A total solar eclipse is seen from Mazatlan, Mexico April 8, 2024. REUTERS/Henry RomeroSolar Eclipse live updates: A total solar eclipse, which is a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event for most people, swept across North America Monday night. The eclipse began at 9.13 PM IST on Monday, April 8 and continued till 2.22 AM IST on Tuesday, April 9. The Moon’s umbra, the darkest part of its shadow, touched down around 998 kilometres south of the Republic of Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean at 10.09 PM IST. Although Indians were not able to watch the eclipse this time, they will be able to view the next one on March 20, 2034.
The totality of the eclipse was visible to the parts of the world under the umbra. A total solar eclipse was only visible in parts of the United States, Mexico and Canada. A partial eclipse was visible in parts of some Caribbean countries, Colombia, Venezuela, Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, and Iceland. No one in Asia got to see it.
The below video will show you how the eclipse progressed through different parts of the world and below that, you will find some of the latest pictures taken during it.
Flying through the eclipse?
An aeroplane passes near the total solar eclipse during the Hoosier Cosmic Celebration at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana, U.S. April 8, 2024.
The 'diamond ring' effect
The Moon partially covering the Sun, creating a "diamond ring effect," as seen from Progressive Field in Cleveland on Monday, April 8, 2024.
How the Moon's shadow travelled across the Earth
How the eclipse looked like from space
Video of the eclipse
View of the eclipse from Cleveland
The below image of the eclipse was taken in Cleveland.
An aeroplane flying through the eclipser
Views from the eclipse
NASA shared this compostie image of the eclipse as it was seen at the Washington Monument.
Views from the eclipse
Views from the eclipse
In Pictures | Glimpses from total solar eclipse
Here are some glimpses of the total solar eclipse:
Watch | How the total solar eclipse looked from space
A total solar eclipse, which is a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event for most people, occurred Monday night. The eclipse began at 9.13 pm IST on Monday, April 8 and continued till 2.22 am IST on Tuesday, April 9.
A total solar eclipse was only visible in parts of the United States, Mexico and Canada.
A partial eclipse was visible in parts of some Caribbean countries, Colombia, Venezuela, Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, and Iceland.
Here are some visuals of the total solar eclipse.
Here's a view of the total solar eclipse from the orbit
Here's a view of the total solar eclipse from the orbit.
Watch | Moon's shadow passes through path of totality
Here's a replay of the moon's shadow passing through the path of totality, as seen by NOAA's GOESEast satellite.
Watch | Astronauts' view of the total solar eclipse
Here's the astronauts' view of the total solar eclipse that occurred Monday night, according to the NASA. The astronauts were able to see two views of the eclipse - moon passing in front of the sun, and the shadow of the moon passing over Earth.
Watch | Total solar eclipse sweeps through Indianapolis
Here's a video of the total solar eclipse that swept through Indianapolis in Indiana, as viewed by NASA. According to NASA, this was the first time in more than 800 years that the city experienced this celestial event.
Eclipse comes to an end
The 2024 total solar eclipse came to an end at 2.22 AM IST. The combination of images below shows the various phases it went through, as seen from Mazatlan, Mexico.
Eclipse peeking from behind the clouds
While many people were lucky enough to get a good view of the eclipse as it happened. In many locations, the Sun was hidden behind clouds. Here, a man holds up his hands as the sun peeks through the clouds at at Dunkirk Lighthouse & Veterans Park Museum in Dunkirk, New York.
'Diamond ring' effect
In this image, the solar eclipse can be seen creating a "diamond ring" effect.
Eclipse, from beginning to end
This combination of images shows the beginning to end of the total solar eclipse as seen from Mazatlan, Mexico.
Views from the eclipse
In this image, light is reflected off buildings during a partial lunar eclipse that was visible in Times Square in New York City.
Total solar eclipse ends
The totality of the solar eclipse ended as the umbra of the Moon disappeared at 1.25 AM about 547 kilometres southwest of Ireland in the Atlantic Ocean. A partial eclipse will continue to be visible till about 2.22 AM IST.
Viewed by a lot more people
This total solar eclipse is passing over more cities and densely populated areas than the 2017 total solar eclipse. NASA estimates that 31.6 million people live in the path of totality this year compared to just 12 million in 2017. On top of that, another 150 million people live within a 321-kilometre radius of the path of totality.
Nocturnal animals during an eclipse
While we humans understand what exactly causes an eclipse, as far as animals are concerned, the total eclipse seems like nighttime falling all of a sudden. This could mean that they might react weirdly to the eclipse. Nocturnal animals like bats and others could suddenly become active and start moving around whole diurnal animals might quiet down because they think it is night. Many weird animal behaviours have been observed during eclipses in the past, and scientists will be trying to see what happens this time.
How are eclipses predicted?
To predict eclipses, astronauts have to work out the mechanics and geometry of how the Moon orbits the Earth and the planet orbits the Sun, under the influence of the three celestial bodies; gravitational fields.
They use Newton’s laws of motion to mathematically work out how these three bodies move in a three-dimensional space. They then feed the current positions and speeds of Earth and the Moon into complex equations and use algorithms to “integrate” these equations forward or backward in time to calculate the relative positions of the Moon and the Sun as seen from Earth.
Computers can identify the particular configurations of these three bodies that can cause an eclipse. Using this technique, astronomers can forecast eclipses to the accuracy of less than a minute over a span of hundreds of years.
Why do eclipses move eastwards?
The Earth rotates towards the East; this makes it look like the Moon, the Sun, and stars move from East to West in the sky. Also, the Moon orbits our planet in the same direction of its rotation — towards the East. But this movement is very small compared to our planet's daily rotation, which means that we rarely notice it.
But during a solar eclipse, we can see this motion of the Moon much better as it starts covering the Sun from the West before passing towards its East. The Moon’s shadow also takes this eastward path, meaning the eclipse also moves eastwards.
NASA to launch rockets during the eclipse
NASA will launch three sounding rockets during the solar eclipse to understand its effects on the Earth’s upper atmosphere. They will be launched 45 minutes before, during and then 45 minutes after the peak eclipse at the launch locations. This will help the space agency understand how the blocking of the Sun affects the ionosphere, potentially causing disruptions to communications.
Webb telescope throwing shade
As the Moon throws its shade on the Earth, the James Webb Space Telescope's official X (formerly Twitter) account is throwing shade on the Moon.
Totality begins: The umbra touches down
The total phase of the eclipse began at 10.09 PM IST when the umbra of the Moon (the dark part of its shadow) touched down around 1,000 kilometres south of the Republic of Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean. The umbra will move in a northeastern direction for about 3 hours and 16 minutes until 1.25 AM IST, when it will disappear off the Earth about 547 kilometres southwest of Ireland in the Atlantic Ocean. Any part of the world under the umbra at any given time will experience a total solar eclipse.
It’s not just the Sun’s bright light that can harm you
Solar filters and eclipse glasses may block a lot of the intense sunlight that would damage your retina, but they can still allow infrared radiation through, meaning that it could literally warm your eye. So even with proper filters, the Sun can still overheat the tissue and fluids in your eyes. Make sure you frequently look away from the Sun and let your eyes cool even while using eclipse glasses.
How the eclipse will look where you are
Here is how the eclipse will look depending on which part of the United States you are in.
When can you look at the Sun during a total solar eclipse?
There is a misconception that during totality, when the Moon is fully blocking the Sun, there can still be harmful rays. But, according to NASA, only the faint light from the corona will be visible during that time, and its radiation is too weak to have harmful effects on the human retina. While you should be wearing eclipse glasses most of the time, it will be safe to take them off during totality. But make sure you immediately put it back on once you start seeing bright light from the Sun as totality ends.
Temperature drop during the eclipse
In places where the total eclipse is visible, the Moon will completely cover the Sun, meaning that the sky will become dark as if the day was just beginning or it was ending. It will also mean that the air temperature could drop by as much as five degrees Celsius.
Who will see the eclipse for the longest?
While most places in the path of the total eclipse will see it for between 3.5 and 4 minutes, it will last for 4 minutes and 28 seconds near Torreón in Mexico, according to NASA.
When will the total phase of the eclipse begin and end?
The total phase of the eclipse will begin at 10.09 PM IST when the umbra of the Moon (dark part of its shadow) touches down around 998 kilometres south of the Republic of Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean, according to Astronomy. The umbra will move on the Earth for about 3 hours, 16 minutes and 45 seconds until 1.25 AM IST when it will disappear about 547 kilometres southwest of Ireland in the Atlantic Ocean.
Difference between a partial and a total lunar eclipse
The dark inner shadow of the Moon is called the umbra, and the lighter outer shadow is called the penumbra. You see a total solar eclipse when the place where you are is in the umbra of the Moon. You see a partial eclipse when you are under the penumbra of the Moon. But even during a total solar eclipse, you will first see a partial eclipse before it enters totality, and then, it will return to a partial eclipse.
Solar eclipses only happen during the new Moon phase
During the new Moon phase, the Moon is in the same direction as the Sun meaning that it does not reflect any light to the Earth. When the new Moon occurs at the time when the Moon passes through the plane of Earth’s orbit of the Sun, that is when a solar eclipse happens. That is why solar eclipses only happen during the new Moon phase.
Why does the Moon almost perfectly cover the Sun during an eclipse?
While it may seem normal for the Moon to perfectly cover the Sun, if you think about, it is quite strage. For the Moon to completely block out the Sun, it will need to to appear to be the same size as the latter when viewed from Earth.
And that is the exact sort of cosmic coincidence that is happening here. The Moon is about 400 times smaller than the Sun, but it is also about 400 times closer to our planet. This makes both the Moon and the Sun appear to be around the same size in the sky.
Why don’t eclipses happen more often?
Solar eclipses happen when the Sun, the Moon and the Earth get perfectly aligned in that order. If the Moon orbited the Earth on the same plane the planet orbited the Sun, an eclipse would happen about ten times a month, but that is not the case. The plane of the orbit of the Moon around the Earth is about 5 degrees apart from the planet of the orbit of the Earth and the Moon. This means that the three celestial bodies are perfectly aligned much more rarely.
How will the eclipse affect air temperature?
Yes. Since at least part of the Sun’s disc will be covered during the eclipse as it goes from partial to total and back to partial again, you can expect air temperature to drop by a few degrees as it happens.
Why are total solar eclipses so rare?
While there can be between two and five solar eclipses every year, total eclipses only happen about once every 18 months or so. This is because a total eclipse is only visible if one is standing in the umbra — the other part of the shadow is called the penumbra, which is not as dark as the umbra. The umbral shadow is very small, covering only a small part of Earth. In fact, the entire path of the umbral shadow during a solar eclipse will only cover less than one per cent of the globe. This is why only very few people will get to see a total eclipse at a time.
When is the next total solar eclipse that will be visible in India?
The next total solar eclipse that will be visible in India will happen on March 20, 2034.
Image credit: NASA
What safety precautions must be taken when looking at the eclipse?
Well, to begin with, do not look at the eclipse directly with your naked eyes. That also means that you should not look at it with a telescope, binoculars or any other kind of viewing device that does not have a specialised solar eclipse filter attached to it.
Will taking pictures of the eclipse hurt my smartphone?
There is a small chance that pointing your smartphone’s camera directly at the Sun could cause damage to its camera sensor. It would be better to err on the side of caution and use a specialised solar filter for your phone just like you would for your eyes. It will also help you take better pictures of the eclipse when it happens.
Are regular sunglasses enough to protect eyes from the eclipse?
While regular sunglasses might serve you well on a sunny day, it does nothing to protect you when you are looking directly at the Sun. Even the darkest of sunglasses let in too much light, meaning that you could damage your eyes beyond repair. Specially designed solar eclipse glasses, on the other hand, block out more than 99.9999 per cent of the sunlight, protecting you from most of the Sun’s harmful rays.
Is it okay for pregnant women to look at the solar eclipse?
Well, it depends. It is not really safe for anyone to look at the eclipse directly unless they are wearing specialised solar glasses. But as long as they take the necessary precautions, it is safe for pregnant women to look at the eclipse.
What time will the total solar eclipse be visible to me?
This handy map from NASA shows the path the total solar eclipse will take and at what time it will be visible in different parts of the United States.