{"id":4626,"date":"2024-04-13T11:18:45","date_gmt":"2024-04-13T11:18:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aitesonics.com\/solar-eclipse-2024-how-to-watch-and-record-the-total-eclipse-on-monday-163035394\/"},"modified":"2024-04-13T11:18:45","modified_gmt":"2024-04-13T11:18:45","slug":"solar-eclipse-2024-how-to-watch-and-record-the-total-eclipse-on-monday-163035394","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aitesonics.com\/solar-eclipse-2024-how-to-watch-and-record-the-total-eclipse-on-monday-163035394\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Eclipse 2024: How to watch and record today's total eclipse"},"content":{"rendered":"
Weather Update, April 8, 11:45 AM ET:<\/strong> The weather forecast in the story below still largely holds, but things are more unsettled in the southern US, with forecasts now calling for thunderstorms from Dallas<\/a> up to Indianapolis<\/a>. So, keep that potential danger in mind (and keep an eye on forecasts) when making eclipse plans.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, the best chance of good viewing along the path of totality is still in northeastern parts<\/a> of the US (Buffalo, NY, Burlington, VT), along with southeast Canada (Niagara Falls and Montreal), according to Accuweather<\/em><\/a>. However, as of this morning, Apple's weather app is indicating cloudy skies for many parts of the area, including Syracuse, NY and Jersey City, NJ. In the Midwest (Cleveland), there's a higher chance of rain than before (58 percent), but no storms currently predicted.<\/p>\n Original story continues below<\/em><\/p>\n On April 8, a solar eclipse<\/a> will darken the skies. This is a rare astronomical event: The last North American total solar eclipse was on August 21, 2017, and there won't be another on visible on the continent until 2044. The path of totality \u2014 where the sun will be fully blocked by the moon \u2014 covers over 30 million people in the US, Canada and Mexico.<\/p>\n Those lucky folks may see the sun\u2019s corona and a \u201cdiamond ring\u201d \u2014 both dramatic sights. Other regions will experience partial eclipses, with the level depending on how close you are to totality. Watching the moon eat into the sun, even a bit, is still a spectacular sight.<\/p>\n So, which cities and regions will experience totality, and when? What\u2019s the weather forecast in those areas? And if you do have a clear view, how can you safely watch and record the event?<\/p>\n The good news is that many major centers are in the 100-mile-wide band of totality, so millions of people will be able to see a full solar eclipse. It follows a northeast path, so Mexico\u2019s Pacific coast will get the first views in Mazatlan starting at around 10:57 AM PDT (total eclipse starting at 12:07 PDT), followed by the city of Torre\u00f3n (all times local).<\/p>\n The total eclipse moves into the United states at 12:10 PM CDT (Eagle Pass, Texas), then hits Austin, Fort Worth and Dallas \u2014 three out of five of the most populous Texas cities. From there, it moves into Little Rock, Arkansas, followed by select parts of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana (including Indianapolis).<\/p>\n Ohio cities Dayton, Toledo and Cleveland get the full show, followed by Erie, Pennsylvania, then Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse in New York along with Maine. Canada is in on the fun too, with parts of southern Ontario (Hamilton, Niagara Falls) and Quebec (Montreal) getting the totality, along with New Brunswick, PEI and finally, Bonavista, Labrador at 4:03 PM NDT (Newfoundland Time).<\/p>\n If you\u2019re elsewhere on the continent and can\u2019t travel, know that the closer you are to the band of totality, the more the sun will be obscured by the moon (this map<\/a> shows how much of the eclipse you\u2019ll get depending where you are on the continent).<\/p>\n An impressive list of major centers are within 200 miles of totality, so they\u2019ll get a 90 percent or better eclipse (Houston, St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Toronto, New York, Boston).<\/p>\n Anyone in the US south, midwest and northeast should get a decent spectacle, as will folks in Canada\u2019s southeast and Atlantic coast. Even if you\u2019re not in those regions, you might still see (and can capture) a mini eclipse.<\/p>\n From the beginning when the moon first starts to cover the sun (partial eclipse) until the end when the two bodies part ways is a good long time \u2013 up to two hours and forty minutes in Dallas, and 2:18 in Caribou, Maine.<\/p>\n However, totality itself is brief, with the duration dependent on how close you are to the center of the totality band and the time of day. It\u2019s at just under four minutes in Dallas, less than three minutes in Presque Island, Maine and a mere minute and 12 seconds in Montreal. As such, you\u2019ll need to be ready and hope that the skies are clear during that brief window.<\/p>\n It\u2019s still early for an accurate forecast, but a week is enough to get a general idea by region. Suffice to say, April isn\u2019t the ideal month for clear skies. That said, an eclipse can still be visible through light cloud cover, and even if it\u2019s thick, the sky will grow dramatically dark.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the odds of precipitation are indeed above average<\/a> across most of the band of the eclipse. Forecasts predict that the chances for clear skies are better the farther northeast you live, the opposite of historical trends.<\/p>\n To wit, Dallas has showers forecast throughout the day (58 percent), which would mean continuous cloud cover and no clear view if that holds. That improves a bit when you get to Indianapolis (partly cloudy, 24 percent chance of rain), with things better still in Buffalo, New York (partly cloudy, 11 percent).<\/p>\n Things are looking good right now in Montreal, though, with mostly sunny skies and only a 9 percent chance of rain, and the same goes for Fredericton, New Brunswick.<\/p>\n Niagara Falls also figures to have decent weather during the eclipse (mostly sunny, 18 percent) and is in the path of totality, which has led to the city declaring a state of emergency<\/a> out of caution. Officials estimate that a million people could pour into the area, creating potentially dangerous crowds.<\/p>\n Staring at the sun is obviously dangerous for your vision, and doing so during an eclipse can be just as harmful. Even though you may not feel discomfort immediately, you may damage your eyes via an affliction called solar retinopathy<\/a>. That can lead to serious consequences like eye pain, blind spots, blurred vision and more.<\/p>\n To view it safely, you must purchase a pair of approved solar eclipse glasses based on an international safety standard called ISO 12312-2<\/a> (regular sunglasses won\u2019t do). That dictates the maximum luminous transmittance, along with the range of permissible wavelength transmittance (UVA, UVB and infrared).<\/p>\n There\u2019s certainly still time to grab a pair if you don\u2019t have them already. The American Astronomical Societ<\/a>y (AAS) has many recommendations for manufacturers and vendors, both online and at retail chains.<\/p>\n Warby Parker, for one, is offering free glasses (limit two per person while supplies last). You can also find them at Staples, Lowes and Walmart, or online at B&H and multiple science and astronomy stores.<\/p>\n The AAS advises against searching for the lowest price on Amazon or eBay, however, in case you get a bad knock off. \u201cBefore you buy a solar viewer or filter online, we recommend that you make sure that (1) the seller is identified on the site and (2) the seller is listed on this page<\/a>,\u201d it says on its Solar Eclipse Across America site.<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible to view an eclipse without glasses via indirect means, as well. The simplest way is by punching a small round hole in a piece of thick paper or cardboard, then positioning it so the sun shines through the hole onto the ground or a flat surface (you can also attach a piece of foil with a hole, as NASA shows here<\/a>). That will project an image of the Sun's disc, letting you see the eclipse in real time.<\/p>\n The same pinhole principle would let you use anything with perforated holes, like a colander, projecting dozens of tiny eclipses on a surface. Trees can do the same thing, casting weird leaf shadows with little solar eclipse chunks out of them.<\/p>\n For a bit better experience, you can build a crude box projector. With that, the sun shines through a hole in tin foil onto a white card, and you can look through a larger hole at the card, with the sun behind you. The Canadian Space Agency explains exactly how to make that<\/a>.<\/p>\n Never, ever view an eclipse directly through a pair of binoculars or a telescope, as that\u2019s a guaranteed way to damage your eyes. That said, you can use a pair of binoculars or a telescope to project<\/em> the sun onto a piece of paper, as shown in this video<\/a>.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, you can\u2019t just point your smartphone or camera at the sun to record the eclipse, as the brightness will overwhelm the sensor and ruin the image (and possibly damage the sensor). Luckily, you can shield your camera just as you do your eyes.<\/p>\n The cheapest way to do that is to buy an extra set of eclipse glasses, then cut out an eyepiece from one and tape it over the smartphone (or other camera) lens. That will reduce the light levels enough to see detail in the sun throughout the partial eclipse and totality.<\/p>\n You can also purchase dedicated smartphone solar filters like the VisiSolar Photo Filter<\/a>, which are designed for cameras and not direct viewing. Another choice is the Solar Snap Eclipse App<\/a> Kit, which also offers an app that aids in photographing the eclipsed sun. It\u2019s advisable to also wear solar glasses when setting up your smartphone or camera to protect your eyes.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re shooting the eclipse with a dedicated mirrorless or DSLR camera, you\u2019ll need<\/a> either a mylar, 16-stop ND (neutral density) or hydrogen alpha solar filter. Again, do not look directly into a DSLR\u2019s optical viewfinder at the sun if the lens doesn\u2019t have one of those filters attached (the electronic viewfinder on a mirrorless camera is safe).<\/p>\n To photograph the eclipse with a smartphone, turn the flash off and put the camera into ultrawide or wide mode so it stays in frame. Do NOT look directly at the sun to line up your camera if you\u2019re not wearing solar eclipse glasses.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t use the digital zoom to try to make the eclipse bigger, as you\u2019ll lose resolution (you can zoom in later in your photo editing app). Once focus is set on the sun, use your smartphone\u2019s focus lock feature so that it doesn\u2019t \u201chunt\u201d for focus and blur the eclipse.<\/p>\n During totality, the \u201cdiamond ring\u201d effect only lasts a split second, so use the burst mode of your camera or you\u2019ll likely miss the shot. And try to capture RAW (rather than JPEG) images to keep the maximum detail possible for later editing. Some iPhone and Android smartphones have RAW capability built-in, if not, you can use a third-party app.<\/p>\n If you decide to capture video, you\u2019ll need a filter as well, of course. But you should also use a tripod, as shooting handheld will induce blur and result in a shaky video. Even a cheap tripod<\/a> will do the trick, along with a simple smartphone holder<\/a>. Capture the highest resolution you can (4K or even 8K) at the highest quality possible. You\u2019ll also capture any cheering, shouting, etc. \u2014 a precious souvenir you can look back on again and again.<\/p>\n There are plenty of government and private sites with more information about the eclipse, starting with the AAS\u2019s eclipse site<\/a>, detailing things like eye safety, imaging, resources and even a totality app<\/a> \u2014 an \u201cinteractive map that shows what you\u2019ll see at any location in North America for the total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n NASA also offers a dedicated site for the North American Eclipse<\/a>, as does the National Weather Service<\/a> and National Solar Observatory<\/a>. A private site called Great American Eclipse<\/a> is largely commercial, but does have a very useful map showing the band of totality and how much of the eclipse you\u2019ll see depending on location, along with a comprehensive list of eclipse times and durations by city<\/a>.<\/p>\n Update, April 5, 12:30PM ET: <\/strong>This story was updated after publishing to include more details about the total solar eclipse's path of totality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Weather Update, April 8, 11:45 AM ET: The weather forecast in the story below still largely holds, but things are more unsettled in the southern US, with forecasts now calling for thunderstorms from Dallas up to Indianapolis. So, keep that potential danger in mind (and keep an eye on forecasts) when making eclipse plans. Elsewhere, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4626,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,1267,95,7160,130],"tags":[59,1271,101,7161,134],"yoast_head":"\nWhere in the US will you experience the solar eclipse totality, and when?<\/h2>\n
How long will the 2024 solar eclipse last?<\/h2>\n
What\u2019s the weather forecast in my area?<\/h2>\n
How can I watch the solar eclipse at home?<\/h2>\n
How to watch the solar eclipse safely without glasses<\/h2>\n
How to take photos or video of the solar eclipse<\/h2>\n
More resources<\/h2>\n