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The long wait is over . Hopefully by now you have found your seat to watch the great celestial event , set up your telescope and are ready to enjoy today’stotal solar eclipsethat will bring eerie iniquity to a long swath of the United States , Canada and Mexico during the few moments when the moon get across the sun ’s cheek completely . The only affair you necessitate to know now is when exactly totality will begin wherever you are .
Totality is a wholly different experience from 99 % occultation reporting . First and foremost , totality isthe only safe meter to look directly at the sunwithoutsolar eclipse glassesor other qualified centre security . But looker within the track of sum will also have the opportunity to view a host of unique eclipse phenomena .
Eclipse watchers across the United States are gearing up for the spectacular celestial event.
Only during totalitydo the sky turn twilight - dark , and only during totality is the sun ’s outer atmosphere , or Saint Ulmo’s light , visible as wispy ejection of light emanating from behind the moon . Being inside the path of totality is also the only path to see eclipse features such asBaily ’s bead , which are the last ray of light sneaking past the mint on the moon .
Totality occurs in a 115 - mile - wide ( 185 kilometers ) stretch along from Mexico to Canada , queer 15 US states ( although two states , Tennessee and Michigan , will only be just glance by the moonlight ’s trace ) . In the US , integrality will begin in Texas at 1:27 pm CDT and will end in Maine at 3:35 necropsy EDT .
The duration of totality depends on how close you are to the center of the way of life , and how far southwest you are . The maximal duration of totality for the April 8 eclipse is 4 minutes , 27 seconds in Torreón , Mexico .
Map of path of totality across North America for the April 8th solar eclipse.
What time is the eclipse?
Here ’s a elaborated partitioning of what metre totality start out and break in each state it hand through , according toNASA .
Note : The fond phase angle of the occultation last about an hour and 20 minutes before and after totality , and will be visible to some extent across the entire United States . Here ’s how tosafely bask the fond eclipse on April 8 .
To learn more about the eclipse ’s timing in your exact localisation , visitNASA ’s 2024 eclipse information page .
A photograph of the 2017 total solar eclipse, taken at the Oregon State Fair Grounds, Salem, Ore.
What to expect during totality
The itinerary of totality is the route of the synodic month ’s shadow across the Earth . By catch the eclipse from within the path of totality , you may be able to see a whole master of ceremonies of unual phenomenon tie in with the shadower ’s passage ( depend on how muddy the sky are overhead ) .
As the moonlight ’s shadow approaches , there will be a obtrusive bead in temperature , unremarkably between 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit ( 2.8 to 5.6 degree Anders Celsius ) . As the ground cools , miserable - level cloud may also disappear , serve a morsel with the view overhead .
— How and where to observe the April 8 solar occultation online for destitute
— 10 uncanny things that take place during a solar eclipse
— Total solar eclipse April 2024 : The 10 biggest urban center within the path of aggregate
About 30 seconds before totality , crinkly lines known as darkness bands may come along on the side of building and vehicle . Just a few seconds before aggregate , you may be able-bodied to see Bailey ’s beadsappear around the edge of the moon . If the skies are relatively percipient , totality will bring a wall of shadow that turn midday to twilight . ( This is the only time when it ’s safe to transfer yoursolar eclipseglasses . ) When darkness descend , hopeful whiz and planet may be seeable in the sky , while a 360 - degree sunset may appear on the horizon . Animals may start to act as strangely , develop spookily quiet and potentially showing their nighttime behaviors . color around you will look different , with William Green and blues down while reds seem dimmer . When the sun is fully eclipsed , its corona will be clear visible behind the moon .
revel this moment , whatever it brings , as the next eclipse over the contiguous United States is n’t until 2044 .
