© Shutterstock

Everything you need to know about today's total eclipse -

On April 8, a total solar eclipse will follow a 115 mile-wide (185-km) path through parts of Mexico, 15 US states, and Canada. The celestial spectacular will also provide a partial solar eclipse for the entire Americas. Providing the skies are clear, residents, citizen scientists, and eclipse tourists will enjoy one of the most dramatic events witnessed in our solar system. And this rare scientific phenomenon, the first full eclipse visible in the United States since 2017, will not be repeated in the country until 2046. But which locations in the US provide the best places to watch the eclipse unfold, how can you gaze skywards in safety, and why is NASA firing three rockets towards to Moon during the blackout? 

To find the answers to these question and more, click through this gallery before the Sun disappears!

© Getty Images

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity -

The eagerly anticipated total solar eclipse set to wow parts of Mexico and North America on April 8 brings with it not only a once-in-a-lifetime event for many, but an opportunity for scientists to further our understanding of the Earth's atmosphere. But beware! The eclipse also comes with several health warnings.

© Getty Images

The 2024 total solar eclipse -

The total solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean.

© Getty Images

Path of totality -

Weather permitting, the first location in continental North America that will experience totality is Mexico's Pacific Coast at around 11:07 am Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).

© Getty Images

The best place to witness the eclipse -

Mazatlán in Mexico is being touted by experts as probably the best city for eclipse tourists, with meteorologists from the University of Southern California (USC) predicting just a 28% chance of cloud cover over the city on April 8. Totality here will begin around 11:07 am local time and last for four minutes and 17 seconds.

© Getty Images

The eclipse over the US -

The path of the eclipse will enter the United States in Texas. In all, 13 states will be along the path of totality: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

© Shutterstock 

15-state extravaganza -

Small pockets of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse, bringing the number of states honored with darkness to 15.

© Shutterstock

The eclipse over Canada -

The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec (pictured), New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton Island (Nova Scotia).

© Shutterstock 

Where totality ends -

The eclipse will exit continental North America on the Atlantic Coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 pm Newfoundland Daylight Time (NDT).

© iStock

How to safely observe the eclipse -

For many, witnessing a total solar eclipse is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But the key to enjoying such a remarkable phenomenon is safety.

© Getty Images

The power of the Sun - The Sun may be 93 million miles (149 million km) away from Earth, but staring directly at it during a solar eclipse, or at any other time, can lead to permanent eye damage.

© Shutterstock

The naked eye in total darkness -

The eclipse is only safe to witness with the naked eye during totality, or the period of total darkness when the Moon completely covers the Sun.

© Shutterstock

Wear eclipse glasses -

At any other time, wearing a pair of special eclipse glasses certified safe by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) or European Conformity (CE) and recommended by the American Astronomical Society is the only way of safeguarding your sight. Furthermore, glasses should only be purchased from a reputable vendor.

© Getty Images

Danger to eyesight -

Attempting to watch a solar eclipse unfold using sunglasses is dangerous. Sunglasses are not protective enough.

© Getty Images

Using a telescope -

Likewise, using binoculars and telescopes without a proper solar filter can magnify light from the Sun, making them unsafe.

© Getty Images

Make a pinhole projector -

If you don't have glasses at hand, there are other ways you can enjoy the eclipse. A popular alternative is to witness the spectacle by making a pinhole projector using household materials, items such as an old cereal box.

© Getty Images

How does a pinhole projector work? -

Light from the Sun enters the pinhole made in the box and gets focused. It's then projected out of the other side of the hole onto card with images of the crescent Sun.

© Getty Images

Wildlife during an eclipse -

According to National Geographic, giraffes, spiders, and even whales have been seen changing their behavior when the sky goes dark during totality.

© Getty Images

Birds become disorientated -

For many animals, life revolves around solar patterns. Sunlight serves as cue for when to wake, when to eat, when to sleep, and when to reproduce. But when their guiding light is suddenly extinguished, as during a solar eclipse, animals become disoriented. Birds especially are known to get confused mid-flight during totality. They also stop singing.

© Getty Images

Watching the eclipse from the air -

And speaking of flying, the Federal Aviation Administration is warning of increased air traffic in the days leading up to April 8 and what it terms the "Great North American Eclipse."

© Getty Images

A view from the window seat -

CBS News notes that while most eclipse chasers will be positioning themselves in states along the path of totality, others will take to the skies, timing flights to view the eclipse while airborne.

© Getty Images

Effects on Earth's atmosphere -

Solar eclipses can have a noticeable impact on the structure and dynamics of Earth's upper atmosphere—the ionosphere.

© Getty Images

Ionization changes -

During a solar eclipse, the reduction in solar radiation leads to a decrease in ionization—the process by which an atom or a molecule acquires a negative or positive charge by gaining or losing electrons.

© Getty Images

Temperature changes -

The decrease in solar radiation, effectively lack of sunlight, during an eclipse can also lead to cooling of the upper atmosphere.

© Getty Images

Propagation effects -

A solar eclipse can produce what's known as propagation effects. In other words, it can change how radio waves spread through the ionosphere. This, in turn, can cause signal fading, absorption, and refraction, affecting shortwave and satellite communication systems, explains NASA.

© Getty Images

Rockets aimed at the Moon -

And NASA will use the 2024 eclipse across North America to conduct a series of experiments from the air and launch three scientific sounding rockets carrying scientific instruments into the Moon's shadow on April 8, to further investigate how that drop in sunlight and temperature affects Earth's upper atmosphere.

© Getty Images

Other great places to watch the eclipse -

Besides Mazatlán, other cities and locations providing picturesque and dramatic backdrops to the solar eclipse include Cleveland in Ohio (pictured). The city will experience maximum darkness at 3:15 pm, which will last for just under four minutes.

© Shutterstock 

Niagara region, Ontario -

The Niagara region in Ontario is the best place to see totality in Canada, with the mighty falls adding extra visual drama during the three minutes and 15 seconds of darkness.

© Shutterstock 

Montreal, Quebec -

Montreal will also experience totality, but only for a little over one minute.

© Shutterstock

Burlington, Vermont -

The scenic town of Burlington in Vermont is set to experience a rewarding three minutes and 19 seconds of darkness, starting at 3:26 pm.

© Shutterstock 

Houlton, Maine -

Actually, the path of totality will only cover parts of northern Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The rural town of Houlton in Maine will be among the best places in the state to watch the sight, and darkness will begin at 3:32 pm and last for three minutes and 20 seconds.

Sources: (Associated Press) (USC) (NASA Science) (American Astronomical Society) (National Geographic) (CBC News) 

See also: Spectacular celestial events not to miss in the upcoming months

© Shutterstock