We're two years away from the Great North American Solar Eclipse of 2024!

 

Book your travel, buy your glasses, and get ready for the show of the decade on April 8, 2024

 

A total solar eclipse photographed from Madras, Oregon, in 2017.​​(Image credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

The Great North American Solar Eclipse, which will traverse the country on April 8, 2024, will plunge a 124-mile-wide swath of land reaching from Mexico to Canada into night-like darkness.

 

The people first congregate, spreading picnic blankets, setting out lawn chairs, and rigging hammocks. The atmosphere is sociable, even joyful, until the sun sets and an unsettling darkness spread across the entire countryside like a rising tide. As eyes lift to the sky, the talk dies away. And then it happens: the sun is completely eclipsed by a black disc, night falls in the middle of the day, and everyone gasps before cheering.

 

The sight of a total solar eclipse is awe-inspiring, and many skywatchers travel from all over the world to see it. In 2017, the United States witnessed its first total solar eclipse in in 40 years, with an astounding 88 percent of the adult population tuning in to see the spectacle.

 

Now the next one is approaching. The Great North American Solar Eclipse will virtually split the country two years from now, on April 8, 2024, plunging a 124-mile-wide swath of land reaching from Mexico to Canada into night-like darkness.

 

Although two years may seem like a long time, given the popularity of total solar eclipses, it's about time to start planning viewing preparations, especially if you plan on travelling to witness the event.

 

Why is the Great North American Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 a big deal?

 

The moon's shadow during a total solar eclipse, as seen from the International Space Station. (Image credit: NASA)

Total eclipses aren't all that uncommon, occuring every 18 months on average. However, because the moon's shadow is so minuscule when projected onto the Earth, only a small portion of the world is affected by any one eclipse. On average, a total solar eclipse occurs once every 375 years in a certain region.

 

So it's not just unusual for the United States to view a total solar eclipse — only 21 have occurred since the country's founding in 1776 — but it's also unusual for a total solar eclipse to travel such a long path through such a large part of the country. The previous cross-country total solar eclipse occurred in 1918, prior to the 2017 eclipse. A cross-country total solar eclipse won't happen again until 2045 after the eclipse in 2024.

 

The eclipse will also stay longer and throw a larger shadow than the 2017 eclipse, allowing more people to see it.

 

Where can I see the eclipse?

 

The line of totality passes across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, albeit only a partial eclipse will be visible from the majority of the lower 48 states. Make sure you're in the path of totality for the optimal viewing experience.

 

Despite the fact that the 2024 eclipse is still two years away, it's a good idea to start looking for lodging now because hotels and vacation homes in the path of totality are likely to fill up quickly.