North America is preparing to Total solar eclipse On an unprecedented scale.
On April 8 of this year, millions of people in northern Mexico, the United States and southeastern Canada will experience a total eclipse — the darkness of the day and the chance to see the sun's corona with the naked eye — yet few appreciate how rare and unique this event is. .
That's why it may be best for hundreds of years – and for many years to come:
Related: Best places in the US to experience the total solar eclipse in April 2024
1. It will be the longest total solar eclipse in the United States since 1806
Experience this total solar eclipse from Mexico, and you may be able to catch 4 minutes and 28 seconds of totality. This will decrease as the Moon's dark central shadow accelerates and expands as it moves from southwest to northeast, but at the US-Mexico border, it could be 4 minutes and 26 seconds.
It was the last time a total of this length occurred in North America June 16, 1806, when a total solar eclipse lasting up to 4 minutes and 55 seconds occurred across the United States from Baja California to Cape Cod via Albuquerque, Kansas City, Cleveland, and Boston. He was promoted to Bostonians by the book Darkness at noon. This event is also known as the Tecumseh Eclipse. according to Eclipse chaser Bill Kramer, two Shawnee leaders, predicted and witnessed the eclipse from Greenville, Ohio – which will witness a total eclipse on April 8 lasting 3 minutes and 55 seconds. This will be Ohio State's first total Solar eclipse Since 1806.
2. It will occur at solar maximum
Anyone who has seen a solar corona with their naked eyes during totality will know that it is always an absolutely stunning sight. During solar minimum — when our star's magnetic activity is at its lowest during its roughly 11-year cycle — it has an asymmetric, spiky appearance, as it did during the last total solar eclipse in North America on August 21, 2017. This will not This is the case on April 8, when the sun's corona appears larger, more symmetrical, and resembles a sunflower. It is a result of magnetic activity in the sunAnd sometime this year, the sun will rise It is expected to reach maximum solar energy.
It was the last time a total solar eclipse from North America coincided with solar maximum February 26, 1979when the totality lasted for up to 2 minutes and 49 seconds in a path across Washington, Montana and North Dakota in the United States, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Canada and Greenland.
3. The total solar eclipse will be the darkest in the United States in 217 years
A longer totality also means a darker totality, which could surprise eclipse chasers who saw early twilight-like light during the total solar eclipse of the last total solar eclipse in the United States on August 21, 2017. The level of darkness is a function of the size of the totality. Solar eclipse – the part obscured by the diameter of the Sun the moon, which affects the overall path width. In 2017, Magnitude It was 1.03 and the total track width was about 70 miles. The sky darkened enough to reveal Venus. On April 8, it will have a magnitude of 1.05 and the total path will be about 115 miles wide, revealing Jupiter as well as Venus.
4. The comet may be visible during its totality
It's a long shot, but the comet may be visible during its full moon on April 8. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks – also known as “Devil's Comet” – will be about 25 degrees from the Sun, which is relatively close to the Sun. Jupiter.
While Jupiter should be visible during a total eclipse to the naked eye, the comet can reach magnitude +4.7, putting it on the cusp of naked-eye visibility. So the comet probably wouldn't be easy to see, unless it had an explosion or something I've done it before.
If you plan to observe totality through binoculars, it may be worth doing a quick scan to look for it, although it is more likely to show up in long-exposure images. Bright “eclipsing comets” are very rare, and images would likely detect them if they existed. This last happened during a total solar eclipse in Chile and Argentina on December 14, 2020, when Comet C/2020 X3 (SOHO) was discovered during its totality.
5. It will be the most total solar eclipse ever seen in North America
About 31 million people in the United States live within the path of the total eclipse, which will pass through parts of 15 American states, according to what the British newspaper “Daily Mail” reported. GreatAmericanEclipse.com. Add northern Mexico and Canada, and they number about 40 million. This compares to about 12 million for the 2017 total solar eclipse.
6. This total solar eclipse will be one of the most urban eclipses
About a quarter of everyone who will experience the total eclipse on April 8 will do so from the city. Megacities in the path of totality include Mazatlan and Torreon in Mexico, Dallas-Forth Worth Arlington, Austin and (parts of) San Antonio in Texas, Little Rock, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, Hamilton, Niagara and St. Catharines. Kingston and Montreal in Canada. That's about 10 million people.
There are many other reasons why the total solar eclipse on April 8 will be unique. The last total solar eclipse in North America until one in Alaska March 30, 2033will be the longest totality (peaking at 4 minutes, 28 seconds in Nazas, Mexico) observed on Earth since a totality of 4 minutes, 40 seconds on Rapa Nui/Easter Island on July 11, 2010. It also crosses the path of the 2017 total solar eclipse, where Southern Illinois and Missouri will witness a total eclipse for the second time in less than seven years.
Follow the latest Eclipse content on our Eclipse live blog and watch all the full Eclipse events unfold live right here on Space.com.
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