The world is set to witness the first solar eclipse of 2024 on Monday, April 8, darkening the sky in some parts of the globe as it is going to be a ‘total’ solar eclipse.
A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky darkens to resemble dawn or dusk.
The total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
Will The Solar Eclipse Be Visible From India?
The solar eclipse occurring on April 8 will not be visible in India. The rare celestial event will be visible in parts of North America.
While the whole solar eclipse will last for about two and a half hours, the totality will only last about four minutes. As per NASA, the peak spectacle is expected to last for up to 4 minutes and 27 seconds in the path of total darkness.
According to NASA, the first location in continental North America that will experience totality is Mexico’s Pacific coast at around 11:07 a.m PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), subject to weather conditions. It will be 11:37 pm in India.
The path of the eclipse continues from Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, NASA said.
The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. The eclipse will exit continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. NDT (Newfoundland Daylight Time), which will be 1:16 am in India.
The April 8 eclipse will the last total solar eclipse visible from the United States until 2044.
How To Watch Total Solar Eclipse Online?
National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) will be live streaming the total solar eclipse. The space agency will start its live stream on April 8 at 5:00 pm GMT (10:30 pm IST) and continue until 8:00 pm GMT (1:30 am IST).
Skywatching website timeanddate.com will also be livestreaming the total solar eclipse on its YouTube channel starting at 4:30pm GMT (10:00pm IST) on April 8.
(With inputs from agencies)
