Countdown to Darkness: North America Awaits the Spectacular Solar Eclipse of April 8, 2024

A phenomenon that won’t happen again until 2045

Michael Flores Santos, High School Journalist • April 7, 2024

The news, social media, and the people around keep spreading the word about a very special event happening on Monday April 8th, 2024 in which most of North America is going to go dark for a short period of time, but its going to make you say “Woah”.

Overview:

As previously mentioned, this unmissable event is going to happen on Monday 8th, 2024. Its said that it is going to be one of the largest eclipses that we ever had in a while. It’s definitely going to be witnessed by a greater number of people across the North American continent.

Why is it so special?

There has been many solar eclipses during the 21st century, but what makes this one special is that it is going to be wider than the other eclipses we’ve had so far, like the one that happened in August of 2017, its totality ranged to a maximum of 114km, while this one will range to some whooping 196km.

Exact time its happening?

Experts across North America are more than sure that the eclipse will start exactly at 1:27pm CDT, which translates to 2:27pm Eastern time (NY time). Its ending time will be at 3:33pm Eastern time, Maine being one of the last destinations of the phenomenon.

Peak places to watch it

In North America, some of the greatest locations to watch this beautiful piece of nature are San Antonio and Austin at Texas, the city of Indianapolis at Indiana, as well as Rochester and Syracuse at New York!, but places outside of the U.S like the city of Torreón at Mexico will also be a great place to witness the eclipse.

Facts

When the Moon moves in front of the Sun and Earth, it casts a shadow that falls on the planet, a solar eclipse. The only time a solar eclipse can occur is during a new moon. The Moon’s orbit is named for its distance from the Sun, which is five degrees.

There’s at least 2 solar eclipses per year somewhere in the Earth.

On July 16, 2186, the longest solar total solar eclipse is scheduled to occur, lasting 7 minutes and 29 seconds.

The shortest solar eclipse took place on February 3, 919 CE, and lasted for 9 seconds. Nothing compared to the one that is scheduled to happen when we’re all dead right?

Let us know your experience on the Solar Eclipse using the comment section below! Did it amaze you? disappointed you?! Time to share!

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About the Contributor

Michael Flores Santos, Journalist

Hey there! It's great to meet you. My name is Michael Flores, and I'm a junior at A-Tech High School. I'm a big fan of taking pictures of landscapes, especially sunsets and sunrises, and I love playing soccer with my friends and family. I've been playing on my high school soccer team since 2023, and I'm proud to say that we had an awesome season this year, with 8 wins and only one loss. Plus, we made it to the playoffs after four long years. I'm super excited to be joining the Student Council at my school soon, and I'm already an active member of the National Honor Society and the National Ed Equity Lab National Honor Society. I'm also going to be part of the Newspaper Club very soon. Social studies is one of my favorite subjects, but my absolute favorite is Automotive. I'm going to graduate from high school as an automotive technician, which is a dream come true for me since I've always loved cars. I remember playing with car tires and toy cars when I was little, and now I get to work on real cars. How cool is that? Since coming to the U.S, I've been lucky enough to receive some amazing accolades and be part of some fantastic events like Aspen Challenge and Microsoft. Next up, I'm going to City Hall in New York to meet the Mayor, thanks to a United Nations program that I'm a part of. I'm proud to say that I've received five Student of The Month certificates, two certificates of participation, and lots of completion certificates. I've even got trophies for Principal Awards, Academic excellence in science, Spanish, and music, and an Aspen Challenge trophy. My goals for the future are to become a successful Automotive technician and ensure my family and loved ones always have the best of the best. Some fun facts about me: I'm originally from Villanueva, Cortes, Honduras, and I might even have some Jamaican and Indian blood in me. I moved to Brooklyn, NY in 2019 with only a basic knowledge of English, so I'm really proud of how far I've come. And, even though I'm not a big fan of veggies or fruits, I'm always up for trying new things. I want to leave you with a little advice. Patience is key, and being kind to others is always important. You never know when you might need help, or when someone else might need your help. So, wherever you go, make sure you always leave your mark and be kind. Thanks so much for reading all about me. If you ever want to get in touch, feel free to DM me on Instagram, or drop me an email at.

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