When the final eclipse occurred in 2017, my brother headed to the road of totality, the place you’ll be able to see the moon completely eclipse the solar. He got here away with wonderful tales to inform.  

I caught round within the Bay Space however nonetheless received to expertise a number of the surprise with crescent shadows of non-totality within the streets. That eclipse left me in awe that there could possibly be a better expertise.  

The subsequent eclipse will occur on April 8, 2024, and the road of totality stretches from Mexico via the Midwest and into New York and Canada. Fortunately for me, the pathway catches the southeast nook of Oklahoma, the place my brother-in-law has a cabin. (It’s particularly fortunate as AirDNA information reveals that over half of U.S. cities on the eclipse’s path are totally booked the night time of April 7.)

So, for a number of years, we’ve been planning this trek out—and this time, I’m prepared.  

I’m sharing every thing I’ve discovered about eclipses for this month’s Domo on Knowledge weblog. For me, being ready means not solely packing the proper bodily issues—like my DSLR digital camera and eclipse glasses—but in addition understanding the context and information round eclipses. 

Whether or not you’re chasing totality like my crew and me or taking within the surprise at house, we hope you take pleasure in our eclipse dashboard! 

The Complete Eclipse Prep Dashboard 

Common Complete Eclipses per Century 

On common, 62.9 whole eclipses occur per century. One thing that’s not in our information is a metric that reveals if the eclipse is in a populated area—one thing that makes the April 8 eclipse stand out much more. This upcoming eclipse is uncommon as a result of it’s in a comparatively populated space of the world.  

Eclipse Kind Frequency 

In our dashboard, you’ll see the information exhibiting that whole eclipses, when the moon totally blocks the solar, are uncommon in comparison with partial or annular eclipses. Word that this information set covers 5 millenniums—thanks, NASA! 

For context, a partial eclipse is when the moon covers solely a part of the solar, and an annular eclipse occurs when the moon covers the solar however is simply too far-off to dam all the sunshine.  

The rarest kind is a hybrid eclipse, when the eclipse shifts between annular and whole because the moon’s shadow strikes throughout the earth.  

Environmental Results 

AccuWeather shared 5 issues that can change in our environment when the eclipse happens. They’ll be most pronounced for individuals in locations the place the entire eclipse is seen.  

In our dashboard, we’ve captured a number of of those results, together with: 

• 360-degree dawn and sundown: You’ll see the colours of dawn and sundown in each route. 
• Stars within the night time sky: Because the moon will block the solar, you’ll be capable to see the celebrities—all the time there, however often hidden by the solar’s gentle. 
• Solar corona: Because the moon covers the solar, you will note the solar corona, the recent fuel that surrounds the solar, popping out from behind the moon.  
• Seen comets: You would possibly see a comet passing the earth across the eclipse time. 
• Shadow bands: These are skinny, wavy traces of alternating gentle and darkish that ripple alongside plain surfaces (e.g., pavement) instantly earlier than and after the eclipse. 
• Animal habits adjustments: The sudden darkness confuses animals, they usually could leap into their common night routines: heading house to sleep, crickets chirping. 

When you’re exterior throughout the eclipse, it’s possible you’ll really feel the temperature change, the wind decide up, or your notion of colours change (known as the Purkinje impact.)  

If you wish to study extra about photo voltaic eclipses… 

When you’re like me and wish to learn up on the photo voltaic eclipse earlier than it occurs, these are just a few of my favourite assets: 

Keep in mind it’s best to not look immediately on the eclipse till full totality. And one final disclaimer: Whereas I’ll have my digital camera prepared, you would possibly contemplate placing your gadgets apart to expertise the second. Really, it’s one among few in our lifetimes. Get pleasure from!