You owe it to yourself to experience a total solar eclipse | David Baron

On April 8, 2024, the moon’s shadow raced from Mexico to Canada — and Texas to Maine across the United States — in what some consider to be the most awe-inspiring spectacle in all of nature: a total solar eclipse. Umbraphile David Baron chases these rare events across the globe, and in this ode to the bliss of seeing the solar corona, he explains why you owe it to yourself to witness one, too.

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[Flixxel]

This video changed my life. I flew from Brazil to Texas to watch the eclipse of April 2024. Got there a few days before but the forecast was for cloudy skies. I then flew to Montreal to escape the clouds covering the southern part of the path. I regret nothing. It was single handedly the most impactful experience of my life

[jag]

I don't know if someone is gonna read this but wow, I was not expecting getting that emotional during the 2024 eclipse . I've seen the pictures and videos before and I always found those are very beautiful of course. But nothing can describe the feeling while it is happening in front of you but I'll try.

You first look at the sun with light blocking glasses and you first see the moon blocking the sun. I said to myself... ok... this is really happening a bit in denial. And then you see it blocking slowly but surely. The temperature is starting to cool down even if the light is very bright. It made me realize how we are so dependent on the sun's energy for all life on earth. It made me appreciate how sun=life. The shadows have weird shapes. You look at the landscape and you know something is odd.

And then... totality his happening, the crowd is screaming in awe, we just can't contain ourselves, it is literally impossible to contain. You feel the hype, it is stronger than what you expected. It is sunset colors 360 all around you and you see what seems like a black hole in the sky. Truly the weirdest and most beautiful thing I ever saw. You can see the sun atmosphere surrounding the moon, it feels violent, chaotic and you can't believe you can see sun storms with your naked eye. It is frightening and amazing at the same time. You can see planets and star which feels like a glitch in the matrix in day time.

I felt like everybody wanted to share the joy with others. It removes the day to day problems. At that moment, hundreds of people are just cheering up what the universe can show us. It is a first timer for 99% of us so we are like a child discovering the world again looking confused and excited at the same time.

So it is all there, right in front of you, the sun, the moon, the planets, the stars, the animals reacting to us and the light, the insects and bird chants changing, all people around you, many from around the world to see this, different languages, different families, different loves. But all our differences doesn't matter for those 4 minutes we all share one love to us and the universe.

I felt connected to what our ancestors felt and I was grateful for them. I felt connected to the immensity of the universe and all its beauty. I just want to experience this again.

[TomKaren]

I took my family to see the 2017 event. My then 10-year old granddaughter started crying during totality. I asked her if she was ok, and she replied, "It's just so... beautiful."

[chancepark]

I’m Korean, but I’m in Houlton, Maine and waiting total eclipse today because of this guy.

[JillLFurPawsSake]

It's been 5 days since the 4.8.2024 eclipse. Drove 30 min north of where I live in Dallas to pick up my 80 yr old mother, brought her back to my house, and sat outside watching the cloudy skies as we cursed them to move away. Only just a second or two before totality did they move out of the way so we could witness the awesomeness of the solar eclipse. I couldn't help but get emotional and cried. It was an especially moving moment that I just laid on the ground while recording everything on my phone. It's a day I will never forget and still get teary eyed whenever I think about it or look back at the many pics and videos I took. I'm just grateful I got to see this with my mother. It was a humbling experience.

[Taanstafl]

I drove 25 hours in a car by myself because of this guy. Absolutely worth it / 10

[jimbeaux]

I just experienced my very first total solar eclipse here in Ohio right from my front yard.

It truly was such an incredible experience and I will remember it for the rest of my life

April 8 2024 3:08 PM

[Ac-pvrX-QWk]

Well worth it. Do it.

I drove 18 hours in an cramped, absolute beater of a car. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

[TheNoNonsenseNinja]

I was in a daze for nearly 2 weeks after seeing it. So profound and moving, that I still get tears in my eyes thinking of it. All of what he said is spot on, especially in terms of time stopping and feeling a universal connection. I've seen hundreds of beautiful sunrises and sunsets and nothing compares.

[LN_]

On April 8, 2024, it had been almost 7 years since I had been patiently waiting to be able to experience totality (since seeing a partial eclipse on August 21, 2017). It was just as magical as I had hoped. Seeing the corona up there in the sky with your very own eyes truly is a moment of pure awe and no picture or video of it does it justice. Totally agree that everyone should try to experience totality at least once in their lives if they can. Unforgettable experience.

[CrazySwde]

Wish more people I know could have seen this before the eclipse. Was lucky enough to be living in the path of totality this time, and every word he says here is true, it's an absolutely unbelievable experience. I can't believe that the common conception of it is still just basically a ring of light around a black circle, most people I know just assumed you had to look at it through glasses. He's completely right though that no pictures or videos really do it justice, it seemed like something you would have to make out of CGI or something to really accurately capture, just completely surreal and awesome in the purest sense of the word.

[xaryuo]

april 9 2024 here. the total eclipse of yesterday was magnificient. I'm glad I drove to get more totality. 2h drive for 1:30 more of totality time. It was wonderfull.

[salkhan]

I watched this video a week before the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse, decided a day before the eclipse to fly from Upstate New York to Kentucky and experienced the total solar eclipse from Hopkinsville, KY, can't ever forget that experience, and always wanted to see it again, this time (April 8 2024) it was much closer to the place where I live, took my family for couple of hours drive to Plattsburgh, NY to see the Solar eclipse, for some reason I enjoyed this one a lot more than the last time, maybe because now I was more informed and noticed things which I might have missed last time, I have already started plan to go to Egypt in August of 2027 to watch the solar eclipse there.

[OliChristenDrew]

I was lucky enough to see total eclipses so far. To all that are close enough, I say: Skip school or ditch work and go on that road trip! Nothing, NOTHING should hold you back from witnessing this.

[wtlester]

What an amazing experience with my family this past Monday April 8 2024 in northern, VT. So grateful. Who cares about the traffic afterwards?!? I would do it again in a second. I *hope* to do it again soon. Life if short.

[MRresievil]

I don't regret watching the 2024 totality in PA.

Best decision I ever made.

The weather almost made it impossible, then it cleared the last minute just as totality hit.

It's as if it was a sign from the heavens...like we were MEANT to see it.

[jjcs]

This video convinced me years ago to chase today´s total solar eclipse to experience and see the totality with my own eyes. The experience is indescribable and beautiful. If you are reading this you need to see one before you die.

[jamesworzalla]

Driving 8 hours to take my family the April 8th, 2024 total eclipse.
It is one of the most important trips in my life. Its important to share this rare moment with my daughter.

[JacobTyo]

This man perfectly expressed what I experienced in Oregon on the 21st... I don't feel the same after witnessing such an event.

[DonDuracell]

I'm German and on August 11th 1999 I was 19 years old when I went with my girlfriend in a park near the town of Speyer to experience this once in a lifetime event. What I remember the most is that at the moment total eclipse was the silence of nature because suddenly all the birds stop singing.