Sean Dolan
This past Monday, a rare total solar eclipse occurred over the Central part of the US and other parts of North America.
Monday’s eclipse (WIRED)
The history of the solar eclipse in general is intriguing, appearing in many elements of pop culture, from the opening scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey to many songs, including Bonnie Tyler’s smash hit Total Eclipse of the Heart.
Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart album (Wikipedia)
A significant increase in the number of fake eclipse glasses concerned people about potentially blinding a large population of people watching the eclipse, causing people to be more wary about shopping online for such items.
A man watches the eclipse with his eclipse glasses (USA Today)
The solar eclipse considerably impacted the social landscape of the US, with New York declaring a state of emergency due to the sheer number of tourists flocking to Niagara Falls to witness the cosmic event. The amount of rental cars and AirBnBs purchased surged significantly during the event.
A group of people watching the eclipse (NPR)
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security were on the lookout; they issued a warning for possible terrorist attacks after that deadly shooting at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow by ISIS militants. They reasoned that any such attack would target large gatherings, making any large eclipse watch party a target. Fortunately, no such incident occurred during the eclipse.
The line in which the eclipse traveled (AccuWeather)
In the end, 99% of all Americans witnessed at least a partial eclipse, with folks in the Bay Area witnessing about 35% totality at precisely 11:13 AM Monday morning.
A scientific diagram of a solar eclipse (Time and Date)
The next total solar eclipse above the US will not occur again for another twenty years. Almost 27 years after the eclipse in 2017, overshooting the exact spot by two days, another total eclipse will occur on August 23, 2044. The path of totality of the 2044 eclipse will cross over Northern California above the Redding area, so it won’t be as far of a journey for Bay Area residents.
The sun peeking out from behind the moon during the eclipse (Vermont Public)
Image Sources:
header image used under the Unsplash License
https://www.wired.com/story/total-solar-eclipse-2024-watch-online/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Eclipse_of_the_Heart
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/03/13/eclipse-glasses-scams-april-8/72683260007/
https://www.npr.org/sections/solar-eclipse/2024/03/13/1237563958/solar-eclipse-glasses-2024
https://www.accuweather.com/en/solar-eclipse-2024/2024-total-solar-eclipse-in-us-canada/1167521
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/total-solar-eclipse.html
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