By Christine Born (MWCC)
The next total solar eclipse to visit North America will occur on April 8, 2024. The duration of totality will be up to 4 minutes and 27 seconds, almost double that of The Great American Eclipse of August 21, 2017.
The 2017 total solar eclipse was witnessed by about 20 million people from Oregon to South Carolina but this one will be visible to many more. “This is going to be the most populated eclipse in the U.S. with 31.5 million people able to just walk outside of their homes and experience this event,” Kelly Korreck, NASA program manager for the 2024 total solar eclipse, said in a news conference at the American Geophysical Union conference.
The moon’s shadow enters the United States via Eagle Pass and Uvalde in Texas around 1:27 Central time. From Texas, the moon draws a straight path to Maine and Newfoundland, Canada.
If you miss this one, the next total solar eclipse visible in the United States will be in 2044. With those statistics in mind, start planning now.
But you can’t just grab your camera and go.
Looking at or photographing the sun can blind you without the right precautions and equipment. A quick Google search reveals dozens of articles about the eclipse, how to view and photograph it. Here are the links to 2 of our favorites.
One app you will want to use is Photo Pills. For photographers, this app allows you to put in a date and time and the app shows you where a certain celestial object will appear. If you want a sunrise over any landmark, it will show you exactly where that object will be on any given date and time. Plan sunsets, sunrises, moonrises, and the position of the Milky Way and more.
One of the most comprehensive articles is from B&H Photo, How to Photograph the Solar Eclipse. It outlines safety, basic gear and lists the equipment needed, and outlines steps to photograph this rare event. The article details the camera settings and the lens needed.
Another website is from NASA, 2024 Total Eclipse: Where and When and one dedicated to this event.
The Great American Eclipse has an animated graph following the event from start to finish. It is worth checking out.