When the time in Washington D.C. in the United States of America will be 8:00 p.m. on Monday, April 8, 2024; A total solar eclipse will begin to appear in North America. At that time, the Kigali clock will be 8:07 p.m.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, blocking the entire Sun from being visible to the parts of the Earth whose shadow is equal to it. Those who are in these areas immediately lose the light and find themselves in darkness.
Those who live in Mexico will be the first to see the 2024 edition, which will continue in the United States of America, ending in Canada until 3:30 p.m. Kigali time.
At least 15 of the 50 states in the United States will see the eclipse, These include Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Tennessee, and Michigan.
On the Canadian side, the eclipse will be visible in Southern Ontario, the most populated area of the country and in the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton and Newfoundland.
While on the Mexican side, it will be found in the Southwest of the country, known as the Pacific Coast, In these areas, there will also be a partial eclipse before and after the total eclipse, the last total solar eclipse was on August 21, 2017. Another such eclipse is expected to occur in 2044.
Fred Espenak, a former employee of the US space agency, NASA, told the media: “Looking at the previous one in 2017, the last one was in 1979. So it’s a little bit confusing to have two eclipses in seven years.”
Experts say that comparing the eclipse that happened in 2017 to the one that will happen in 2024, “this year is the best;” because the sections will be increased in width by 60%, and the duration will be increased by 60%.
In some areas, it will take four and a half minutes, It is expected that on the day of this eclipse there will be many trips to the areas where it will be shown, so that it is estimated that people will go to those areas on that day equal to those who can go to see 50 games of the Super Bowl, which ends the competition of the year of American football. The 2024 Super Bowl was watched by more than 123 million people.
In Bell County, Texas, they have declared a state of emergency after learning that the population of 400,000 will double on the day of the eclipse due to tourism.
In addition to being an event that will unite many who want to see it as a single event, major media outlets in the world such as ABC, ABC News Live, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Disney+ and Hulu will show the eclipse live.
