Americans, with an additional 150 million people living within 200 miles of the belt, according to NASA, which was broadcast live online.
School closures, mass weddings
Hotels and short-term rentals in prime viewing locations in states such as Texas, Arkansas, Ohio and Maine are booked months in advance.
At Stonehenge II Park in Ingram, Texas – a replica of Britain’s prehistoric monument – eclipse watchers from around the world gathered, undeterred by the cloudy skies.
Jeni Lyn Hunter, 57, and her husband Charles Guillory, 60, are from Floresville, Texas. The couple were considered “pagans” and wore Merlin hats.
“It means a lot to me because I have stage four cancer but I won’t give up, this is the rebirth of the sun of life,” Hunt told AFP.
According to reports, more than 300 couples exchanged vows at a “Total Eclipse of the Heart” mass wedding in Russellville, Arkansas.
total solar energy #eclipse Now it’s sweeping across Indianapolis.
This is the first time this city has experienced such a celestial phenomenon in more than 800 years! pic.twitter.com/jZuKx4nUAb
— NASA (@NASA) April 8, 2024
Delta Air Lines planned two special flights along the route, while many schools in the area were closed for the day.
Donald Trump on Monday released a campaign ad showing him blocking the sun with his head, ignoring all safety advice when he entered the White House in 2017 and staring directly into the solar eclipse.
In this election year, President Joe Biden poked fun at his opponents in a social media post, saying, “Guys, stop being stupid.”
Health experts are also urging people to use certified eclipse glasses to prevent permanent retinal damage.
Only those within the path of totality can safely remove eye protection for a few precious moments that won’t happen again until the next solar eclipse in 2044 across much of North America.
“Diamond Ring”
The eclipse was also a windfall for scientists. NASA launched three sounding rockets before, during and after the eclipse to measure changes caused by sudden dimming of the ionosphere, the upper layer of the atmosphere important for long-distance radio communications.
It also offers a golden opportunity to study the sun’s corona, the outer layer of the sun’s atmosphere that is usually hidden from the surface’s glare but has a huge impact on everything from satellites to power grids.
“Although there were some high clouds, the beauty of the corona was clearly visible,” said NASA heliophysicist Michael Kirk as the eclipse passed through Dallas.
Follow, follow the sun/Which way the wind blows/When the day is over🎶
Today, April 8, 2024, the last total solar #eclipse Travel across North America until 2045. pic.twitter.com/YH618LeK1j
— NASA (@NASA) April 8, 2024
“You can see that spikey structure just sticking out – it’s heartbreakingly beautiful,” he added, noting that because the Sun is near the peak of its 11-year cycle, the corona is “asymmetrical.”
As the eclipse unfolds, the rugged lunar terrain is revealed in a stunning “diamond ring” effect, while Venus and Jupiter appear briefly in the sky.
During past solar eclipses, people have noticed alarming animal behavior, such as roosters crowing, because they believe the end of darkness is dawn.
For humans, solar eclipses trigger a sense of wonder as we come face to face with our tiny place in the cosmic order. Individuals also exhibit more “prosocial” feelings toward each other after shared experiences.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
