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April 8, solar eclipse The sky becomes dark. This is a rare astronomical phenomenon. The last total solar eclipse in North America was on August 21, 2017, and the continent won’t see a total solar eclipse until 2044. Path of total solar eclipse – A place where the sun is completely blocked. Moon — covers more than 30 million people in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
If you’re lucky, you might be able to see the sun’s corona and the Diamond Ring, both dramatic sights. Other regions will experience partial solar eclipses, but the level will vary depending on how close everyone is already. It’s still a spectacular sight to see the moon eclipse the sun.
So in which cities and regions will completeness occur and when? What is the weather forecast for those regions? And how can you safely watch or record events if visibility is clear? Is not it?
Where and when will a total solar eclipse occur in the United States?
The good news is that many major centers are located in the 100-mile-wide totality zone, so millions of people will be able to see the full eclipse. Following a northeastern path, the first views of Mexico’s Pacific coast will begin at around 10:57 a.m. PDT in Mazatlan (the total solar eclipse begins at 12:07 p.m. PDT), followed by Torreon city (all times are local times).
The total solar eclipse will enter the United States at 12:10 PM CDT (Eagle Pass, Texas) and will then hit Austin, Fort Worth, and Dallas (three of the five most populous cities in Texas). From there it moves on to Little Rock, Arkansas, and then on to parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana (including Indianapolis).
Dayton, Toledo and Cleveland in Ohio are full, followed by Erie, Pennsylvania, and Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse in New York, along with Maine. Canada is also participating in the event, with southern Ontario (Hamilton, Niagara Falls) and parts of Quebec (Montreal) covering the entire area, New Brunswick, P.E.I., and finally at 4:03 p.m. NDT ( (Newfoundland time), and a new case has also been confirmed in Bonavista, Labrador. .
If you are elsewhere on the continent and cannot travel, know that the closer you get to the totality zone, the more the Sun will be obscured by the Moon (this map It shows how much of the solar eclipse you can see depending on where you are on the continent).
An impressive list of major centers are within 200 miles of the total star and will therefore see more than 90 percent of the eclipses (Houston, St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Toronto, New York, Boston) ).
Anyone in the southern, midwestern, and northeastern United States, as well as those in the southeastern and Atlantic coasts of Canada, should be able to see a decent sight. Even if you’re not in these areas, you may still be able to see (and photograph) a small solar eclipse.
How long will the 2024 solar eclipse last?
From the beginning of the Moon’s first covering of the Sun (a partial solar eclipse) to the end of the separation of the two objects is quite a long time: up to 2 hours and 40 minutes in Dallas and 2 hours and 18 minutes in Caribou, Maine.
However, the totality itself is short-lived, and its duration varies depending on how close you are to the center of the totality zone and the time of day. Dallas takes just under 4 minutes, Presque Isle, Maine takes less than 3 minutes, and Montreal takes just 1 minute and 12 seconds. So you need to be prepared and pray that the skies will be clear in that short period of time.
What is the weather forecast for my area?
It’s still too early to make precise predictions, but a week is enough to get a regional overview. April is not exactly the best month for sunny weather. However, a solar eclipse can be seen through thin cloud cover, and even with thick cloud cover, the sky will darken dramatically.
Unfortunately, the probability of rain is certainly above average It spans most of the eclipse band. Forecasters predict that the further you live in the Northeast, the more likely you are to have sunny skies, which is contrary to historical trends.
This means Dallas has a forecast of rain all day long (58%), which means continuous cloud cover and poor visibility. Conditions improve a bit once we reach Indianapolis (partly cloudy, 24% chance of rain), and even better in Buffalo, New York (partly cloudy, 11% chance of rain).
But things are looking good for now in Montreal, with mostly clear skies and only a 9 per cent chance of rain, and the same goes for Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Niagara Falls is also estimated to have good weather during the eclipse (mostly clear, 18%), and as a totality phenomenon is in progress, the city has issued the following declaration: emergency Out of caution. Officials estimate an influx of 1 million people into the area, creating potentially dangerous crowds.
How can I watch the solar eclipse at home?
Staring at the sun is clearly dangerous for vision, and staring at the sun during a solar eclipse can be just as harmful. Even if you don’t feel discomfort right away, the following symptoms can damage your eyes: solar retinopathy. It can cause serious consequences such as eye pain, blind spots, and blurred vision.
To view safely, you must purchase solar eclipse glasses that are approved under international safety standards. ISO 12312-2 (Regular sunglasses cannot be used). This determines the maximum light transmission and the range of acceptable wavelength transmission (UVA, UVB, infrared).
If you don’t have one yet, there’s still time to buy one.of American Astronomical Societyy (AAS) offers many recommendations for manufacturers and vendors both online and in retail chains.
For example, Warby Parker is offering free glasses (limit 2 per person, while supplies last). You can also find it at Staples, Lowes, Walmart, and online at B&H and multiple science and astronomy stores.
However, AAS advises against searching for the lowest price on Amazon or eBay in case you find a lousy fake. “Before purchasing a solar viewer or filter online, we recommend that you (1) ensure that the seller is identified on the site; and (2) that the seller is listed on the site. Masu. This page” on the company’s Solar Eclipse Across America site.
How to safely view the solar eclipse without glasses
It is also possible to view the solar eclipse in an indirect way without glasses. The easiest way is to cut a small round hole in thick paper or cardboard and place it so that the sun shines through the hole on the ground or on a flat surface (you can also paste a piece of foil with holes in it). NASA will exhibit here). This will project an image of the sun’s disk, allowing you to view the eclipse in real time.
The same pinhole principle allows you to use anything with holes, such as a colander, to project dozens of small eclipses onto the surface. Trees can do something similar, casting strange leaf shadows containing small eclipse clumps.
For a slightly better experience, you can build a crude box projector. This allows the sun to shine on the white card through the hole in the aluminum foil, allowing you to turn your back to the sun and see the card through the large hole.Canadian Space Agency explains how to make it exactly.
Never look at the eclipse directly with binoculars or a telescope. It is sure to cause damage to your eyes. However, you can also observe it using binoculars or a telescope. project Shine the sun on the paper as shown. this video.
How to take photos and videos of a solar eclipse
Unfortunately, you can’t point your smartphone or camera at the sun to record a solar eclipse. This is because the brightness will overwhelm the sensor and spoil the image (and possibly even damage the sensor). Luckily, you can protect your camera just like you protect your eyes.
The cheapest option is to buy an extra set of eclipse glasses, cut the eyepieces from the glasses, and tape them to the lens of your smartphone (or other camera). This reduces the light levels enough to see the details of the Sun during partial and total solar eclipses.
You can also purchase solar filters specifically for smartphones, such as . VisiSolar Photo Filter, designed for cameras and cannot be viewed directly. Another option is Solar Snap Eclipse App Kit also provides an app to help you photograph the eclipsed sun. When setting up your smartphone or camera, we also recommend wearing solar glasses to protect your eyes.
If you are photographing the eclipse with a dedicated mirrorless or DSLR camera, need Either mylar, 16 stop ND (neutral density) or hydrogen alpha solar filter. Again, if the lens does not have these filters installed, he should not look directly into the DSLR’s optical viewfinder in the sun (mirrorless cameras’ electronic viewfinders are safe).
To photograph the eclipse with your smartphone, turn off the flash and put your camera in ultrawide or wide mode to fit within the frame. If you are not wearing eclipse glasses, do not look directly at the sun to hold your camera.
Don’t use digital zoom to try to make the eclipse bigger, as you will lose resolution (you can zoom in later with a photo editing app). Once you’ve focused on the Sun, use your smartphone’s focus lock feature to prevent your phone from “chasing” your focus and blurring the eclipse.
During totality, the “diamond ring” effect only lasts for a fraction of a second, so if you don’t use your camera’s burst mode, you may miss the shot. Also, be sure to capture RAW images (rather than JPEGs) to preserve maximum detail for later editing. Some iPhone and Android smartphones have built-in RAW functionality, but if not, you can use a third-party app.
If you’re capturing video, of course you’ll also need filters. However, you will also need to use a tripod, as shooting handheld will result in blur and unstable video.parable cheap tripod will do the trick, along with simple smartphone holder. Capture the highest possible resolution (4K or 8K) in the highest possible quality. Cheers and shouts can also be recorded, making it a valuable souvenir that can be viewed over and over again.
Other resources
There are many government and private sites with detailed information about solar eclipses. AAS’s Eclipse siteeye safety, image processing, resources, and even totality app — “An interactive map showing what will be visible everywhere in North America during the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.”
NASA also provides a dedicated site. solar eclipse in north americasimilarly national weather bureau and National Solar Observatory.A private site called great american eclipse It is primarily commercial, but includes a very useful map showing the total band and how much of the eclipse will be visible depending on your location, as well as a comprehensive list of eclipse times and durations. I am. By city.
Updated April 5th at 12:30pm ET: This article has been updated since publication to include more information about the path of the total solar eclipse.