Get ready for an astronomical event of a lifetime as the path of totality for the 2024 solar eclipse sweeps across the United States. Notable cities in the path of totality include Mazatlán and Torreón, Mexico; San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Cleveland, Ohio; Buffalo and Rochester, New York; Burlington, Vermont; and most of Montreal, Canada. In New York, Niagara Falls, Buffalo, and Rochester will all be in the path, as will Watertown and Plattsburgh.
Locally, Brockport is directly on the center line of totality, as is the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls. The shadow will be traveling at an average of about 2,300 miles per hour across New York state and will only take about 10 minutes, from one side of the state to the other, said Dan Schneiderman, eclipse partnership coordinator for the Rochester Museum & Science Center.
What time is the total solar eclipse 2024 across the US?
Starting at 2:07 p.m. on April 8 in Rochester, the moon will begin to appear to move in front of the sun. Totality begins at 3:20 p.m. and will last for 3 minutes and 38 seconds. By 4:33 p.m., the moon will have moved past the sun, returning the light to normal.
What happens during a total solar eclipse?
The moon will line up perfectly between the Earth and the sun, blotting out the sunlight. It will take just a couple of hours for the moon’s shadow to slice a diagonal line from the southwest to the northeast across North America, briefly plunging communities along the track into darkness. Practically everyone on the continent can catch at least a partial eclipse. The farther from the path of totality, the smaller the moon’s bite will be out of the sun.
Why is the path of totality longer?
By a cosmic stroke of luck, the moon will make the month’s closest approach to Earth the day before the total solar eclipse, putting the moon just 223,000 miles away on eclipse day. The moon will appear slightly bigger in the sky thanks to that proximity, resulting in an especially long period of sun-blocked darkness. When a closer moon pairs up with a more distant sun, totality can last as long as an astounding 7 1/2 minutes.
Get ready to witness this incredible celestial event and mark your calendars for April 8, 2024, as the solar eclipse makes its journey across the United States, offering a once-in-a-lifetime experience for sky gazers and astronomy enthusiasts.
