The solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, also known as the Great American Eclipse,[1] was a
total solar eclipse visible across a band covering parts of
North America, from
Mexico to
Canada and crossing the
contiguous United States. A
solar eclipse occurs when the
Moon passes between
Earth and the
Sun, thereby obscuring the Sun. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's
apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight.
Totality occurs only in a limited path across Earth's surface, with the
partial solar eclipse visible over a larger surrounding region.
During this eclipse, the
Moon's apparent diameter was 5.5 percent larger than average. With a
magnitude of 1.0566, the eclipse's longest duration of totality was 4 minutes and 28 seconds near the Mexican town of
Nazas, Durango.[2][3]
Totality was visible from 6 Mexican states, 15 U.S. states, and 6 Canadian provinces. [4] Approximately 44 million people lived in the path of totality, including 31 million in the United States, 6 million in Canada, and 6 million in Mexico. [5][6][7] The 10 largest cities in the path of totality accounted for a third of this population (5 of the 10 largest cities being in the United States, 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada).[7] Adding people who travelled to the path of totality, an estimated 50 million people experienced the total solar eclipse. [7] Meanwhile, about 652 million people experienced a partial solar eclipse.[5]
This eclipse was the first total solar eclipse visible from Canada since
August 1, 2008, and from the provinces since
February 26, 1979.[8][9] It was the first over Mexico since
July 11, 1991.[10] It was also the first over the
United States since
August 21, 2017. This is the only solar eclipse in the 21st century with totality visible from all three countries.[11] The next total solar eclipse in the US will be on
March 30, 2033, which will pass over
Alaska. The next total eclipse in the
contiguous United States of the US will be on
August 23, 2044. The next total eclipse of similar width will take place on
August 12, 2045, which will traverse coast-to-coast in a trajectory similar to the 2017 eclipse.
An annular
eclipse on October 2, 2024, will be the final solar eclipse of the year. The path of annularity will cross over Chile and Argentina.
General path of shadow
The
totality of the solar eclipse was visible in a strip beginning in the
Pacific Ocean, the edge of which passed approximately 60 kilometers north of
Penrhyn atoll,[12] 115 kilometers south of
Starbuck Island, and 370 kilometers north of the
Marquesas Islands. Later, the total solar eclipse was visible from
North America, starting from the west coast of Mexico then ascending in a northeasterly direction through Mexico, the United States, and Canada, before ending in the Atlantic Ocean about 700 kilometers southwest of Ireland.[13]
A partial solar eclipse was visible in all of the other parts of the contiguous United States, Hawaii, and
southeast Alaska (
Alaska Panhandle).[22]
Delta Air Lines scheduled two special eclipse-following flights: one from Austin to Detroit on a large-window
A220-300, and one from Dallas to Detroit.
[23] Various other flights in the path of totality also avoided cloud cover entirely.[24]
A partial solar eclipse was visible in all of the other parts of
Canada, except the western part of
Yukon and the western tip of the
Northwest Territories.[34][35]
Boat cruises to observe the eclipse were conducted on Lake Erie, Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and Saint Lawrence River.[36]
Central America and South America
The partial eclipse was seen in all Central American countries, from Belize to Panama, all the
Greater Antilles (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica), and northern South America (Colombia).[22]
A partial eclipse passed over
Svalbard (Norway), Iceland, Ireland, western parts of the United Kingdom, north-western parts of Spain and Portugal, the
Azores, and the
Canary Islands.[37] Cloud cover prevented views of it from most of the British Isles,[38][39] although it was seen in Western Scotland.[40] Unusually, this eclipse extended below the horizon, where the greatest phase was observed at mid-nautical twilight in
Galicia (Spain) and the beginning of astronomical twilight in
Nouvelle-Aquitaine (France).[41] The extension of the eclipse path within the twilight zone created what was likely the best observation window for the
12P/Pons–Brooks comet located closely to
Jupiter.[42]
TOP: Solar prominences as seen from
Third Connecticut Lake, New Hampshire - MIDDLE: Solar activity 08 April 2024 imaged by NASA
Solar Dynamics Observatory AIA 304 telescope. Features seen here on the edge of the solar disk correspond to the prominences seen by earthbound observers during the eclipse totality. The large, bright, tent-shaped prominence reported by eclipse gazers appears here as detailed filaments around the 4:30 o'clock position. - BOTTOM:
National Solar ObservatoryGONG telescope movie of solar activity in
H-Alpha for the day of the April 8, 2024 eclipse, showing how prominences hardly changed during the eclipse.
The
magnitude of an eclipse, or the ratio of the
angular diameter of the moon to the angular diameter of the sun, must be one or greater for a total eclipse to occur. The Moon was near
perigee (the closest point in its orbit to Earth) during this eclipse. As it was closer than average, it appeared larger than its average size in the sky. The sun had an angular diameter of 31'56" at the moment of greatest eclipse.[46] As the magnitude of this eclipse at that time was 1.0566, the angular diameter of the moon was 1.0566 times that of the sun, or 33'44". This gave the eclipse a wider path of totality and more maximum time in totality (4 min 28 s) compared to the
total eclipse in 2017 (2 min 40 s), which had a magnitude of 1.0306.
Solar prominences
The eclipse occurred around the
solar maximum, a period of greatest solar activity in the Sun's 11-year
solar cycle, and it was anticipated that
solar prominences would be visible during totality.[47] Many observers reported seeing solar prominences during the event.[48][49][50] Most plainly visible to the naked eye was a very bright, ruby-red point of light near the lowest portion of the Sun's disk, which on telescopic views and photographs showed as a tent-shaped angular structure. Telescopic photographs revealed the western limb having several smaller, irregular shapes, of which one large, ragged shape was disconnected from the Sun's surface. Several smaller prominences were also visible on the eastern limb, though because of the eclipse's relatively high magnitude, prominences on both limbs could not be viewed at the same time. These shapes correlate in detail with the NASA
Solar Dynamics Observatorysolar telescope images taken in space at the same as the earthbound eclipse, and with images from the ground-based
National Solar ObservatoryGONG telescope in
Cerro Tololo, Chile.
Shadow bands
The
shadow bands phenomenon was observed and documented in some locations with clear skies. Attempts to observe and record shadow bands on the ground were disappointed in many areas of totality by the phenomenon not appearing in the event, perhaps having been washed out by the diffuse illumination of cloudy skies in various locations.[51][52]
Impact
Economy and tourism
It was projected before the eclipse that there could be a $6 billion boost to the US economy due to the eclipse. The Mayor of
Rochester, New York,
Malik Evans, told reporters that the city was expected to bring in between $10–12 million to the city's economy from the Friday before the eclipse to the day of it.[53][54] New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced record breaking tourism numbers between April 6-9, that was a 45% increase compared to 2023, with nearly one million visitors to New York State parks and over 5.5 million toll transactions recorded.[55]
One company that tracks
Airbnb data likened the economic impact of the event to
having Taylor Swift's concerts taking place simultaneously in every city along the eclipse's path. In the United States, the prices of
motels and
hotels near the path of totality increased up to 100 percent on April 7 and April 8.
Montreal saw a 20% surge in hotel occupancy for April 7 and April 8.[56][57][58]
The eclipse caused a drop in solar power generation, with Texas experiencing a decrease from 12,000 MW to just over 3,000 MW at 2 p.m. Wind power generation also decreased by about 50% that day. However, there were no disruptions in power distribution as supply exceeded demand.[59]
Traffic
Highways in the area of totality saw significant increases in traffic, with departing tourists caught in
traffic jams lasting up to eight hours.[61] Many of those trying to drive down
Interstate 93 in New Hampshire, for example, found themselves in jams lasting until 2 a.m. the following morning, resulting in numerous cars breaking down.[62] Drivers and passengers spent four to six hours to pass through Franconia Notch, with major highways in the state remaining crowded through
rush hour the following morning.[63] A similar effect was seen during morning rush hour in northbound Interstate 65 in Indianapolis.[64] In Vermont there were an estimated 60,000 additional cars and 248 inbound aircraft over the span of the eclipse weekend, with about 160,000 visitors coming into the state per Secretary of Transportation Joe Flynn.[65] Drivers in southern Illinois leaving the region of totality to the north toward St. Louis, Missouri faced more than 80 miles of stop-and-go heavy congestion.[66] Unlike other regions, traffic was lighter in Texas than the state's Department of Transportation had anticipated.[60]
Animal behavior
Zookeepers, naturalists, university researchers, and citizen scientists positioned themselves to observe animal behavior during the eclipse, some with the goal of comparing results with observations made during the
2017 total eclipse, and others opening new avenues of animal behavioral research. Wildlife and zoo animals were observed along the path of totality and in areas that saw only a partial eclipse.
Wildlife
Changes in wild animal behavior were recorded during the eclipse, especially among birds. These changes were similar to those observed during the 2017 eclipse, but more pronounced.[67]Weather radar was adapted to monitor the activity of flying animals, and birds were observed to decrease their daytime activities.[67] Radar imaging demonstrated "noticeable decreases in typical daytime biological activities such as the movements of
hawks and other
soaring and insect-eating birds."[67]Owls began hooting, and
vultures and other birds began to roost.[68] A team from
Purdue University, observing a variety of ecosystems on wild-lands maintained by the university near
Butlerville, Indiana recorded the songs of 20 different species of birds going quiet, leaving only the songs of the robin and the tufted titmouse during the eclipse.[69] Birding students at the
University of Vermont observed species at
Lake Champlain during the eclipse that had not been observed there before, including
Bohemian waxwings,
red-tailed hawks, and
pileated woodpeckers.[70]
Insects and
frogs in the wild were also observed making their nighttime sounds.[68]Cicadas in Arizona stopped singing when the sun was 50% blocked during their partial eclipse.[71]Spring peepers, a type of nocturnal frog, were heard intermittently while the eclipse was partial, but they abruptly filled the soundscape at the moment of totality.[69] Wild
cricket frogs were observed in Fort Worth, Texas behaving similarly.[72]
Zoo animals
At the
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium,
ostriches returned to their barn and began their evening rituals, such as preening and grooming each other. When the sunlight returned, the ostriches left their barn and resumed their daytime activities.[73] A group of
elephants at the zoo gathered together and began thumping their trunks on the ground.[73] At the
Fort Worth Zoo in Texas,
flamingos bunched together, vocalized, and began marching together, which is a bonding behavior.[71] A troop of
gorillas at that zoo also gathered at the door to their indoor enclosure, where they are normally fed each evening, and appeared to act confused and frustrated, as if having missed their evening meal.[74][71] The
Fort Worth Botanic Garden (FWBG) placed hundreds of
butterflies in their
conservatory March 1, allowed them to acclimate, and observed them during the eclipse. The butterflies "didn’t roost but instead ceased flying and remained very still."[72]Goats at the FWBC were observed resting or sleeping during the eclipse.[72]Giraffes at the
Dallas Zoo also began to gallop, a behavior witnessed there and at many other zoos during the 2017 eclipse.[74] Two
aldabra tortoises at the same zoo were observed to rear on their hind legs and attack the door to their indoor enclosure, damaging the door’s frame.[74]Lions at the
Buffalo Zoo started roaring just before totality.[75]
Not all zoo animals reacted to the eclipse, nor did researchers expect them to. During the 2017 eclipse, researchers at the
Riverbanks Zoo in South Carolina observed behavior changes in about 75% of species.[71][76] Adam Hartstone-Rose, a biology professor at
North Carolina State University, hypothesized that the captive animals that did react may have been responding to the emotions of human zoo visitors.[74] Zoologists and volunteers at
Parc Safari, a zoo in
Hemmingford, Quebec noted very little change in the animals they observed there, including giraffes, lions,
hyenas,
wolves,
lynx,
llamas,
alpacas, and
dromedaries. Hyenas vocalized during the eclipse, but there were other coinciding events that might have contributed to that behavior.[77] The zoo’s director of zoology, Aurélien Berthelot, did not expect much activity from their mammals. For example, lions sleep up to eighteen hours per day. Some roared during the eclipse while others slept. Analysis of their observations are continuing.[77]
Responses
Arkansas Governor
Sarah Huckabee Sanders preemptively declared a
state of emergency related to the eclipse, citing the expected increase of travel to the state which could result in transportation difficulties, such as in
Fort Smith, where the police prepared for traffic congestion as hotels filled up.[79][80]Bell County, Texas Judge David Blackburn preemptively declared a state of emergency in February 2024 due to the projected number of visitors to the area.[81] The region surrounding
Niagara Falls, Ontario, also declared a state of emergency; as an existing major tourist destination along the path of totality, it expected an influx of at least one million visitors on April 8.[82]
A lawsuit was filed on April 2 by six inmates of various religions at
Woodbourne Correctional Facility in
New York against the state, stating that the decision to lock down the prison during the eclipse conflicted with their religious beliefs. The solar eclipse
is important in various religions.[83] The state settled the lawsuit by allowing them to view the eclipse.[84]
This eclipse is a member of
saros series 139, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, 8 hours, containing 71 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on May 17, 1501. It contains hybrid eclipses on August 11, 1627, through to December 9, 1825; and total eclipses from December 21, 1843, through to March 26, 2601. The series ends at member 71 as a partial eclipse on July 3, 2763. Its eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one
exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.
The longest duration of totality will be produced by member 39 at 7 minutes, 29.22 seconds on
July 16, 2186.[85] After that date, the durations of totality will decrease until the series ends. This date is the longest solar eclipse computed between 4000 BC and AD 6000.[86] Saros series eclipses occur during the Moon's ascending node (a term related to our equator and polar-naming conventions).
This eclipse is a member of a
semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating
nodes of the Moon's orbit.[87]
It is also part of a
tritos cycle, repeating at alternating nodes every 135
synodic months (≈ 3986.63 days, or 11 years minus 1 month).[88]
Metonic series
The
metonic series repeats eclipses every 19 years (6939.69 days), lasting about 5 cycles. Eclipses occur in nearly the same calendar date. In addition, the octon subseries repeats 1/5 of that or every 3.8 years (1387.94 days). All eclipses in this table occur at the Moon's ascending node.
21 eclipse events between June 21, 1982, and June 21, 2058
The path of the April 8 eclipse also crossed the path of the annular solar eclipse that occurred less than 6 months prior, on
October 14, 2023, intersecting in the vicinity of
San Antonio, Texas.[90]
^"Where & When". NASA. April 6, 2024.
Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
^"Total Solar Eclipse in Mexico". Time and Date. April 2024.
Archived from the original on April 7, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024. Total Solar Eclipse durations: Durango, Durango – 3m 47s; Mazatlan, Sinaloa – 4m 20s; Torreón, Coahuila de Zaragoza – 4m 9s.
^Carter, Jamie (November 20, 2023).
"The best places in Mexico to see the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024". Space news.
Archived from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024. Mazatlán, on the country's western coast, will be the first region of mainland Mexico to experience totality, followed by Durango, Torreón, and Monclova as the path tracks northeast toward the U .S. border at Piedras Negras.
^"Solar Eclipse of April 8 2024 from Mazatlán, Mexico". The Sky Live. April 7, 2024.
Archived from the original on April 7, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024. A Total Eclipse of magnitude 1.0216 will be visible from Mazatlán, Mexico on April 8 2024. Maximum eclipse will be at 11:09:38 local time and totality duration will be 4m 19s.
^"Great North American Eclipse: Dallas". Perot Museum of Nature and Science. April 3, 2024.
Archived from the original on April 7, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024. On April 8, 20 24, Dallas will be the largest city in the path of totality for the once-in-a-lifetime Great North American Eclipse.
The solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, also known as the Great American Eclipse,[1] was a
total solar eclipse visible across a band covering parts of
North America, from
Mexico to
Canada and crossing the
contiguous United States. A
solar eclipse occurs when the
Moon passes between
Earth and the
Sun, thereby obscuring the Sun. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's
apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight.
Totality occurs only in a limited path across Earth's surface, with the
partial solar eclipse visible over a larger surrounding region.
During this eclipse, the
Moon's apparent diameter was 5.5 percent larger than average. With a
magnitude of 1.0566, the eclipse's longest duration of totality was 4 minutes and 28 seconds near the Mexican town of
Nazas, Durango.[2][3]
Totality was visible from 6 Mexican states, 15 U.S. states, and 6 Canadian provinces. [4] Approximately 44 million people lived in the path of totality, including 31 million in the United States, 6 million in Canada, and 6 million in Mexico. [5][6][7] The 10 largest cities in the path of totality accounted for a third of this population (5 of the 10 largest cities being in the United States, 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada).[7] Adding people who travelled to the path of totality, an estimated 50 million people experienced the total solar eclipse. [7] Meanwhile, about 652 million people experienced a partial solar eclipse.[5]
This eclipse was the first total solar eclipse visible from Canada since
August 1, 2008, and from the provinces since
February 26, 1979.[8][9] It was the first over Mexico since
July 11, 1991.[10] It was also the first over the
United States since
August 21, 2017. This is the only solar eclipse in the 21st century with totality visible from all three countries.[11] The next total solar eclipse in the US will be on
March 30, 2033, which will pass over
Alaska. The next total eclipse in the
contiguous United States of the US will be on
August 23, 2044. The next total eclipse of similar width will take place on
August 12, 2045, which will traverse coast-to-coast in a trajectory similar to the 2017 eclipse.
An annular
eclipse on October 2, 2024, will be the final solar eclipse of the year. The path of annularity will cross over Chile and Argentina.
General path of shadow
The
totality of the solar eclipse was visible in a strip beginning in the
Pacific Ocean, the edge of which passed approximately 60 kilometers north of
Penrhyn atoll,[12] 115 kilometers south of
Starbuck Island, and 370 kilometers north of the
Marquesas Islands. Later, the total solar eclipse was visible from
North America, starting from the west coast of Mexico then ascending in a northeasterly direction through Mexico, the United States, and Canada, before ending in the Atlantic Ocean about 700 kilometers southwest of Ireland.[13]
A partial solar eclipse was visible in all of the other parts of the contiguous United States, Hawaii, and
southeast Alaska (
Alaska Panhandle).[22]
Delta Air Lines scheduled two special eclipse-following flights: one from Austin to Detroit on a large-window
A220-300, and one from Dallas to Detroit.
[23] Various other flights in the path of totality also avoided cloud cover entirely.[24]
A partial solar eclipse was visible in all of the other parts of
Canada, except the western part of
Yukon and the western tip of the
Northwest Territories.[34][35]
Boat cruises to observe the eclipse were conducted on Lake Erie, Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and Saint Lawrence River.[36]
Central America and South America
The partial eclipse was seen in all Central American countries, from Belize to Panama, all the
Greater Antilles (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica), and northern South America (Colombia).[22]
A partial eclipse passed over
Svalbard (Norway), Iceland, Ireland, western parts of the United Kingdom, north-western parts of Spain and Portugal, the
Azores, and the
Canary Islands.[37] Cloud cover prevented views of it from most of the British Isles,[38][39] although it was seen in Western Scotland.[40] Unusually, this eclipse extended below the horizon, where the greatest phase was observed at mid-nautical twilight in
Galicia (Spain) and the beginning of astronomical twilight in
Nouvelle-Aquitaine (France).[41] The extension of the eclipse path within the twilight zone created what was likely the best observation window for the
12P/Pons–Brooks comet located closely to
Jupiter.[42]
TOP: Solar prominences as seen from
Third Connecticut Lake, New Hampshire - MIDDLE: Solar activity 08 April 2024 imaged by NASA
Solar Dynamics Observatory AIA 304 telescope. Features seen here on the edge of the solar disk correspond to the prominences seen by earthbound observers during the eclipse totality. The large, bright, tent-shaped prominence reported by eclipse gazers appears here as detailed filaments around the 4:30 o'clock position. - BOTTOM:
National Solar ObservatoryGONG telescope movie of solar activity in
H-Alpha for the day of the April 8, 2024 eclipse, showing how prominences hardly changed during the eclipse.
The
magnitude of an eclipse, or the ratio of the
angular diameter of the moon to the angular diameter of the sun, must be one or greater for a total eclipse to occur. The Moon was near
perigee (the closest point in its orbit to Earth) during this eclipse. As it was closer than average, it appeared larger than its average size in the sky. The sun had an angular diameter of 31'56" at the moment of greatest eclipse.[46] As the magnitude of this eclipse at that time was 1.0566, the angular diameter of the moon was 1.0566 times that of the sun, or 33'44". This gave the eclipse a wider path of totality and more maximum time in totality (4 min 28 s) compared to the
total eclipse in 2017 (2 min 40 s), which had a magnitude of 1.0306.
Solar prominences
The eclipse occurred around the
solar maximum, a period of greatest solar activity in the Sun's 11-year
solar cycle, and it was anticipated that
solar prominences would be visible during totality.[47] Many observers reported seeing solar prominences during the event.[48][49][50] Most plainly visible to the naked eye was a very bright, ruby-red point of light near the lowest portion of the Sun's disk, which on telescopic views and photographs showed as a tent-shaped angular structure. Telescopic photographs revealed the western limb having several smaller, irregular shapes, of which one large, ragged shape was disconnected from the Sun's surface. Several smaller prominences were also visible on the eastern limb, though because of the eclipse's relatively high magnitude, prominences on both limbs could not be viewed at the same time. These shapes correlate in detail with the NASA
Solar Dynamics Observatorysolar telescope images taken in space at the same as the earthbound eclipse, and with images from the ground-based
National Solar ObservatoryGONG telescope in
Cerro Tololo, Chile.
Shadow bands
The
shadow bands phenomenon was observed and documented in some locations with clear skies. Attempts to observe and record shadow bands on the ground were disappointed in many areas of totality by the phenomenon not appearing in the event, perhaps having been washed out by the diffuse illumination of cloudy skies in various locations.[51][52]
Impact
Economy and tourism
It was projected before the eclipse that there could be a $6 billion boost to the US economy due to the eclipse. The Mayor of
Rochester, New York,
Malik Evans, told reporters that the city was expected to bring in between $10–12 million to the city's economy from the Friday before the eclipse to the day of it.[53][54] New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced record breaking tourism numbers between April 6-9, that was a 45% increase compared to 2023, with nearly one million visitors to New York State parks and over 5.5 million toll transactions recorded.[55]
One company that tracks
Airbnb data likened the economic impact of the event to
having Taylor Swift's concerts taking place simultaneously in every city along the eclipse's path. In the United States, the prices of
motels and
hotels near the path of totality increased up to 100 percent on April 7 and April 8.
Montreal saw a 20% surge in hotel occupancy for April 7 and April 8.[56][57][58]
The eclipse caused a drop in solar power generation, with Texas experiencing a decrease from 12,000 MW to just over 3,000 MW at 2 p.m. Wind power generation also decreased by about 50% that day. However, there were no disruptions in power distribution as supply exceeded demand.[59]
Traffic
Highways in the area of totality saw significant increases in traffic, with departing tourists caught in
traffic jams lasting up to eight hours.[61] Many of those trying to drive down
Interstate 93 in New Hampshire, for example, found themselves in jams lasting until 2 a.m. the following morning, resulting in numerous cars breaking down.[62] Drivers and passengers spent four to six hours to pass through Franconia Notch, with major highways in the state remaining crowded through
rush hour the following morning.[63] A similar effect was seen during morning rush hour in northbound Interstate 65 in Indianapolis.[64] In Vermont there were an estimated 60,000 additional cars and 248 inbound aircraft over the span of the eclipse weekend, with about 160,000 visitors coming into the state per Secretary of Transportation Joe Flynn.[65] Drivers in southern Illinois leaving the region of totality to the north toward St. Louis, Missouri faced more than 80 miles of stop-and-go heavy congestion.[66] Unlike other regions, traffic was lighter in Texas than the state's Department of Transportation had anticipated.[60]
Animal behavior
Zookeepers, naturalists, university researchers, and citizen scientists positioned themselves to observe animal behavior during the eclipse, some with the goal of comparing results with observations made during the
2017 total eclipse, and others opening new avenues of animal behavioral research. Wildlife and zoo animals were observed along the path of totality and in areas that saw only a partial eclipse.
Wildlife
Changes in wild animal behavior were recorded during the eclipse, especially among birds. These changes were similar to those observed during the 2017 eclipse, but more pronounced.[67]Weather radar was adapted to monitor the activity of flying animals, and birds were observed to decrease their daytime activities.[67] Radar imaging demonstrated "noticeable decreases in typical daytime biological activities such as the movements of
hawks and other
soaring and insect-eating birds."[67]Owls began hooting, and
vultures and other birds began to roost.[68] A team from
Purdue University, observing a variety of ecosystems on wild-lands maintained by the university near
Butlerville, Indiana recorded the songs of 20 different species of birds going quiet, leaving only the songs of the robin and the tufted titmouse during the eclipse.[69] Birding students at the
University of Vermont observed species at
Lake Champlain during the eclipse that had not been observed there before, including
Bohemian waxwings,
red-tailed hawks, and
pileated woodpeckers.[70]
Insects and
frogs in the wild were also observed making their nighttime sounds.[68]Cicadas in Arizona stopped singing when the sun was 50% blocked during their partial eclipse.[71]Spring peepers, a type of nocturnal frog, were heard intermittently while the eclipse was partial, but they abruptly filled the soundscape at the moment of totality.[69] Wild
cricket frogs were observed in Fort Worth, Texas behaving similarly.[72]
Zoo animals
At the
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium,
ostriches returned to their barn and began their evening rituals, such as preening and grooming each other. When the sunlight returned, the ostriches left their barn and resumed their daytime activities.[73] A group of
elephants at the zoo gathered together and began thumping their trunks on the ground.[73] At the
Fort Worth Zoo in Texas,
flamingos bunched together, vocalized, and began marching together, which is a bonding behavior.[71] A troop of
gorillas at that zoo also gathered at the door to their indoor enclosure, where they are normally fed each evening, and appeared to act confused and frustrated, as if having missed their evening meal.[74][71] The
Fort Worth Botanic Garden (FWBG) placed hundreds of
butterflies in their
conservatory March 1, allowed them to acclimate, and observed them during the eclipse. The butterflies "didn’t roost but instead ceased flying and remained very still."[72]Goats at the FWBC were observed resting or sleeping during the eclipse.[72]Giraffes at the
Dallas Zoo also began to gallop, a behavior witnessed there and at many other zoos during the 2017 eclipse.[74] Two
aldabra tortoises at the same zoo were observed to rear on their hind legs and attack the door to their indoor enclosure, damaging the door’s frame.[74]Lions at the
Buffalo Zoo started roaring just before totality.[75]
Not all zoo animals reacted to the eclipse, nor did researchers expect them to. During the 2017 eclipse, researchers at the
Riverbanks Zoo in South Carolina observed behavior changes in about 75% of species.[71][76] Adam Hartstone-Rose, a biology professor at
North Carolina State University, hypothesized that the captive animals that did react may have been responding to the emotions of human zoo visitors.[74] Zoologists and volunteers at
Parc Safari, a zoo in
Hemmingford, Quebec noted very little change in the animals they observed there, including giraffes, lions,
hyenas,
wolves,
lynx,
llamas,
alpacas, and
dromedaries. Hyenas vocalized during the eclipse, but there were other coinciding events that might have contributed to that behavior.[77] The zoo’s director of zoology, Aurélien Berthelot, did not expect much activity from their mammals. For example, lions sleep up to eighteen hours per day. Some roared during the eclipse while others slept. Analysis of their observations are continuing.[77]
Responses
Arkansas Governor
Sarah Huckabee Sanders preemptively declared a
state of emergency related to the eclipse, citing the expected increase of travel to the state which could result in transportation difficulties, such as in
Fort Smith, where the police prepared for traffic congestion as hotels filled up.[79][80]Bell County, Texas Judge David Blackburn preemptively declared a state of emergency in February 2024 due to the projected number of visitors to the area.[81] The region surrounding
Niagara Falls, Ontario, also declared a state of emergency; as an existing major tourist destination along the path of totality, it expected an influx of at least one million visitors on April 8.[82]
A lawsuit was filed on April 2 by six inmates of various religions at
Woodbourne Correctional Facility in
New York against the state, stating that the decision to lock down the prison during the eclipse conflicted with their religious beliefs. The solar eclipse
is important in various religions.[83] The state settled the lawsuit by allowing them to view the eclipse.[84]
This eclipse is a member of
saros series 139, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, 8 hours, containing 71 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on May 17, 1501. It contains hybrid eclipses on August 11, 1627, through to December 9, 1825; and total eclipses from December 21, 1843, through to March 26, 2601. The series ends at member 71 as a partial eclipse on July 3, 2763. Its eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one
exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.
The longest duration of totality will be produced by member 39 at 7 minutes, 29.22 seconds on
July 16, 2186.[85] After that date, the durations of totality will decrease until the series ends. This date is the longest solar eclipse computed between 4000 BC and AD 6000.[86] Saros series eclipses occur during the Moon's ascending node (a term related to our equator and polar-naming conventions).
This eclipse is a member of a
semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating
nodes of the Moon's orbit.[87]
It is also part of a
tritos cycle, repeating at alternating nodes every 135
synodic months (≈ 3986.63 days, or 11 years minus 1 month).[88]
Metonic series
The
metonic series repeats eclipses every 19 years (6939.69 days), lasting about 5 cycles. Eclipses occur in nearly the same calendar date. In addition, the octon subseries repeats 1/5 of that or every 3.8 years (1387.94 days). All eclipses in this table occur at the Moon's ascending node.
21 eclipse events between June 21, 1982, and June 21, 2058
The path of the April 8 eclipse also crossed the path of the annular solar eclipse that occurred less than 6 months prior, on
October 14, 2023, intersecting in the vicinity of
San Antonio, Texas.[90]
^"Where & When". NASA. April 6, 2024.
Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
^"Total Solar Eclipse in Mexico". Time and Date. April 2024.
Archived from the original on April 7, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024. Total Solar Eclipse durations: Durango, Durango – 3m 47s; Mazatlan, Sinaloa – 4m 20s; Torreón, Coahuila de Zaragoza – 4m 9s.
^Carter, Jamie (November 20, 2023).
"The best places in Mexico to see the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024". Space news.
Archived from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024. Mazatlán, on the country's western coast, will be the first region of mainland Mexico to experience totality, followed by Durango, Torreón, and Monclova as the path tracks northeast toward the U .S. border at Piedras Negras.
^"Solar Eclipse of April 8 2024 from Mazatlán, Mexico". The Sky Live. April 7, 2024.
Archived from the original on April 7, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024. A Total Eclipse of magnitude 1.0216 will be visible from Mazatlán, Mexico on April 8 2024. Maximum eclipse will be at 11:09:38 local time and totality duration will be 4m 19s.
^"Great North American Eclipse: Dallas". Perot Museum of Nature and Science. April 3, 2024.
Archived from the original on April 7, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024. On April 8, 20 24, Dallas will be the largest city in the path of totality for the once-in-a-lifetime Great North American Eclipse.