Get Ready for a Solar Eclipse!

On Monday, April 8, the sky will darken. Birds will stop singing. Bees will return to their hives. It will feel like nighttime during the day! What’s going on? In some parts of the U.S., people will experience a total solar eclipse. A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes directly between Earth and the sun. During a total solar eclipse, the moon completely blocks the view of the sun from certain places on Earth. This happens somewhere on Earth about every 18 months.

But for those in its path, a total solar eclipse is a special event. This type of eclipse happens in the same location only about once every 375 years! So this spring, millions of people are making eclipse-watching plans. Many will travel hundreds or thousands of miles to watch this amazing show in the sky.

The sun is about 400 times larger than the moon. If the moon is so much smaller, how can it block our view of the sun? It can happen because the moon is much closer to Earth!

The sun is about 400 times farther away from Earth than the moon is. That makes the moon and the much-larger sun appear about the same size in our sky. It’s also why the moon can cover up the sun when it’s in just the right place.

When the moon blocks the sun, it casts a dark shadow on Earth. On April 8, that shadow will be 185 kilometers (115 miles) wide! It will pass diagonally across the U.S. from Texas to Maine.

If you live within the path of the moon’s full shadow, the sun will completely disappear for about 4 minutes. The light of the daytime sky will become dim. Bright stars might become visible, as if it were twilight. The air will grow cooler. The moon will look like a black circle covering the sun. Along the moon’s edges, you’ll be able to see the sun’s corona. This hot, wispy outer layer of the sun is usually invisible.   

Even if you don’t live within the direct path of the shadow, you might still be able to see something amazing! In most U.S. states, viewers will see a partial eclipse. The moon will cover part of the sun, making the sun look like a thin arc. It will last for about two hours.