Here's what you need to know about coming solar eclipse

Web Desk

March 15, 2024

This photo was taken during the total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017. — Nasa/Gopalswamy

An important and mesmerising event is approaching for skygazers next month as the moon will be blocking the sunlight plunging millions of people into the dark across North America.

This solar eclipse is said to be a large one as it will extend from Mexico’s Pacific Coast touching 15 states from Texas and stretching all the way to the Canadian Newfoundland.

The event occurs when a new moon blocks the sunlight coming from the center of Earth and the Sun. As a result, the shadow of the moon falls on our planet.

A woman looks at the Sun through binoculars that have been fitted with solar filters. — Nasa/Ryan Milligan

This is a rare event and takes place every one to three years. This time it is on April 8, 2024.

What happens in solar eclipse?

Typically, solar eclipses are only visible from the poles of the earth or from the middle of the ocean.

One of this kind occurred in 2017 when large swathes of areas suffered darkness amid a solar eclipse — covering 62 to 71 miles of area.

A woman and people surrounding her look toward the solar eclipse with specific glasses to safely view the Sun during the partial eclipse. — Nasa/Mamta Patel Nagaraja

“Amazing things happen too,” NBC10 First Alert Weather meteorologist Justin Godynick said, adding that “animals that are normally coming out at night begin to come out during the eclipse. Crickets will start to chirp and it gets colder because the sun is blocking.”