Years of anticipation will finally culminate with a total solar eclipse that will be visible across parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada next month, but when will the show hit its peak?
According to NASA scientists, the eclipse will take place on Monday, April 8 in the afternoon hours across the North American continent, with the area of totality impacting areas in southern Illinois and central Indiana.
During a total solar eclipse, the new moon intersects the path of the sun in the sky, causing the sun to be partially and then nearly completely blocked from view.
In Carbondale, Illinois, the partial eclipse on April 8 will begin at approximately 12:42 p.m. During this time, special glasses will be needed to view the eclipse, though there are other ways of seeing the moon’s impact on the sun’s light reaching the Earth.
At approximately 1:59 p.m., “totality” will begin in Carbondale, and during this time, stargazers will be able to look at the eclipse without any aid whatsoever, with darkened skies and the famed “corona” blazing around the edges of the moon.
This period will not last for very long, as totality is expected to end at approximately 2:03 p.m., according to NASA scientists.
The partial eclipse will continue for another hour, ending at approximately 3:18 p.m.
For areas outside of the path of totality, including the city of Chicago, it will not be safe to view the eclipse without aid of glasses or other tools. There will be some darkening of the sky during the eclipse in Chicago, but residents will not get to see the total eclipse unless they travel south, or travel over to Indiana.
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