Hotels in cities in the path of the total solar eclipse on April 8 saw record revenue increases, according to a new analysis published by CoStar’s STR.
08.04.2024 - 23:39 / forbes.com
You’ve seen the best photos of the total solar eclipse from the path of totality on April 8—now see them from space.
From Earth, the passing of the moon across the sun revealed, during totality, the “hole in the sky” silhouette of our only natural satellite, with the sun’s shimmering corona around it. However, for space, the same event was viewed only as a dark shadow moving gradually across a continent.
Astronauts on the International Space Station—in orbit 250 miles above Earth—captured views of the moon’s umbral shadow created by the total solar eclipse on April 8. Weather satellites also captured this image.
The eclipse image from the ISS was no accident. NASA has been adjusting the altitude of the orbiting laboratory for months, leading up to the final total solar eclipse in the contiguous U.S. until 2044. The result was a historic image of the moon’s shadow moving from New York state into Newfoundland from 260 miles above southeastern Canada. It was taken through the vehicle’s cupola by NASA Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps.
Although the ISS was crossing during the total solar eclipse, it wasn’t visible to those on the ground during totality. That’s because the ISS reflects sunlight. What you see from the ground—a bright, white light moving quickly and constantly across the sky—is the sun’s reflection from the spacecraft’s solar panels.
The moon’s shadow was also captured on one of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites. Each one provides imagery and data on atmospheric conditions.
As well as helping eclipse-chasers find a cloud-free spot in the path of totality, the GOES-East satellite’s continental U.S. (CONUS) images captured the moon’s shadow tracking across the landmass. It orbits 22,236 miles above Earth’s equator and moves at the same speed as Earth rotates., allowing it to remain at the same spot above Earth’s surface.
Satellites also observed reduced surface temperatures within the moon’s shadow on Earth during the eclipse as the amount of sunlight reaching the ground was reduced.
At 4 minutes 26 seconds at the Mexico-U.S. border in Texas, totality lasted for longer in the U.S. than any since a total solar eclipse on June 16, 1806, when Salem, Massachusetts, experienced one for 4 minutes and 48 seconds.
It was North America’s first total solar eclipse in six years, seven months, and 18 days, but some lucky locations experienced totality twice. Those in Perryville and Cape Girardeau in Missouri, Paducah in Kentucky, and Carbondale, Du Quoin, Marion, Makanda, Harrisburg, and Metropolis in Illinois experienced a total solar eclipse on both August 21, 2017, and April 8. That totality can be viewed from the
Hotels in cities in the path of the total solar eclipse on April 8 saw record revenue increases, according to a new analysis published by CoStar’s STR.
For the April 8 total solar eclipse, photographer Levi Mandel traveled to Buffalo, New York, to observe the celestial event—and the many others who journeyed for it. Below, he shares the experience through text and photos.
The totality of an eclipse is never long enough. My first total solar eclipse experience in 2017 made for the shortest two minutes of my life: the sun transforming into a blazing diamond ring, the beautiful delirium of darkness, that perfect circle in the sky. Before I knew it, the eclipse was over—and my friends and I were plotting how we could catch our next.
It'll be two decades before the next total solar eclipse hits the US.
Did you see the total solar eclipse? Despite clouds in some regions, some sky-watchers in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada were able to get clear views of a totally eclipsed sun for as long as 4 minutes 28 seconds in what was the longest totality viewed from land since 2010—and the longest in the U.S. since 1806.
Accurate weather forecasts for Monday’s path of totality weren’t available until a few days ago, but scientists have confirmed that cumulus clouds over land begin to disappear almost instantly when a partial solar eclipse begins.
It’s eclipse day, and while you may want to take photos of the rare phenomenon, NASA warns it could actually damage your smartphone camera.
As millions of Americans get ready to watch the total solar eclipse on Monday — an event NASA has described as rare and "spectacular" — the phenomenon also stands to lift local economies.
A total solar eclipse is coming to the U.S.—but not everyone is invited. On Monday, April 8, the moon will be close enough to Earth to appear just larger than the sun as it crosses its disk, casting a shadow that will move across the planet at about 1,500 mph.
It’s being hailed as the “Great North American Eclipse.” The longest since 1806, in fact, the best since 2017 and the last until 2033 in Alaska, and 2044 in Montana and the Dakotas.
Millions of people are expected to travel to see the total solar eclipse on April 8. As a result, large swaths of the country could be faced with traffic jams and flight delays in the coming days, government agencies warn.
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