Relive the exact moment of the total solar eclipse in Mexico, the United States and Canada | VIDEO

The west coast of Mexico was in the dark this Monday for a Total solar eclipsephenomenon expected by millions of people and whose trajectory also crosses U.S It is Canada. The Moon’s shadow plunged the Pacific coast of Mexico into total darkness at 11:07 local time (18:07 GMT) and crossed the United States, before returning to the ocean over the Atlantic coast of Canada in just under an hour and a half. later, touching land.

Along the “path of totality” of eclipsewherein Moon will completely hide the Sun for a few minutes – weather permitting – festivals, parties and even mass weddings are planned. Clouds are expected in Texas and the northeastern states of U.S.

WATCH: Total solar eclipse 2024 LIVE: images, news from the United States, Mexico and Canada

In Mexico Citypeople gathered around the emblematic Angel of Independence and on the main campus of the National Autonomous University (UNAM).

Johan Alvarado, 45, and her husband Paul Beltrán, 44, took their daughter Valentina to admire the phenomenon. “You’ll know! That’s why we’re here, for the excitement of life and because it’s the baby’s first experience.”Alvarado said.

“These are opportunities from the Earth and nature that we must take advantage of”said Mariana Juárez, a 29-year-old visual artist.

The Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, present in the city of Mazatlán, He exclaimed an “Ah!” when the Sun became a crown of fire around the Moon.

LOOK: What is a total solar eclipse like the one that will be seen in Mexico, the USA and Canada and what other types of eclipses exist

“A total solar eclipse is one of the most moving events anyone can experience,” said astrophysicist Jane Rigby, lead scientist for NASA’s Webb project. “Feel your sensations. “You are part of the universe,” she added.

O trajectory this year – which has already touched the first states of U.Samong these Texas and Maine-– is 185 kilometers wide and includes a region where nearly 32 million Americans live. Another 150 million live within a 320 km radius of the strip and those further away will be able to enjoy a eclipse partial or follow an Internet broadcast provided by NASA.

The next eclipse The full solar energy that will be visible across much of North America won’t arrive until 2044.

Safety first

A total eclipse occurs when the Moon is located exactly between the Earth and the Sun, temporarily blocking its light in broad daylight.

The Sun is about 400 times larger than the Moon, but it is 400 times further away, so they both appear similar in size.

Several regions declared “state of emergency” to better cope with the influx of visitors.

Authorities have been developing safety instructions for weeks, namely the need to wear special glasses to look at the Sun and avoid eye damage.

The former president donald trump, that in the last eclipse total in the United States in 2017 faced the eclipse Unprotected, he took advantage of this year’s fever to launch a campaign advertisement, in which a huge silhouette of his head blocks the sunlight and announces his return as “the most important moment in the history of humanity”.

“You will hear screams”

The enthusiasm is so much that channels like CNN are keeping a countdown.

Companies take advantage of the anticipation with special events, while hotels and rentals in prime viewing locations eclipse They have been full for months.

“We have people from all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii. There are tourists from Holland, Finland, Germany, Israel, New Zealand,” said Jennyth Peterson, events manager at Stonehenge II Park in Ingram, Texas, where there is a replica of the prehistoric structure from England.

“Even if it’s cloudy, it will be incredibly dark, especially with clouds,” said Jeff Snyder, a 68-year-old engineer who traveled from California with his wife and brought his own telescope. “Everyone is going to go crazy and there will be screaming.”

In Cleveland, where officials expect about 200,000 visitors, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has planned a four-day “Solarfest” with live music.

In Russellville, Arkansas, 300 couples will celebrate a mass wedding organized under the motto “A Total Eclipse of the Heart”, in reference to the famous song by Bonnie Tyler.

He eclipse It can also be admired from the air: some companies have planned flights along the path of darkness.

Astronauts on the International Space Station will see the Moon’s shadow sweep across the Earth’s surface.

Releases

The event is also of scientific interest. NASA planned to launch three small sounding rockets before, during and shortly after the eclipse of Virginia, in the eastern United States.

The objective: to measure the changes caused by darkness in the upper part of the Earth’s atmosphere, the ionosphere, through which most communication signals pass.

The solar corona, the outer layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, becomes especially visible during a eclipse. It will be observed carefully: this is where solar flares occur.

The next eclipse total visible in the United States (excluding Alaska) will occur in 2044. Before then, there will be a eclipse total in Spain, in 2026.

Source: Elcomercio

jack

I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.