WASHINGTON — More than 30 million Americans will be able to witness the path of totality just by walking out their door during a total solar eclipse next month.
On April 8, the path of totality will stretch from Texas to Maine – this is where the moon will pass in front the sun completely blocking it. You may remember we had a total eclipse back in 2017, but the upcoming eclipse is going to be even better. The time of totality is going to be almost twice as long as it was in 2017 – up to four and half minutes in some locations across the U.S. – creating the effect of nighttime in the middle of the day.
"What is incredible is that when the moon is covering the sun, it will get significantly cooler in addition to being darker. You will feel a chill, even if you aren't in the path of totality you'll get less solar radiation and you will feel cooler," said Alex Lockwood, the Public Engagement Lead from NASA. "You'll also be able to hear it because when that nighttime hits during the totality birds will start chirping animals will come out, it is a feeling of dusk that happens right in the middle of the day and so you will feel it temperature wise you will hear it and you will see it. Being in the path of totality is a full sensory experience."
The total eclipse is also occurring during a period when the sun is at its most active every 11 years. So during totality, you'll actually be able to see solar flares and streams of particles coming off of the corona, the little sliver of light from the sun behind the moon.
If you are in the path totality, you can actually look a the sun for the few minutes where the sun is completely blocked by the moon, but before and after totality you need safe viewing glasses. And if you're in the path of a partial eclipse, you need to be wearing the glasses the entire time. If you aren't able to get glasses, there are ways to safely view the eclipse.
NASA is encouraging eclipse viewers to partake in citizen science by downloading the Globe Observer app. During the eclipse, you'll be able to take measurements using your smartphone getting data like ambient temperature and cloud coverage. You can then upload your measurements and environmental factors and NASA will use the data to study how earth's atmosphere changes during the eclipse.