North America prepares for the biggest astronomical event of the year

This Monday, April 8th, the biggest astronomical event of the year will take place for North America when a total solar eclipse can be witnessed from different parts of the world Mexico, U.S and Canada.

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The eclipse, which has not occurred in that region since 2017, will bring together very special characteristics that generate great enthusiasm among both the scientific community and fans, which has made it a true social phenomenon.

Thousands of citizens traveling across the country, accommodation exhausted by the totality of the eclipse and even festivals to celebrate it are some of the examples of this authentic astronomical fever.

Observation of the phenomenon will begin at around 9:50 am in northern Mexico, and it will be possible to observe it 100% in the states of Sinaloa, Coahuila and Durango, the latter being the point where the phenomenon lasts the longest. The eclipse phenomenon will also be recorded, when 4 minutes and 27 seconds of total darkness were recorded, according to scientific estimates.

The Mexican president himself, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, announced that he will not miss the opportunity and will travel to Mazatlán, the city from where it is believed that the best appreciation of the phenomenon can be obtained.

Afterwards, the eclipse can be observed in almost all of the United States, but the path of total darkness will cross the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New York. Hampshire and Maine.

This sparked a massive mobilization of fans who will join the nearly 32 million citizens living in the path of the eclipse’s totality. In Texas, it is estimated that 720 thousand tourists will arrive for the event, Indiana expects to receive almost 580 thousand, Ohio is preparing for another 556 thousand, and this is repeated in the other states on the trail to a greater or lesser extent.

Not even the prisoners want to miss the event. The New York Department of Corrections announced that six inmates at the Woodbourne Correctional Center in Sullivan County will be able to view the solar eclipse after suing the institution in federal court for ordering the total closure of prisons during the event.

The six prisoners – a Baptist Christian, a Muslim, a Seventh-day Adventist, two Santeria practitioners and an atheist – claimed that this decision violated their religious freedom.

After passing through the United States, the eclipse can be seen from southeastern Canada and will have the Newfoundland region as the last observation point.

(Design: Raúl Rodríguez / El Comercio)

The fever caused by the eclipse among North Americans translated into massive commercial exchanges. Graphs from the AirDNA platform, dedicated to monitoring the rental market in the United States, show how accommodation located along the route of the entire phenomenon is sold out from Sunday, April 7th, to Tuesday, April 9th.

According to the AFP agency, the few rooms that remain available in the area, and whose price is usually around 150 dollars per night, now offer stays between 600 and 700 dollars for the day of the eclipse.

In Cleveland, where local officials expect 200,000 visitors, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame plans a “Solarfest” with four days of live music.

The eclipse can be seen between 10:42 am and 3:52 pm (Peruvian time) in North America. (EFE/ André Borges/)

The Perryman Group, a Texas-based research firm, estimates that the direct and indirect economic impact of this year’s eclipse could reach $6 billion.

In other places like Ohio, preparations have been underway since 2017, the last time such an astronomical event occurred. Despite the weather, however, the local Department of Transport warned that “significant delays and congestion” are expected.

Airlines also did not miss the opportunity and are offering special flights to fly under the eclipse, as announced by Delta. The first of two trips sold out within 24 hours, the company announced.

The event will also be a unique opportunity for scientists to carry out various experiments. NASA announced that it will study Earth’s upper atmosphere, animal behavior during the eclipse and even human psychology. The aerospace agency has also insisted on its request that citizens not be overcome by euphoria and that they remember safety measures, including prioritizing the use of special eclipse glasses that meet international standards.

Source: Elcomercio