Millions of people across a densely populated stretch of North America will witness a total solar eclipse on Monday, as the moon completely obscures the sun for over four minutes in some areas.
Weather permitting, the eclipse will be observable along a path commencing in Mexico, traversing the United States, and extending into Canada.
Enthusiasts are congregating at locations along the “path of totality,” including Fredericksburg in central Texas, where the total eclipse is slated to occur shortly after 1:30 p.m. (1830 GMT).
Michael Zeiler, an experienced eclipse chaser who has witnessed 11 total eclipses worldwide, plans to be there.
“First-time viewers of a total eclipse will be astonished by the spectacle,” Zeiler remarked. “It will be a profound life moment,”.
This eclipse, lasting up to 4 minutes and 28 seconds, surpasses the duration of the 2017 eclipse that swept across parts of the United States, which lasted up to 2 minutes and 42 seconds. NASA notes that total eclipses can range from 10 seconds to approximately 7-1/2 minutes in duration.
Cities along the path of totality include Mazatlan, Mexico; San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas, Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Cleveland, Ohio; Erie, Pennsylvania; as well as both Niagara Falls, New York, and Niagara Falls, Ontario, home to the renowned waterfall, and Montreal, Quebec. A partial eclipse will be visible outside the path of totality in North America.
Approximately 32 million individuals in the United States reside within the path of totality, with an additional 5 million anticipated to travel to witness the event, according to federal estimates.
This will mark the ninth total eclipse for Anthony Aveni, author of “In the Shadow of the Moon: The Science, Magic, and Mystery of Solar Eclipses,” and a retired professor of physics, astronomy, sociology, and anthropology at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York.
“It’s a disruption of nature’s ordinary course,” Aveni reflected. “And it’s a disruption that leaves you breathless.”
Forecasters have cautioned that weather conditions may be cloudy in a significant portion of the path of totality.
