When the total solar eclipse traces a path across Mexico, the United States and Canada on April 8, spectators can anticipate a multitude of awe-inspiring moments.
During a total solar eclipse, the moon completely blocks the face of the sun for a brief period known as totality — and 32 million people in the U.S. who are located along the 115-mile-wide path of totality for April’s event will have a chance to enjoy this full expression of the celestial spectacle.
It’s worth taking some time to stop and take in this historic celestial event because a total solar eclipse won’t be visible across the contiguous U.S. again until August 2044 and an annular eclipse, in which the moon can’t completely block the sun, won’t appear across this part of the world again until 2046.
“Until you’ve actually seen (a total eclipse), it’s almost impossible to describe,” said Dr. John Mulchaey, Carnegie Institution for Science’s deputy for science and …