The solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, dubbed the Great North American Eclipse by some media, was a total solar eclipse visible across a band covering parts of North America, from Mexico to Canada and crossing the contiguous United States.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the Sun. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight. Totality occurs only in a limited path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a larger surrounding region.
Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 | |
---|---|
Type of eclipse | |
Nature | Total |
Gamma | 0.3431 |
Magnitude | 1.0566 |
Maximum eclipse | |
Duration | 268 s (4 min 28 s) |
Location | Nazas, Durango, Mexico |
Coordinates | 25°18′N 104°06′W / 25.3°N 104.1°W |
Max. width of band | 198 km (123 mi) |
Times (UTC) | |
(P1) Partial begin | 15:42:07 |
(U1) Total begin | 16:38:44 |
Greatest eclipse | 18:18:29 |
(U4) Total end | 19:55:29 |
(P4) Partial end | 20:52:14 |
References | |
Saros | 139 (30 of 71) |
Catalog # (SE5000) | 9561 |
During this eclipse, the Moon's apparent diameter was 5.5 percent larger than average. With a magnitude of 1.0566, the eclipse's longest duration of totality was 4 minutes and 28 seconds near the Mexican town of Nazas, Durango.
This eclipse was the first total solar eclipse visible from Canada since August 1, 2008, and from the provinces since February 26, 1979. It was the first over Mexico since July 11, 1991. It was also the first over the United States since August 21, 2017. This is the only solar eclipse in the 21st century with totality visible from all three countries. The next total solar eclipse in the US will be on March 30, 2033, which will pass over Alaska. The next total eclipse in the contiguous United States of the US will be on August 23, 2044. The next total eclipse of similar width will take place on August 12, 2045, which will traverse coast-to-coast in a trajectory similar to the 2017 eclipse.
An annular eclipse on October 2, 2024, will be the final solar eclipse of the year. The path of annularity will cross over Chile and Argentina.
The totality of the solar eclipse was visible in a strip beginning in the Pacific Ocean, the edge of which passed approximately 60 kilometers north of Penrhyn atoll, 115 kilometers south of Starbuck Island, and 370 kilometers north of the Marquesas Islands. Later, the total solar eclipse was visible from North America, starting from the west coast of Mexico then ascending in a northeasterly direction through Mexico, the United States, and Canada, before ending in the Atlantic Ocean about 700 kilometers southwest of Ireland.
Totality first passed over the Revillagigedo Islands (a federal possession of Mexico) and the Islas Marías. Upon reaching the continental mainland, totality passed through the states of Sinaloa (including Mazatlán), northern Nayarit, Durango (including the city of Durango and Gómez Palacio), southeast Chihuahua, and Coahuila (including Torreón, Matamoros, Monclova, Sabinas, Ciudad Acuña, and Piedras Negras). A partial eclipse was visible across the remainder of the country, including 79% coverage of the solar disc in Mexico City. Torreón was the most populous Mexican city in the path of totality.
In the United States, totality was visible through the states of Texas (including parts of San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth, and all of Arlington, Dallas, Killeen, Temple, Texarkana, Tyler, Sulphur Springs, and Waco); Oklahoma (including Idabel and Broken Bow); Arkansas (including Morrilton/Petit Jean, Hot Springs, Searcy, Jonesboro, and Little Rock); Missouri (including Cape Girardeau and Poplar Bluff); Tennessee (extreme northwestern corner of Lake County); Illinois (including Carbondale, where it intersected the path of the 2017 eclipse); Kentucky; Indiana (including Bloomington, Evansville, Indianapolis, Anderson, Muncie, Terre Haute, and Vincennes); Ohio (including Akron, Cleveland, Dayton, Lima, Lorain, Toledo, and Warren); Michigan (extreme southeastern corner of Monroe County); Pennsylvania (including Erie); Upstate New York (including Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Rochester, Syracuse, Watertown, the Adirondacks, Potsdam, and Plattsburgh); northern Vermont (including Burlington); New Hampshire; and Maine; with the line of totality going almost directly over the state's highest point Mount Katahdin. The largest city that was entirely in the path was Dallas, Texas. It was the second total eclipse visible from the central United States in just seven years, after the eclipse of August 21, 2017. It will be the last total solar eclipse visible in the contiguous United States until August 23, 2044.
A partial solar eclipse was visible in all of the other parts of the contiguous United States, Hawaii, and southeast Alaska (Alaska Panhandle).
Delta Air Lines scheduled two special eclipse-following flights: one from Austin to Detroit on a large-window A220-300, and one from Dallas to Detroit. Various other flights in the path of totality also avoided cloud cover entirely.
In Canada, totality was visible through parts of Southern Ontario (including Leamington, Fort Erie, Hamilton, Niagara Falls, Kingston, Prince Edward County, and Cornwall), parts of southern Quebec (including Montreal, Sherbrooke, Saint-Georges, and Lac-Mégantic), central New Brunswick (including Fredericton, Woodstock and Miramichi), western Prince Edward Island (including Tignish and Summerside), the northern tip of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, and central Newfoundland (including Gander and Grand Falls-Windsor). Then, it ended on the eastern Atlantic coast of Newfoundland. The most populous Canadian city that the path of totality intersected was Montreal. Windsor, London, Toronto, and Ottawa lay just north of the path of totality, and Moncton just south of it.
A partial solar eclipse was visible in all of the other parts of Canada, except the western part of Yukon and the western tip of the Northwest Territories.
Boat cruises to observe the eclipse were conducted on Lake Erie, Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and Saint Lawrence River.
The partial eclipse was seen in all Central American countries, from Belize to Panama, all the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica), and northern South America (Colombia).
A partial eclipse passed over Svalbard (Norway), Iceland, Ireland, western parts of the United Kingdom, north-western parts of Spain and Portugal, the Azores, and the Canary Islands. Cloud cover prevented views of it from most of the British Isles, although it was seen in Western Scotland. Unusually, this eclipse extended below the horizon, where the greatest phase was observed at mid-nautical twilight in Galicia (Spain) and the beginning of astronomical twilight in Nouvelle-Aquitaine (France). The extension of the eclipse path within the twilight zone created what was likely the best observation window for the 12P/Pons–Brooks comet located closely to Jupiter.
The partial eclipse was seen in Hawaii, eastern Kiribati (the eastern Phoenix Islands and the whole Line Islands), Tokelau, American Samoa except for its extreme western part, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and the Pitcairn Islands. Although all located east of the 180th meridian, the local time of the eclipse in Kiribati and Tokelau was Tuesday, April 9, 2024, because either UTC+13 or UTC+14 is observed in these areas.
The eclipse occurred around the solar maximum, a period of greatest solar activity in the Sun's 11-year solar cycle, and it was anticipated that solar prominences would be visible during totality. Many observers reported seeing solar prominences during the event. Most plainly visible to the naked eye was a very bright, ruby-red point of light near the lowest portion of the Sun's disk, which on telescopic views and photographs showed as a tent-shaped angular structure. Telescopic photographs revealed the western limb having several smaller, irregular shapes, of which one large, ragged shape was disconnected from the Sun's surface. Several smaller prominences were also visible on the eastern limb. These shapes correlate in detail with the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory solar telescope images taken in space at the same as the earthbound eclipse, and with images from the ground-based National Solar Observatory GONG telescope in Cerro Tololo, Chile.
The shadow bands phenomenon was observed and documented in some locations with clear skies. Attempts to observe and record shadow bands on the ground were disappointed in many areas of totality by the phenomenon not appearing in the event, perhaps having been washed out by the diffuse illumination of cloudy skies in various locations.
It was projected before the eclipse that there could be a $6 billion boost to the US economy due to the eclipse. The Mayor of Rochester, New York, Malik Evans, told reporters that the city was expected to bring in between $10–12 million to the city's economy from the Friday before the eclipse to the day of it.
One company that tracks Airbnb data likened the economic impact of the event to having Taylor Swift's concerts taking place simultaneously in every city along the eclipse's path. In the United States, the prices of motels and hotels near the path of totality increased up to 100 percent on April 7 and April 8. Montreal saw a 20% surge in hotel occupancy for April 7 and April 8.
The eclipse caused a drop in solar power generation, with Texas experiencing a decrease from 12,000 MW to just over 3,000 MW at 2 p.m. Wind power generation also decreased by about 50% that day. However, there were no disruptions in power distribution as supply exceeded demand.
Highways in the area of totality saw significant increases in traffic, with departing tourists causing traffic jams lasting up to eight hours. Many of those trying to drive down Interstate 93 in New Hampshire, for example, found themselves in jams lasting until 2 a.m. the following morning, resulting in numerous cars breaking down. In Vermont there were an estimated 60,000 additional cars and 248 inbound aircraft over the span of the eclipse weekend, with about 160,000 visitors coming into the state per Secretary of Transportation Joe Flynn. New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced record breaking tourism numbers between April 6-9, that was a 45% increase compared to 2023, with nearly one million visitors to New York State parks and over 5.5 million toll transactions recorded.
Zookeepers, naturalists, university researchers, and citizen scientists positioned themselves to observe animal behavior during the eclipse, some with the goal of comparing results with observations made during the 2017 total eclipse, and others opening new avenues of animal behavioral research. Wildlife and zoo animals were observed along the path of totality and in areas that saw only a partial eclipse.
Changes in wild animal behavior were recorded during the eclipse, especially among birds. These changes were similar to those observed during the 2024 eclipse, but more pronounced. Weather radar was adapted to monitor the activity of flying animals, and birds were observed to decrease their daytime activities. Radar imaging demonstrated “noticeable decreases in typical daytime biological activities such as the movements of hawks and other soaring and insect-eating birds.” Insects, birds, and frogs in the wild were observed making their nighttime sounds. Owls began hooting, and some frog species croaked as if it were night. Vultures and other birds began to roost. A team from Purdue University, observing a variety of ecosystems on wild-lands maintained by the university near Butlerville, Indiana recorded the songs of 20 different species of birds going quiet, leaving only the songs of the robin and the tufted titmouse during the eclipse. Spring peepers, a type of nocturnal frog, were heard intermittently while the eclipse was partial, but they abruptly filled the soundscape at the moment of totality. Wild cricket frogs were observed in Fort Worth, Texas behaving similarly. Birding students at the University of Vermont observed species at Lake Champlain during the eclipse that had not been observed there before, including bohemian waxwings, red-tailed hawks, and pileated woodpeckers.
As in wildlife populations, captive avian species seemed most affected by the eclipse. At the Columbus Zoo, ostriches returned to their barn and began their evening rituals, such as preening and grooming each other. When the sunlight returned, the ostriches left their barn and resumed their daytime activities. At the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas, flamingos bunched together and vocalized. They also began marching together, which is a bonding behavior in flamingos. The Fort Worth Botanic Garden (FWBG) placed hundreds of butterflies in their conservatory March 1, allowed them to acclimate, and observed them during the eclipse. The butterflies “didn’t roost but instead ceased flying and remained very still.” Goats at the FWBC were observed resting or sleeping during the eclipse. Giraffes at the Dallas Zoo also began to gallop, a behavior witnessed there and at many other zoos during the 2017 eclipse. Cicadas in Arizona stopped singing when the sun was 50% blocked during their partial eclipse. A troop of gorillas kept at the Fort Worth Zoo gathered at the door to their indoor enclosure, where they are normally fed each evening, and appeared to act confused and frustrated, as if having missed their evening meal. Two aldabra tortoises at the same zoo were observed to rear on their hind legs and attack the door to their indoor enclosure, damaging the door’s frame. A group of elephants at the Columbus zoo gathered together and began thumping their trunks on the ground.
Not all zoo animals reacted to the eclipse, nor did researchers expect them to. During the 2017 eclipse, researchers at the Riverbanks Zoo in South Carolina observed behavior changes in about 75% of species. Adam Hartstone-Rose, a biology professor at North Caroina State University explained:
We think that the reason that some animals go from that very mild level of stress to a more excessive level of stress is because people do crazy things during eclipses, and we think that the animals are just much more perceptive of our own emotionality during an eclipse than we previously sort of gave them credit for.
Zoologists and volunteers at Parc Safari, a zoo in Hemmingford, Quebec noted very little change in the animals they observed there, including giraffes, lions, hyenas, wolves, lynx, llamas, alpacas, and dromedaries. Hyenas vocalized during the eclipse, but there were other coinciding events that might have contributed to that behavior. The zoo’s director of zoology, Aurélien Berthelot, did not expect much activity from their mammals. For example, lions sleep up to eighteen hours per day. Some roared during the eclipse while others slept. Analysis of their observations are continuing.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders preemptively declared a state of emergency related to the eclipse, citing the expected increase of travel to the state which could result in transportation difficulties, such as in Fort Smith, where the police prepared for traffic congestion as hotels filled up. Bell County, Texas Judge David Blackburn preemptively declared a state of emergency in February 2024 due to the projected number of visitors to the area. The region surrounding Niagara Falls, Ontario, also declared a state of emergency; as an existing major tourist destination along the path of totality, it expected an influx of at least one million visitors on April 8.
A lawsuit was filed on April 2 by six inmates of various religions at Woodbourne Correctional Facility in New York against the state, stating that the decision to lock down the prison during the eclipse conflicted with their religious beliefs. The solar eclipse is important in various religions. The state settled the lawsuit by allowing them to view the eclipse.
The eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit. It is also part of saros series 139, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, 8 hours, containing 71 events, and part of a tritos cycle, repeating at alternating nodes every 135 synodic months (≈ 3986.63 days, or 11 years minus 1 month).
The path of the April 8, 2024, eclipse crossed the path of the prior total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 with the intersection of the two paths being in southern Illinois, in Makanda, just south of Carbondale.
The path of the April 8 eclipse also crossed the path of the annular solar eclipse that occurred less than 6 months prior, on October 14, 2023, intersecting in the vicinity of San Antonio, Texas.
Total Solar Eclipse durations: Durango, Durango – 3m 47s; Mazatlan, Sinaloa – 4m 20s; Torreón, Coahuila de Zaragoza – 4m 9s.
Mazatlán, on the country's western coast, will be the first region of mainland Mexico to experience totality, followed by Durango, Torreón, and Monclova as the path tracks northeast toward the U .S. border at Piedras Negras.
A Total Eclipse of magnitude 1.0216 will be visible from Mazatlán, Mexico on April 8 2024. Maximum eclipse will be at 11:09:38 local time and totality duration will be 4m 19s.
On April 8, 20 24, Dallas will be the largest city in the path of totality for the once-in-a-lifetime Great North American Eclipse.
Fort Erie totality 3m 46s.
Fort Erie will experience the longest totality at 3m 46s, with Niagara Falls following c losely at 3m 31s, both occurring at 3:20 pm.
Fredericton, Woodstock, and Miramichi are in the 'path of totality'. Moncton and Saint John, just outside, had about 98% sun coverage.
Totality visible west of Summerside: 1m 2s. In Tignish, totality lasts 3m 12s.
Timing and duration of the total eclipse will vary slightly across the Island.
Totality on the eastern coast of Newfoundland: 2m 53s.
Ottawa north of totality
Moncton slightly south of totality
no approaching moon's shadow, no shadow bands
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