Why Solar Eclipses Are Such a Big Deal

↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓

On April 8, 2024, the Moon’s shadow fell upon the Earth, creating a total solar eclipse across North America. If you had the chance to see it, you're surely glad you didn't miss it. It’s an amazing coincidence that total eclipses happen at all — and that we’re alive at a time when we can see and predict them. We made this video so you can learn how to watch an eclipse safely, what to look for during an eclipse, why eclipses happen, and how eclipses have helped advance scientific research.


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[LAK_]

If you have ANY chance to see it, take it. Strong words just cannot capture what it’s like to actually witness the sun being blotted out. It’s both the most gorgeous and most uncanny and primally fearsome thing you’ve ever seen. Just completely awesome in the classic sense.

[mgooding]

My partner and I planned to drive a couple hours north to be in the path of totality. He passed away super suddenly in December. I’m taking some of his ashes with me when I go up next month. Jeez. This video made me cry way more than it had any right to

[justinschooner]

This eclipse is happening on my birthday and I am almost in the dead center of the path of totality, which makes this eclipse so special to me. I have never seen one, and I cannot wait!

[danmartin]

Many years ago I watched an eclipse down Ft. Worth Texas. I had a welders helmet to look through so I got to see it all first hand. It was breath taking. I am now 75 yrs. old so I doubt I will get the chance to see another one live, but I'll keep watching them on the internet.

[annarichter]

In 1999 I had a total solar eclipse on my birthday. My parents took me all the way from Germany to Hungary. When I woke up in the morning it was raining and I was really sad. Just in time for the show the rain stopped and the cloud curtain opened. Best birthday ever 😎

[richiel]

April 8th is the second year anniversary of losing my sister to depression. She always loved astronomy and having this happen on the same day gives me strange feelings. Love you Gabi.

[Griffin-the-chicken]

Who is watching on April 8? Edit: mom I’m famous

[unknown_limes]

Day of, I happen to live along the path of totality. Just got back inside from viewing. Wow. I understand why that sight is everything to some people. It's completely unreal. Not just the main event itself, that 360 sunset effect all around, and contrasted by street lights coming on... It was like being temporarily being enveloped into a long-lost childhood memory. For one strange, perfect, and wholly simple moment, life was all about this pure wonder shared between a hundred strangers on a lawn.

[MiguelScapin]

I saw it on November 3rd, 1994. 100% coverage where I lived back in that day. The experience of the day turning into night was something unforgettable, even though I was just 6 years old. I was afraid of getting blind because the news on TV said "don't look directly at the sun, ", so I paid attention at my surroundings instead of looking at the sky. Everything getting darker, the animals slowly moving home. When the Moon shaded the Sun I looked at it, after my parents holding me and saying it was ok. It was almost 11 a.m. and the day was night. A few moments later everything was getting brighter until it got back to a normal sunny summer day. I hope I can see it one more time.

[keztaylor]

I remember many years ago when there was a partial eclipse in the UK. I was working in a supermarket which had a big window at the front. We all stopped working, customers stopped shopping and we gathered by the window and watched. I had never heard such silence in that place. It was beautiful.

[MiketheratguyMultimedia]

I had the gift of watching this total solar eclipse under clear skies and directly in the path of totality in Flora, IL. I watched it in the backyard with my dad. At 45 years of age I never had this experience before, and I'll never have it again. I will never forget this day.

[MuchMoreMatt]

I'm lucky to live in the path of totality, but near the edge with only 1 minute of totality. I'm traveling to see relatives who are closer to the center and will have about 3.5 minutes of totality. Scheduled the day off from work months ago just to experience this event with my family.

[apathyguy]

1. GET YOUR GLASSES NOW!!!!
They will be gone from stores and online for weeks before hand. It was impossible to even find a $400 welding mask a week before the last one. So I guess if you own a hardware store you better stock up on them.
2. If you have to travel just get a room. Traffic on the way home will be the worst you've ever seen. I drove 2 and a half hours in 2017 and it took 15 hours to get home.
3. The internet is going to go down because everyone will be using the same towers. DOWNLOAD YOUR MAPS AHEAD OF TIME!! No one sells the paper kind anymore. Also let your family know you'll probably be out of communication for a bit.
4. Don't worry about the location as long as you're in the path just pull off the road anywhere you want. I just hit a rest area gas station and found a patch of grass with my dog. No one's going to complain the entire world stops and looks up. Even store clerks and line Cooks will walk outside and leave everything behind . There won't be a single car on the road unless they're pulled off to the side and nobody will be moving. It's like nothing you've encountered before.

[unicorn]

I saw the 2017 eclipse in South Carolina. I was in the path of totality. It was totally worth traveling for. I’d also recommend not trying to take photos. Totality only lasts a couple of minutes, and you don’t want to waste that time fiddling with camera settings. Leave the astrophotography to the professionals and just enjoy the experience.

[MelindaGreen]

Most amazing of all is to view the aurora with binoculars during totality. The dynamic range is enormous and can't be reproduced on a screen or print. It's all pure black in the center, pure grayscale in the aurora, and those thin violet prominences at the edge. Hands down one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

[jar_jar_binks]

This solar eclipse is way more important than he says because “Water. Earth. Fire. Air. My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years have passed and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the War. Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Fire Nation, leaving me and my brother to look after our tribe. Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads, and that the cycle is broken. But I haven't lost hope. I still believe that somehow, the Avatar will return to save the world."

[lt]

You know what this means, right? The Fire benders will be stripped of their ability! It's time to defeat the Fire Nation.

[Daedhart]

Something Id highly recommend that none of these eclipse videos seem to bring up: DOWNLOAD AN OFFLINE MAP!!! (or...bring a paper one if youre weird). During the last eclipse, there were so many people where I was that the internet was virtually unusable. Made figuring out how to get home a huge pain.

[blommfleuriste]

Thank you for all of the great info!

It was a privilege to be able to watch this once-in-a-lifetime event right in our backyard with our kids. We got a full 3+ minutes of totality here in Cowansville, Quebec and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky.

It was as if the time had stopped for a few minutes, everything was dark, chilly, peaceful and beautiful!

[artsytyler]

I watched this video a few days before the April 8 eclipse, and am rewatching it now, and I was truthfully brought to tears watching the footage. I'm feeling very thankful to have witnessed such a marvelous event, and to have understood what was happening before my eyes. Thank you, Joe, for making groundbreaking information accessible!