Here are some random, eclipse-related facts for you.
1. A solar eclipse occurs when the sun, the moon, and Earth are all aligned, or in “syzygy.” The moon then casts a shadow on Earth.
2. Everyone in the continental U.S. will see at least a partial eclipse today, if you have clear skies. Here’s one map, and another. As you may know by now, the path of the total eclipse will run from southcentral Texas, up through Arkansas, right over Indianapolis and Cleveland, then Buffalo, and Maine.
3. A solar eclipse can cause a sunset-like glow in every direction, called a “360-degree sunset“, which you MIGHT notice during the 2024 eclipse. That effect is caused by light from the sun in areas outside of the path of the total eclipse, and only lasts as long as totality.
4. A town called “Eclipse” in Texas will see a 94% partial solar eclipse.
5. How long will the eclipse last? It depends where you are. The longest duration of totality will be 4 minutes, 28 seconds, near Torreón, Mexico. Oddly enough, that’s ONE SECOND longer than Bonnie Tyler’s hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart“, which is 4 minutes and 27 seconds.)
Most places along the center line of the eclipse’s path will see a totality duration between three-and-a-half and four minutes.
(Astronomy.com / NASA / Reuters / Forbes / Boing Boing)
