The Eclipse Viewing Tool You Haven't Read About Yet
Learn about the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse with NASA's Eclipse Explorer
Happy Sunday, everyone!
Have you read about the total solar eclipse on April 8? My feeds have been filling up with articles about this exciting event. And according to my readership statistics, many of you are in states that fall in or close to the path of totality. Let me know in the comments if you plan to observe the eclipse!
Today, I’m introducing you to a fun tool that you will want to play around with before the upcoming eclipse: NASA’s Eclipse Explorer. Let’s dive in!
Where to Get Information On the Eclipse
Before I show you the aforementioned tool, let’s look at where to learn about what the eclipse is exactly, its path of travel, viewing safety (please read!), and more.
To answer these questions, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is our go-to. NASA created a webpage specifically dedicated to the 2024 total eclipse:
If you scroll down or click through the different categories, you’ll find lots of interesting information about the eclipse. On the homepage, there’s also a 3D visualization that you can explore:
There are downloadable maps available of both the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipse paths, which may be of particular interest to any classroom teachers reading this!
NASA’s Eclipse Explorer Tool
You may be wondering what your view of the eclipse will look like from wherever you’ll be on April 8. To figure this out, I recommend using the Eclipse Explorer.
To access the Eclipse Explorer, go to: https://eclipse-explorer.smce.nasa.gov/.
The map shows the path of totality (the black strip) across the United States for the 2024 eclipse. You can use the verticle bar to move along that path, or press play to see a simulated progression of the eclipse. I recommend using the 60x speed.
You can also use the sidebar to customize which elements show up on the map (in the screenshot, the red buttons are the views I currently have selected). I have the umbra selected (in non-technical terms, the yellow circle you see over Indianapolis).
Here’s what it would look like if I added the % coverage to this view:
You can also toggle on the paths of the 2017 total solar eclipse and the 2023 annual solar eclipse to compare:
When you input a specific city or zip code (it can be anywhere, not just in the path of totality), a pop-up will give you additional information about the view of the eclipse in that location according to the time set by the scroll bar.
As an example, here is the information shown for Indianapolis during the window of totality (approximately 3:08 pm EDT).
You can use the scroll bar again to move along the path of totality in either direction, and the pop-up will adjust accordingly. Here it is a little later, still for Indianapolis, but at 4:08 pm (EDT).
Let me know in the comments what you think about this tool! If you want to learn more about what a total solar eclipse is and the science behind it, I suggest starting with NASA’s Total Solar Eclipse FAQ page.
You may also want to check to see if your local library or school system is hosting an eclipse-viewing celebration. This will be a very exciting event to witness!
(This seems like an opportune time to issue a second reminder to read through this viewing safety overview - keep your eyes safe, please!)
Thanks for reading! I’ll be back with more for you on April 7th.
Audrey, The Civic Librarian
March Paid Newsletter Topic
In the March paid newsletter issue, we discussed how to use recalls.gov to figure out where to look for information on recalls for different categories of consumer products.
Looks like I have a lot of catching up to do on this topic. There's still time I guess. :)