WASHINGTON — In nine days, much of North America will experience a rare astronomical event: a total solar eclipse.
On April 8, the sun, Earth and moon will align and the moon will cast a shadow on the Earth. Even though it will be the middle of the day, the sky will darekn as if its early morning or dusk.
The path of totality – where the sun will be completely blocked by the moon – will stretch from Texas to Maine. The farther away from the path of totality, the more sun you’ll be able to see.
In D.C., only 90% of the sun will be blocked, leading many astronomy fans to want to travel to be in the path of totality. And for good reason! After April 8, the next eclipses visible in the United States won’t be until 2044 (only visible in a small portion of the country) and 2045.
You can find where in the world a total solar eclipse will be visible for the next 50 years, here.
“I think once you see it once, you want to see it again, said the former vice president and current member of Northern Virginia Astronomy Club, Alan Goldberg. "Cause you only see it a few minutes. And then it’s gone.”
While 215 million Americans may be thinking, "I just saw a total solar eclipse recently," the eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017 was slightly different from what will be experienced on April 8.
For starters, the path of totality is wider this year. According to NASA, the path in 2017 ranged from 62 to 71 miles wide, compared to the expected 108-122 mile-wide path of the April 8 eclipse.
Totality will also last longer than it did in 2017. Once in Texas, totality will last nearly 4.5 minutes (4 minutes, 26 seconds). Even cities as far north as Economy, Indiana will experience a 4-plus-minute totality.
"[In 2017], the longest period of totality was experienced near Carbondale, Illinois, at 2 minutes, 42 seconds," NASA says.
Solar Eclipse Timeline in D.C.
2:04 p.m. - The partial eclipse will begin and the moon will start to pass in front of the sun
2:47 p.m. - The DC area will be halfway to the maximum partial eclipse with 43.7% of the sun blocked by the moon
3:20 p.m. - The sun will be 87.4% blocked by the moon
How To Prepare:
Special eclipse glasses are extremely important to keeping your eyes safe during the solar eclipse. The only time it is safe to look directly at the eclipse with the naked eye is during totality, if you're located within the path of totality. Before and after, certified eclipse glasses should be worn to avoid eye damage.
The American Astronomical Society Solar Eclipse Task Force vetted sellers and compiled a list of trusted manufacturers and suppliers of eclipse glasses here.
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