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Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 facts for kids

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The Solar Eclipse of April 8, 2024 was a special event where the Moon completely blocked the Sun. This type of event is called a total solar eclipse. It was seen across a wide area of North America, from Mexico through the United States and into Canada.

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun. When the Moon perfectly covers the Sun, it's a total solar eclipse. This happens because the Moon's size in the sky (its apparent diameter) was a bit bigger than the Sun's on this day. This blocked all direct sunlight, making the sky dark in the middle of the day.

The darkest part of the eclipse, called totality, was only visible along a narrow path. Outside this path, people saw a partial solar eclipse, where only part of the Sun was covered.

This eclipse was quite long! The Moon appeared about 5.5% larger than usual. The longest time the Sun was completely covered was 4 minutes and 28.13 seconds. This happened just 6 kilometers (about 3.7 miles) north of Nazas, Durango, in Mexico.

It was the first total solar eclipse seen in Canada since 1979, in Mexico since 1991, and in the United States since 2017. No other total solar eclipse in the 21st century will be visible from all three countries at once. The next total eclipse in the US will be in Alaska in 2033. For the main part of the US, the next one will be in 2044.

Where the Eclipse Was Seen

SE2024Apr08T
This animation shows the path of the total eclipse across North America.

The total solar eclipse was visible in a path that started in the Pacific Ocean. It then moved across North America, beginning on the Pacific coast of Mexico. From there, it traveled northeast through the United States and Canada, finally ending over the Atlantic Ocean.

In Mexico

In Mexico, the path of totality went through the states of Sinaloa, Durango, and Coahuila. Some cities that saw the total eclipse included Mazatlán, Durango City, Torreón, and Piedras Negras.

Other parts of Mexico saw a partial eclipse. For example, in Mexico City, about 79% of the Sun was covered.

In the United States

In the United States, the total eclipse was visible across many states. These included Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Some major cities in the path of totality were Dallas, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo, and Erie. Dallas was the largest city fully within the path.

This was the second total eclipse in the central United States in just seven years, after the one in 2017. It will be the last total solar eclipse visible in the main part of the US until 2044.

2024 Eclipse Totality, Attica, Ohio
During the total eclipse north of Attica, Ohio.

Most other parts of the United States, including Hawaii and parts of Alaska, saw a partial solar eclipse.

Some airlines even offered special flights to follow the eclipse and get a clear view above the clouds!

In Canada

In Canada, the total eclipse was seen in parts of Southern Ontario, southern Quebec, central New Brunswick, western Prince Edward Island, and central Newfoundland.

Cities like Hamilton, Niagara Falls, Montreal, and Fredericton were in the path of totality. Other major cities like Toronto and Ottawa were just outside the path, seeing a very deep partial eclipse.

Most other parts of Canada saw a partial solar eclipse.

In Central and South America

A partial eclipse was visible in all countries in Central America, from Belize to Panama. It was also seen in the Greater Antilles (like Cuba and Puerto Rico) and northern South America (like Colombia).

Eclipse Views from Other Continents

In Europe

A partial eclipse was visible in parts of Europe, including Iceland, Ireland, and western parts of the United Kingdom. It was also seen in parts of Spain and Portugal. However, clouds blocked the view for many in the British Isles.

In Oceania

The partial eclipse was also seen in Hawaii and several island nations in Oceania, such as Kiribati, Tokelau, and French Polynesia. Because of time zone differences, the eclipse happened on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in some of these areas.

Solar Prominences

2024 Solar Eclipse Prominences
Bright red solar prominences seen during the 2024 eclipse from Third Connecticut Lake, New Hampshire.

The eclipse happened during a time when the Sun was very active. This period is called the solar maximum, which is part of the Sun's 11-year cycle. Because of this, scientists predicted that bright red loops of gas, called solar prominences, might be visible during the total eclipse. Many people who watched the eclipse reported seeing these amazing prominences!

Impact of the Eclipse

The eclipse brought a lot of visitors to the areas in the path of totality. Many cities expected a big boost to their local economies as people traveled to see the event. For example, Rochester, New York, expected to make millions of dollars from visitors.

Hotels and motels near the path of totality often raised their prices a lot for April 7 and 8. Cities like Montreal saw a big increase in hotel bookings. It was the first total solar eclipse for Montreal since 1932!

Restaurants and other businesses in these areas had to prepare for huge crowds. Some even hired extra staff. In Texas, up to a million visitors were expected, and many cities held festivals and events to celebrate.

The eclipse also affected solar power generation. Since the Sun was blocked for over two hours in some areas, solar power plants produced less electricity.

After the eclipse, many tourists left at the same time, causing big traffic jams in some areas. For instance, in New Hampshire, some traffic jams lasted until the early morning hours the next day.

Niall Eclipse
A student watching the total eclipse.

How Places Prepared

Because so many visitors were expected, some areas declared a state of emergency beforehand. This helped them prepare for potential issues like traffic and crowded services.

For example, the governor of Arkansas declared an emergency. Bell County, Texas, also declared one because of the expected number of visitors. Niagara Falls, Ontario, a popular tourist spot already, expected over a million visitors and also declared a state of emergency.

Even the Las Vegas Sphere, a famous entertainment venue, showed special eclipse-themed visuals to celebrate the event!

Related Eclipses

This eclipse is part of a series of eclipses that happen in a pattern. It's part of a group called Saros series 139, which repeats every 18 years, 11 days, and 8 hours.

Interestingly, the path of the April 8, 2024, eclipse crossed the path of the previous total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017. The place where these two paths crossed was in southern Illinois, near Carbondale. This meant that some cities, like Carbondale, saw two total solar eclipses in just seven years!

Gallery

Total Eclipse Views

Partial Eclipse Views

Pinhole Camera Views

Other Views

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Eclipse solar del 8 de abril de 2024 para niños

  • List of solar eclipses in the 21st century
  • List of solar eclipses visible from the United States
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