by Editor’s Note: Follow CNN’s live updates on the total solar eclipse.
A total solar eclipse is now visible from the United States, with the dramatic celestial spectacle sweeping across North America.
It will take 1 hour and 8 minutes for the moon’s shadow to cross the country from Texas to Maine, crossing parts of 15 states.
The total eclipse darkened the skies in Kerrville, Texas, where a large number of eclipse watchers have gathered, including CNN and NASA, at 2:32 pm ET. Although the weather was cloudy, the crowd was laughing and clapping during moments when the sky cleared, revealing the epic sight. Cities and towns in the Midwest, and Indianapolis and Cleveland were among the most popular places for total eclipse viewers.
The eclipse is expected to end on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada at 5:16 pm local time (3:46 pm ET). Mazatlan, on Mexico’s Pacific coast, was the first city to experience totality earlier Monday. Use our map to check what the eclipse will look like and when it will appear over your area.
Those squared on the centerline of the path of totality will see an eclipse that will last between 3 ½ and 4 minutes, according to NASA.
In the United States, an estimated 32 million people live within the path of totality and a total solar eclipse will be visible to those in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont , New Hampshire and Maine, although the weather threatens to spoil the fun for some.
Only a few isolated clouds are expected in Vermont through Maine, as well as Missouri through southern Indiana, making for the best eclipse viewing. However, much of Texas and the eastern Great Lakes may experience less than ideal weather.
men Northeast, eclipse chasers have faced heavy traffic. While traveling along Interstate 93 near Lincoln, New Hampshire, this morning, Karen Siegel came across traffic on the parking lot just outside the path of totality. It took five hours instead of three to get from Newton, Massachusetts, to Barton, Vermont, she said.
“Our GPS said we’d get where we wanted to go, but the 2mph parking was a bit scary!” Siegel said.
A portion of the solar eclipse, where the moon appears to take a crescent-shaped “grab” from the sun, will be visible to those outside the path of totality.
Remember to grab a pair of certified eclipse glasses or a solar viewer to view the skies safely; it is not safe to see any phase of an eclipse, except when the moon is completely blocking the sunlight, without proper eye protection. And sunglasses, or multiple pairs of sunglasses, won’t cut it. The biggest risk of looking at the sun without the dark filter of eclipse glasses or solar viewers is permanent eye damage called solar retinopathy. This condition can improve or worsen over time, but it cannot be cured.
Worried that your eclipse glasses might be counterfeit? There is an easy way to test for that problem. And if your eclipse glasses aren’t safe, or you’re worried about kids taking off their glasses, make an easy pin projector to join the eclipse author.
Special eclipse memories
While totality is considered the most exciting part of a total solar eclipse, there are other special phases to watch before the big moment arrives.
Apart from the anticipated weeks and months leading up to the eclipse, the partial eclipse is the longest phase of the event, as the moon slowly moves above the sun. This stage can last from 70 to 80 minutes.
But it’s a treat for spectators when the skies begin to darken and turn an eerie gray color, about 15 to 20 minutes before totality.
Then, several phases occur in rapid succession just before the sunlight completely disappears from view.
Look for blobs of sunlight to form around the moon, known as Baily beads, as streams of sunlight over the craters and valleys of the moon’s surface. After about 30 seconds to a minute, some of those droplets will appear to merge together, creating a shimmering “diamond ring” effect. After about another minute, the moon will appear to move completely in front of the sun, and only a white halo of light will be visible as totality begins.
The luminous glow belongs to the sun’s corona, or to a warm outer atmosphere, and its faint light is only visible when the sun’s ultrabright surface is blocked. Astronomers are eager to study the corona with a number of experiments, including high-altitude research planes, to better understand fine structures within the corona and why the corona is millions of degrees hotter than the surface. the sun
Although totality is the main event, there may be a few points of light visible in the sky near the eclipse, associated with Jupiter, Venus, Mars and the faint light from Saturn.
The “devil comet,” or comet 12P/Pons-Brooks horn, will likely be too small to see without a telescope or binoculars — but the eclipse will be the prime viewing moment on Monday anyway, according to astronomers .
During the short-lived darkness of the total eclipse, some diurnal animals may fall silent, and nocturnal creatures such as crickets may begin to buzz and stir. Scientists are keen to study why animals behave unusually during the brief moments of eclipses, and the public is invited to take part in some of the research taking place on Monday.
And expect the local temperature to drop briefly during those few full minutes.
A diamond ring effect will appear on the other side of the moon as totality ends, followed by Baily’s beads, and then a partial eclipse as the temporary alignment of the sun, moon and Earth, known as a syzygy, comes to an end.
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When will the next eclipse happen?
When the total solar eclipse ends, it’s a bit of a wait for the next such celestial sight in the United States.
Those living in Alaska will get a glimpse of a total solar eclipse on March 30, 2033, and a partial solar eclipse will shine across most of the United States during that event.
A total solar eclipse won’t be visible from the contiguous US again until August 22, 2044, but totality will only occur over North Dakota and Montana, as well as northern Canada.
However, the next total solar eclipse with a coast-to-coast path that includes the Lower 48 states will occur on August 12, 2045. The path of totality will pass over California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi . , Alabama and Florida, with a partial eclipse visible across other states.
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