On April 8, 2024, the U.S. will witness a total solar eclipse, when the moon moves in front of the sun to cause daytime darkness and a likelihood to see the sun’s corona. The last time that happened within the U.S. was on August 21, 2017, and memories are fresh.
Seven years ago, the trail of totality was relatively distant. This time, it would pass by some vast cities and metropolitan areas, ranging northeast from Texas through Maine. Only from inside this path will or not it’s possible to witness totality for as much as 4 minutes and 26 seconds.
For every U.S. state, where the trail of totality intercepts, we have included three of the perfect places to look at from. These recommendations come from quite a lot of sources, including data on the longest possible duration of totality in that state, places on or near the centerline, climate data on where is most certainly to have a transparent sky, selection scenic spots, areas that could possibly be quiet, but additionally organized events. We have not included information for Kentucky, Tennessee or Michigan since the path of totality only enters a tiny portion of those three states.
Nevertheless, keep in mind that the perfect observing location is wherever it’s clear in the trail of totality. “If you’ve got the luxurious of with the ability to travel on the last minute, what I highly recommend is to ascertain the weather a couple of days before,” Tyler Nordgren, an Ithaca, Latest York-based astronomer and eclipse artist at Space Art Travel Bureau told Space.com. “Weather models are likely to solidify about three days out, so around April 1 and positively by April 5, take a look at the weather models and go to wherever is obvious the trail in totality.” If you happen to haven’t got that luxury, pick someplace in the trail of totality that you need to go to, no matter whether or not a complete solar eclipse is about to occur. “Go somewhere you’ve got at all times desired to visit — that way, you will not be disillusioned — but, really, just go wherever you possibly can get to in the trail of totality,” said Nordgren.
REMEMBER to NEVER take a look at the sun directly. To soundly view this solar eclipse, it’s essential to at all times use solar filters. Only in the course of the exact moment of totality, when the sun’s disk is 100% blocked by the moon, are you able to look with the naked eye. This is feasible only throughout the path of totality and just for a couple of minutes, depending in your location. In any respect other times, precautions should be taken. Observers must wear certified solar eclipse glasses, and cameras, telescopes and binoculars should have solar filters placed in front of their lenses. For more information on solar viewing safety, try our guide on the best way to observe the sun safely.
Texas
- Radar Base (1:27 p.m. CDT, 4 minutes, 26 seconds): the primary location to experience totality within the U.S. and for the longest time.
- Texclipse Music Festival, Junction (1:34 p.m. CDT, 3 minutes, 10 seconds): the perfect climatological prospects for a transparent sky within the U.S. in keeping with the meteorologist Jay Anderson.
- Ground Zero Music Festival, Bandera (1:31 p.m. CDT, 4 minutes, 9 seconds): 20 bands, a full cowboy rodeo, stunt shows and a automobile and truck show. Could or not it’s any more Texan?
Oklahoma
- Beavers Bend State Park, Hochatown (1:46 p.m. CDT; 4 minutes, 13 seconds): mountain climbing, biking, and fishing on the shores of Broken Bow Lake within the Ouachita National Forest.
- Hochatown State Park (1:46 p.m. CDT; 4 minutes, 13 seconds): adjoining to Beavers Bend State Park with accommodation.
- Red Slough WMA, Idabel (1:45 p.m. CDT; 4 minutes 15 seconds): 2,400 acres of wetlands near the border with Texas and Arkansas.
Arkansas
- Hot Springs National Park (1:49 p.m. CDT; 3 minutes, 43 seconds): considered one of only two official national parks throughout the path of totality.
- Total Eclipse of the Heart Festival, Russellville (1:50 p.m. CDT, 4 minutes 10 seconds): blues music, hot air balloons and BBQ are promised.
- Mount Ida (1:48 p.m. CDT; 4 minutes, 15 seconds): rock shops and personal mines allow visitors to go looking for their very own crystals.
Missouri
- Fourche Creek Conservation Area (1:55 p.m. CDT; 4 minutes, 13 seconds): the longest totality in Missouri and bang on the centerline.
- Cape Girardeau (1:58 p.m. CDT; 4 minutes, 4 seconds): likely the busiest place in Missouri on eclipse day, this city will experience its second totality in lower than seven years.
- Poplar Bluff (1:56 p.m. CDT; 4 minutes, 8 seconds): longer totality than every other sizable community in Missouri.
Illinois
Indiana
- Eclipse & More 2024, Richmond (3:07 p.m. EDT, 3 minutes, 49 seconds): camping, zip lining, rock partitions and food trucks on Wayne County Fairgrounds.
- Knightstown Solar Eclipse 2024 (3:06 p.m. EDT; 4 minutes, 1 second): off the beaten track east of Indianapolis but on the centerline for an extended totality.
- The Dark Side of the Wabash, Vincennes (3:03 EDT, 4 minutes, 5 seconds): the longest totality in Indiana in a historic town with a four-day festival of science, arts and music events.
Ohio
Pennsylvania
- Erie, Pennsylvania (3:16 p.m. EDT; 3 minutes, 43 seconds): easily accessible from Pittsburgh, but avoid Presque Island, which shall be extremely busy.
- Lake Erie Speedway (3:15 p.m. EDT; 3 minutes, 50 seconds): a giant public event is planned, which could help alleviate parking problems in Erie.
- Lake City (3:15 p.m. EDT, 3 minutes, 42 seconds): just two seconds off the longest totality in Pennsylvania and away from potentially busy Erie.
Latest York
- ROC The Eclipse on the Rochester Museum and Science Center, Rochester (3:20 p.m. EDT; 3 minutes, 39 seconds): a three-day festival with hands-on activities, speakers, music and food.
- Niagara Falls State Park (3:18 p.m. EDT, 3 minutes, 29 seconds): for a shot of an eclipsed sun over Horseshoe Falls, you may must be at Terrapin Point on the U.S. side (and use a wide-angle lens).
- Embrace the Dark, Geneva (3:21 EDT, 2 minutes, 20 seconds): three-day festival of wine tastings, astronomy art exhibits and lectures on the northern end of Seneca Lake, considered one of the Finger Lakes.
Vermont
- St Albans City (3:26 p.m. EDT, 3 minutes and 15 seconds): easy to succeed in and the longest totality in Vermont.
- The Whiteout, Jay Peak Resort (3:26 p.m. EDT, 3 minutes and 32 seconds): a Pink Floyd tribute band at the most important ski resort in the trail of totality.
- Richford (3:26 p.m. EDT, 3 minutes and 31 seconds): this small Vermont/Canada border town could get busy.
Latest Hampshire
- Colebrook (3:28 p.m. EDT, 3 minutes): the primary place in Latest Hampshire to experience totality.
- Pittsburg (3:28 p.m. EDT, 3 minutes and 14 seconds): near Lake Francis State Park within the Great North Woods region.
- Connecticut Lakes State Forest (3:28 p.m. EDT, 3 minutes and 26 seconds): as close as you possibly can go to the centerline of the trail of totality in Latest Hampshire.
Maine
- Millinockeclipse, Millinocket (3:31 p.m. EDT, 2 minutes and 55 seconds): a fun race that begins at first contact and ends as totality ceases and daylight returns.
- Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument (3:31 p.m. EDT, 3 minutes and 20 seconds): see the eclipse above the best mountain in Maine.
- Houlton, Maine (3:32 p.m. EDT, 3 minutes and 20 seconds): the last place within the U.S. to experience totality until parts of Alaska in 2033.
Additional resources
For planning trips to see solar eclipses, the interactive Google Maps on Xavier Jubier’s eclipse website is invaluable (and the source for the timings in this text), as are the simulations for the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses on Eclipse 2024 and the attractive eclipse maps on GreatAmericanEclipse.com. Climate and weather predictions by meteorologist Jay Anderson on Eclipsophile.com are equally instructive, as are ex-NASA eclipse calculator Fred Espenak’s Eclipse Smart and Mr. Eclipse.