This page is a personal record of the total solar eclipse in North America on Monday, 8 April 2024.
Memos of my findings while observing this eclipse are written for people who will watch a solar eclipse somewhere in the future, as well as for myself, since I hope to see another one in my life sometime.
The contents are tentative as of 17 April 2024.
New information will be added.
Updated on 28 April 2024.
Japanese version of this article:
https://yoshi-g.com/total_solar_eclipse_jp
Contents
General information about the eclipse
The total eclipse began in the Pacific at 16:40 UTC on Monday, 8 April 2024. It was observed in Mexico, 12 States in the United States (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine), and Canada. It ended in the Northern Atlantic (45°N, 25°W, approximatelly) at 19:55 UTC.
The total solar eclipse map has been published by NASA on the following website.
The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse – Scientific Visualization Studio, NASA (July 10, 2023)
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5123/
28 April 2024 Accessed
Observation point
At Willard, Ohio
41.062589°N, 82.667426°W
The observation point is shown in Google Maps below.
The original plan was to watch the eclipse in Niagara Falls, NY, but the weather forecast 24 hours ahead said it would be overcast. I decided
Because of the forecast, I altered my plans 12 hours in advance of the eclipse and drove to Willard, OH. (NOAA weather service website and several global numerical weather prediction models provided by Windy.com).
The time of the total eclipse in Willard was obtained from the NASA website below.
Eclipse Explorer – NASA
https://eclipse-explorer.smce.nasa.gov/
28 April 2024 Accessed
The prediction of the eclipse time (beginning, duration, and ending) was very accurate.
Observation tools
- Solar eclipse glasses
- Hand made pinhole projector.
- (Found for the first time in an episode of Curious George for the first time.)
- Smartphone camera and another compact digital camera
- Tablet for recording a time-lapse video
Photos and videos
Photos of the total eclipse were taken with a smartphone camera, with proper settings of ISO sensitivity and shutter speed, showing the moon had occulted the sun for approximately 3 minutes and 50 seconds. The solar corona was observed by the naked eye.
I was extremely excited during the total eclipse and for 30 seconds before and after it, in which it became observedly dark.
Total Eclipse 2024-04-08
A photo with a proper camera setting during the total eclipse.
Time-lapse video
Frame interval: 1.2 sec
Speed: x36
Personal opinions
- Amazing, stunning, mysterious
- ‘Beyond description’ is the best term for this experience.
- The duration of darkness was shorter than I had expected. Except for the period of the actual eclipse (3 minutes 50 seconds) and 30 seconds before and after, the sky was bright despite the sun being partially hidden by the moon.
- It was clearly different from an annular eclipse, in which it does not become completely dark at the peak of the eclipse.
- It was astonishing that the solar corona, and perhaps prominences (sometimes a part of the corona shone temporarily) were observable with the naked eye.
- I wish I had brought a film camera and a proper sun filter, which would have captured much more amazing photos.
Other photos
A photo taken 15 minutes after the beginning of the eclipse, 14:12 EDT. The photo was taken through solar eclipse glasses.
A photo taken 50 minutes after the beginning of the eclipse, 25 minutes before the total eclipse, 14:47 EDT. The photo was taken through solar eclipse glasses.
A photo taken 12 minutes before the total eclipse, 15:00 EDT. The sun looked like a crescent through solar eclipse glasses, but it looked like an ordinary sun with the naked eye, though it seemed that the sunbeams were a little bit weaker.
A photo taken several seconds before the beginning of the total eclipse, taken without solar eclipse glasses. The sunbeams were glistening at this moment.
During the total eclipse, taken without solar eclipse glasses. The solar corona was brighter than my previous expectation, so the shadow of the moon cannot be found in the photo above because of an unproper setting,
During the total eclipse. It was dark, but not pitch dark. The horizon looked like it does at dawn or sunset. Those lights on the horizon came from the visinity of the umbra where the sunlight shone.
Showing contrast with the ordinary state in daytime at the same location.
A diamond ring just at the end of the total eclipse, 15:16 EDT.
Venus during the total eclipse
Venus was found near the sun, identified from the star chart (Star Walk) at the same time and location.
The star chart cited from Star Walk (old version).
The chart shows Mercury near the sun, but it could not be observed: it was at the position of inferior conjunction (new moon). The other planets, Jupiter and Saturn, might be found if they were focused on.
Memos
- Frogs began croaking 30 minutes before the total eclipse, and then went silent during the total eclipse.
- It became cold during the total eclipse.
- Some stars can be found during a total eclipse.
- A historical fact came up in my mind that Albert Einstein’s general relativity theory was proven by a photo taken during the total solar eclipse in 1919.
- A total eclipse is completely different from an annular eclipse.
- It does not become completely dark in an annular eclipse.
17 April 2024
Updated on 28 April 2024