Science News

Article originally written by Sejal Mackey ’27.

The excitement and craze surrounding the eclipse was pretty hard to miss this past month and for good reason. On April 8th, an estimated 32 million people were in the path of totality for a rare solar eclipse, with a remaining 301 million people who caught a glimpse of the partial eclipse – but what makes it so special? 

Solar eclipses can only occur during a new moon or when the moon’s orbit is tilted five degrees to Earth’s orbit around the sun. The recent eclipse was abnormally available to view for millions. While total eclipses aren’t infrequent, they tend to be over oceans, meaning that an eclipse covering so much of North America is rare and unusually accessible. A post from NASA describes the eclipse as “even more exciting due to differences in the path, timing, and scientific research.”

A total eclipse is very different when compared to lunar or annular eclipses. Unlike a total eclipse, an annular eclipse is when the sun is partially visible around the Moon’s disk and a lunar eclipse causes a red moon. During a total solar eclipse, the entire surrounding area turns night-like and plunges into darkness as the sun is completely covered by the moon. Even people who were not in the 100% of totality range experienced the sudden period of darkness.

The next total solar eclipse that will cross over the U.S. will come on August 23rd, 2044, although it won’t be as easily accessible as 2024’s event. It plans to hit only Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. As we look ahead to 2044, excitement grows for another rare phenomenon. 

Sources:

How the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Is Different than the 2017 Eclipse https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/how-is-the-2024-total-solar-eclipse-different-than-the-2017-eclipse

How to Photograph a Total Solar Eclipse (Cover Image Source)
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/guides/photograph-a-total-solar-eclipse