Witness Darkness in Daylight: A Guide to the 2024 Solar Eclipse

What is a solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, casting a shadow on Earth and blocking the Sun's light in some areas. This alignment of the Sun, Moon, and Earth only happens occasionally because the Moon doesn't orbit in the exact same plane as Earth and Sun do. Twice a year, an eclipse season lasts about 35 days [NASA Eclipse]. However, due to the Moon's slightly tilted orbit, eclipses aren't visible from everywhere on Earth during each occurrence.

There are three main types of solar eclipses: total, annular, and partial. During a total eclipse, the Moon completely blocks the Sun's disc, plunging the day into an eerie twilight for a brief period within the path of totality. This is the most spectacular eclipse, allowing observers to witness the Sun's faint outer atmosphere, the corona. In an annular eclipse, the Moon appears slightly smaller than the Sun, leaving a bright ring of sunlight visible around its dark disc. In a partial eclipse, only a portion of the Sun is obscured by the Moon.

Types of solar eclipses

There are three main types of solar eclipses:

Total solar eclipse: The Moon completely covers the Sun, blocking out its entire disc. The Sun's outer atmosphere, called the corona, becomes visible in totality. 

This is a rare sight and can only be observed from a small path on Earth where the Moon's darkest shadow, called the umbra, falls [NASA Eclipse].

The next total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States will be August 23, 2044. Still, there is a total eclipse on August 23 tomorrow, April 8, 2024, crossing over parts of Mexico, April 8d, the States, and Canada.

Partial solar eclipse: This is the most common type of eclipse, where the Moon only covers part of the Sun. This can be seen from a wider area than a total eclipse.

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far from Earth to completely cover the Sun. The Moon appears smaller than the Sun, leaving a ring of sunlight around it.

Looking directly at the Sun, even during a partial eclipse, can damage your eyes. It's essential to use special solar eclipse glasses to view a solar eclipse safely. You can also make a pinhole projector to view the eclipse indirectly [NASA Eclipse].