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Millions of people from Mexico to Maine will experience a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Reuters crews will be in two locations in Mexico and six locations in the United States along the path of totality. Here's everything you need to know about the rare celestial event. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, completely blocking the face of the sun along a small path of our planet's surface. This is called the “path of totality.“ NASA's research astrophysicist Nicholeen Viall: “Some people who are in the path of totality will get to see a total solar eclipse, and that's where the moon totally blocks out the main body of the sun. Those people will get to see the corona or the atmosphere of the sun peeking out from around the moon.” According to NASA, the April 8 eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean and will cross North America, passing over Mexico, United States, and Canada. NASA estimates 31.6 million people live in the path of totality this year. “So everybody in the contiguous United States will get to see at least a partial eclipse where the moon partially blocks out the sun. There's a path of totality, though, that starts in Texas and it goes up north and comes out through Maine. And the people in the path of totality will get to see the main body of the sun totally blocked out. In October 2023, people in parts of North and South America witnessed an annular solar eclipse which is a slightly different event. The moon passes between the sun and Earth when it's at or near its farthest point from our planet. It does not completely cover the face of the sun, leaving what looks like a “ring of fire“ in the sky. Then there is the lunar eclipse, when Earth sits between the moon and the sun and our planet's shadow is cast upon the moon's surface. The next total solar eclipse will occur in 2026. The Sun delivers breaking news, latest gossip and incredible exclusives around the world with hubs in London, New York, Scotland and Ireland. Covering topics from news, money and sport along with our famous Fabulous Magazine, The Sun is the biggest news brand in the UK and one of the fastest growing news sites in the US. Stay tuned for video clips across the biggest news stories and segments from The Sun’s expert journalists. Become a Sun Subscriber and hit the bell to be the first to know. Read The Sun: Like The Sun on Facebook: Follow The Sun on X: Follow The Sun on TikTok: @thesun Subscribe to The Sun on Snapchat: #thesun #solareclipse
