It will begin in Mexico, cross the United States, and end in Canada: millions of residents will admire a rare total eclipse on Monday, April 7, a celestial event that always arouses wonder, but also represents a scientific and economic opportunity.
In the United States, more than 30 million people live in the area where the total eclipse will be visible for a few minutes, according to NASA. “Eclipses have a special power. They touch people, who feel a kind of reverence for the beauty of our Universe,” underlined the head of the American space agency, Bill Nelson.
Total eclipses occur when the Moon comes exactly between the Earth and the Sun, temporarily blocking the light of our star in broad daylight. The Sun is about 400 times larger than the Moon, but also 400 times further away, and the two stars therefore appear to be of a similar size.
The event is scheduled to be viewable first on the west coast of Mexico, starting at 6:07 p.m. GMT. The trajectory will then cross 15 American states - from Texas to Maine - before ending its course in eastern Canada. Around the 185-kilometer-wide total eclipse band, residents will be able to see a partial eclipse.
American authorities have been hammering out safety instructions for weeks, in particular the need to wear special glasses to look at the Sun, under penalty of serious eye damage.
Total solar eclipse on April 8 © Laurence SAUBADU, Gal ROMA / AFP
Many events are planned across the United States. NASA will broadcast a three-hour live video from several locations, with telescope images and expert comments.
Among the emblematic places where the eclipse will be visible are Niagara Falls, where the spectacle promises to be grandiose. On the Canadian side, the region has even declared a “state of emergency” to better cope with the influx of visitors.
Traffic jams
The excitement surrounding the event is such that several major 24-hour news channels, such as CNN, broadcast a countdown all weekend.
Many regions must benefit from the arrival of tourists. “We have people from all 50 states, even Alaska and Hawaii. There are tourists from the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Israel, New Zealand,” Jennyth says. Peterson, in charge of events in an area north of San Antonio, Texas.
In Burlington, in the US state of Vermont, for example, the population could double for the day, according to local officials.
The solar eclipse in 2017 in Madras, Oregon in the United States © ROB KERR / AFP/Archives
Many hotels have been full for months, and monstrous traffic jams are expected, as during the last total eclipse in the United States, in 2017 - when fewer cities were on the good trajectory at the time. For the occasion, many schools will be closed or will allow students to leave early.
The eclipse will also be admired from the air: some airlines have planned flights along the path of darkness, tickets for which have been snapped up. Astronauts in the International Space Station will also observe the phenomenon, but will see the Moon's shadow running across the Earth's surface. However, the weather could spoil the party in certain regions. In Texas for example, it looks cloudy.
Small rockets launched
The event is also scientific. Three small sounding rockets will be launched by NASA before, during and just after the eclipse, from Virginia in the eastern United States. The goal: to measure changes caused by darkness in the upper part of Earth's atmosphere, the ionosphere, where much of our communications signals pass.
The solar corona, the outer layer of the Sun's atmosphere, becomes particularly clearly visible during an eclipse. It will be observed carefully: this is where solar flares occur, but our star is currently close to its peak of activity (unlike 2017).
The eclipse may also cause unusual behavior in animals, sensitive to changes in light and temperature. The roosters and crickets may start to crow, the birds may settle. Giraffes have even been seen galloping in the past.
The next total eclipse visible in the United States (excluding Alaska) will take place in 2044. Before that, a total eclipse will take place in Spain, in 2026.
With AFP
The France 24 summary of the week
invites you to look back at the news that marked the week
I subscribe
Take international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 application