Total solar eclipse in North America 'most impressive in hundreds of years'

The Mexican city of Mazatlan was the first place to witness the total solar eclipse as it began to appear over the Pacific Ocean. The total solar eclipse peaked in Mazatlan at 11:07 a.m. (local time) and lasted more than 4 minutes.

According to the US space agency (NASA), the path of the eclipse continues from Mexico, enters the US in Texas, and passes through the states of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Zealand. York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Small portions of Tennessee and Michigan may also experience a total solar eclipse. Cities in Maine will be the last places in the US to experience a total solar eclipse.

The total eclipse then entered Canada in the southern province of Ontario, and continued through the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton.

At times of total eclipse, crowds at different locations cheered in excitement as they saw the moon obscure the sun. Even though some places had clouds obscuring full visibility, people were still excited and cheered when the sky darkened in the middle of the day for a short moment.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, completely blocking the Sun's face. NASA said that after this total solar eclipse, the next total solar eclipse can be seen from the US states on August 23, 2044.

This total solar eclipse is considered a major event and "the most impressive in hundreds of years", for many reasons. First, this total solar eclipse lasts twice as long as the 2017 total solar eclipse, depending on the observer's location. This is also considered the longest total solar eclipse over land in more than a decade. In addition, the Sun's halo during this phenomenon will be very large. The reason is that the Sun is nearing its solar maximum - the most active time in the solar cycle lasting about 11 years.

This is also the longest total solar eclipse in the US since 1806. At the US-Mexico border, the viewing time for a total solar eclipse can be up to 4 minutes and 26 seconds. This is also the darkest total solar eclipse in the US in 217 years. Another interesting point is that during the eclipse, viewers can observe comet 12P/Pons-Brooks.

David Pac

Update 09 April 2024