On April 8, a highly anticipated celestial event, a total solar eclipse, will traverse Mexico, the United States, and Canada. This stunning phenomenon occurs when the moon comes between the Earth and the sun, completely obscuring the sun’s face and causing it to vanish temporarily from view. Fascinating myths and folklore have been inspired by this event for thousands of years. This eclipse will be visible to millions of people, with 32 million in the US alone living along the eclipse’s path of totality. For those in the areas experiencing totality, the moon’s shadow will completely obscure the sun. Individuals located at the very center line of the path will observe an eclipse lasting approximately 3 ½ to 4 minutes, according to NASA. The overall duration of all eclipse phases, however, spans several hours. As the moon does not suddenly appear between the Earth and the sun, the event commences with a partial eclipse. During the approach to totality, the moon’s shadow gradually traverses the sun’s face, causing the sun to display a narrowing crescent. Depending on the viewer’s location, the partial eclipse can persist for approximately 70 to 80 minutes, according to NASA. The eclipse will begin in the South Pacific Ocean before moving across North America. The first total eclipse point along the path is anticipated to occur on Mexico’s Pacific coast at 11:07 a.m. PT (2:07 p.m. ET), and the eclipse is projected to conclude on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland at 5:16 p.m. local time (3:46 p.m. ET).
