Current:Home > reviewsThe real April 2024 total solar eclipse happens inside the path of totality. What is that? -Lighthouse Finance Hub
The real April 2024 total solar eclipse happens inside the path of totality. What is that?
View
Date:2025-04-18 01:15:24
As the April 2024 total solar eclipse approaches, you may have heard folks talking about the "path of totality." But what is it, exactly? And what is totality?
First, some background: The April 8, 2024, eclipse will be a total solar eclipse, according to NASA. It will be the last total solar eclipse visible from the lower 48 states until 2044.
But what's key is that "only in the path will you see what's special about this eclipse — totality," Rick Fienberg of the American Astronomical Society told Space.com.
What is totality?
Totality is when the moon totally blocks the sun during a total solar eclipse.
What is the path of totality?
The path of totality is the area where people on Earth can see the moon completely cover the sun as the moon's shadow falls upon them. Space.com describes it as "the cone-shaped inner (umbral) shadow of the moon projected onto the Earth's surface."
Solar eclipse warnings pile up:Watch out for danger in the sky, on the ground on April 8
To view all of the stages of a total solar eclipse, you must watch it from somewhere along that path of totality, NASA said. Viewers outside this narrow, roughly 115-mile wide path will only see a partial eclipse of the sun.
Total solar eclipses are visible every 400 years from any one place, the Solar Observatory said.
Where is the path of totality in the US?
The path in the U.S. extends along a narrow stretch of land from Texas to Maine.
Not every place along the path of totality will provide the same viewing experience, in part because of cloud cover. Here's an early look at what areas are usually the most and least cloudy:
What happens during totality?
The sky will darken, as if it were dawn or dusk. "You may be able to see a 360-degree sunset. You may also be able to see some particularly bright stars or planets in the darkened sky. The air temperature will drop and often an eerie silence will settle around you," NASA said.
People along the path of totality will be able to see the sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, which is usually obscured by the bright face of the sun.
And also this important reminder: Eclipse glasses are required for the eclipse if you're looking at it from outside the path of totality. Inside the path, you need the glasses for the moments before and after totality, when the moon is not totally blocking the sun.
veryGood! (74364)
Related
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu gets Olympic medal amid Jordan Chiles controversy
- Dodgers All-Star Tyler Glasnow lands on IL again
- ‘Shoot me up with a big one': A timeline of the last days of Matthew Perry
- Carolinas bracing for second landfall from Tropical Storm Debby: Live updates
- Massachusetts governor pledges to sign sweeping maternal health bill
- Taylor Swift fan captures video of film crew following her onstage at London Eras Tour
- ‘Shoot me up with a big one': A timeline of the last days of Matthew Perry
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Authorities investigate death of airman based in New Mexico
Ranking
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Why you should be worried about massive National Public Data breach and what to do.
- Christina Hall and Taylor El Moussa Enjoy a Mother-Daughter Hair Day Amid Josh Hall Divorce
- When is deadly force justified? Recent police killings raise questions
- The Daily Money: Disney+ wants your dollars
- Supermarket store brands are more popular than ever. Do they taste better?
- Her name was on a signature petition to be a Cornel West elector. Her question: What’s an elector?
- What to know about 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and championship race
Recommendation
Giants, Lions fined $200K for fights in training camp joint practices
Lawyers for plaintiffs in NCAA compensation case unload on opposition to deal
Spanx Founder Sara Blakely Launches New Product Sneex That Has the Whole Internet Confused
San Francisco goes after websites that make AI deepfake nudes of women and girls
Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword, Baby, Do You Like This Beat?
What is ‘price gouging’ and why is VP Harris proposing to ban it?
Infant dies after being discovered 'unresponsive' in hot vehicle outside Mass. day care