TEXAS, USA — The 2024 total solar eclipse is almost here. On April 8, people in parts of Mexico, the U.S. and Canada will get to watch the afternoon sky turn dark during the rare phenomenon.
Residents in 13 states – including Texas, Arkansas and Maine – will be able to see the eclipse in-person, while those in other portions of the country might only be able to view a partial solar eclipse.
To share the experience with a wider audience, NASA has created an online Eclipse Explorer portal to track the event as it happens.
Those who visit the website can search for their specific city or ZIP code and use the interactive map to determine whether they will be in the path of totality. Not only that, searchers can also find the duration of totality for their area, the percentage of coverage, weather updates and the umbra and penumbra – the first and second shadows – for locations across the country.
The portal also lists specific cities where totality should last for three minutes or more:
- Kerrville, Texas
- Dallas
- Russellville, Arkansas
- Carbondale, Illinois
- Indianapolis
- Cleveland
- Niagara Falls, New York
- Houlton, Maine
- Cape Canaveral, Florida
- Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico
- Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
NASA also has a plan for those who want to watch the eclipse online as it happens. The space exploration agency will publish a live telescope video at 12 p.m. CST, as long as the weather cooperates. The video feed will rotate between 12 different locations.
The next total solar eclipse won't happen again until 2044, and it won't be visible in Texas – making the April 8 event truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.