Total Eclipse of the Sun on April 8, 2024, USA – Animated
All 50 states will see a solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. The path of totality will be broader in 2024 compared to 2017, which is good news for us because totality will be 4 minutes and 28 seconds in duration in 2024. It was only two and a half minutes back in 2017. Alaska and Hawaii can be seen individually by clicking on the state name below.
The 4 minutes and 28 seconds of totality will occur (greatest eclipse) in the state of Durango in Mexico. By the time the shadow crosses southern Illinois near Carbondale, the totality drops down to 4 minutes and 9 seconds. When totality occurs in Newfoundland, the duration of the event will drop even further – down to 2 minutes and 53 seconds. Pick your viewing location wisely!
Find a state underneath to see how various cities are affected by the shadow of the Moon. The states listed in yellow will see totality in some parts of the state. For example, Oklahoma will experience totality only in the southeast. Fifteen states will see totality this coming April!
For this particular eclipse, the path of totality begins and ends mainly in the western hemisphere on April 8, 2024. The shadow of the Moon will first touch land on the west coast of Mexico near the town of Mazatlan. The shadow will exit later off the east coast of Newfoundland in the town of Bonavista. The length of time the umbra will be on land from Mexico to Canada will be one hour and forty minutes.
The graphic above shows why you have shading on the surface of the Earth (as you can see on this global map). The ground is darkest in the path of totality because the Moon is completely blocking the sunlight. As you move away from the path of totality, the Moon is blocking less and less sunlight as seen from the ground.
Notice how much darker Texas appears compared to Florida, for example. Again, sunlight is totally blocked in the central part of Texas by the Moon, whereas, in Florida, the Moon covers only about two-thirds of the Sun. If you were in Florida that day, you would see very little difference between full daylight and the Sun being partially obscured by the Moon at maximumeclipse.
Moon’s orbital plane influencing how the eclipse path looks in 2017 and 2024
As you can see, the shadow of the Moon, going across the Earth’s surface, is highly influenced by the tilt of its orbital plane. But, of course, rotation, distance, speed, and so on play a factor too! The Moon will be closer to us on April 8, 2024, than on August 21, 2017. Look how much larger the white ring is on Earth in 2024 compared to the 2017 globe above! The paths intersect overCarbondale, Illinois.
Viewing the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse from an open field. The Sun and the Moon will be in the constellation of Pisces. Jupiter will be to the upper left of the Sun, while Venus will be to the lower right on that day. The stars surrounding the eclipse are second magnitude in brightness or less, making it impossible (in my opinion) to see any stars because of the brightness of the corona. The two planets will be the only starlike objects to be seen near the eclipse during the three or four minutes of darkness. There is a lot to take in during that time frame! By the time you feel like looking around the rest of the sky, the show is over!
Play Video
Cat Stevens – Moonshadow
Solar Eclipse 101 – National Geographic
Dirty Dozen Eclipse Predictions (Can you predict an eclipse?)
Moon, Shadow & Music
I am doing these maps to make it easier to understand what happens when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, as seen from various locations on Earth, especially the United States. Lines are fine, but animation makes it so much easier to grasp!
All times are obtained from Xavier Jubier’s website!