Mark those calendars, stargazers! On April 8, 2024, several states in the Continental United States will be treated to a rare astronomical event: a total solar eclipse. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, darkening the sky and causing it to resemble dusk or dawn. It’s a special, cosmic event that last took place in 2017 and is not set to happen again for another 20 years. To celebrate this historic occurrence, Atlas Obscura is hosting Ecliptic, an outdoor festival in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, from April 5–8, full of live music, fun events, art, and, of course, eclipse viewing. B&H is joining the fun, holding stargazing events on Sunday, April 7 and Monday, April 8.
To celebrate the previous total solar eclipse that passed through North America, B&H first worked with Atlas Obscura in 2017 to cover the action. That partnership allowed festival attendees to sign up for photography workshops and use high-powered telescopes to observe the eclipse as it transformed the sky. This year, B&H is proud to offer similar educational sessions at Ecliptic, providing information on capturing the eclipse, as well as equipment such as telescopes, trackers, cameras, and lenses.
Starting in the South Pacific Ocean, the eclipse’s path of the totality will travel through Mexico before entering the US, crossing over Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. If you’ll be unable to make it to Ecliptic but are one of the lucky millions of people living along the path of totality, B&H has created a dedicated Solar Eclipse Observing site to help you enjoy the event from home. From information on safe solar viewing to buying guides for all the equipment you’ll need for the ideal observation setup, and much more, check out the site for all your total solar eclipse needs. Be sure to give this week’s episode of the B&H podcast, “Ecliptic Visions,” a listen as well. Ecliptic Festival speaker and science writer Rebecca Boyle and B&H Road Marketing team member Gabriel Biderman join to discuss the festival and all things solar eclipse.
Using observations from different NASA missions, this map shows where the Moon’s shadow will cross the U.S. during the 2023 annular solar eclipse and 2024 total solar eclipse. The map was developed by NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio (SVS) in collaboration with the NASA Heliophysics Activation Team (NASA HEAT), part of NASA’s Science Activation portfolio.
NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio/Michala Garrison; eclipse calculations by Ernie Wright, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
What are your plans for the total solar eclipse? Let us know in the Comments section, below.
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