NASA Reveals Map of Solar Eclipses To Watch Out For; Here's When and Where You Can Spot Them

For those who are looking forward to witnessing the solar eclipses of 2023 and 2024, NASA has revealed a map that could help in deciding where watchers can station themselves.

Map of Solar Eclipses

SciTechDaily reports that this map is based on several previous NASA missions. It maps out the moon's shadow as it passes through the contiguous US during the annular solar eclipse expected to take place on October 14, 2023, and the total solar eclipse assumed to happen on April 8, 2024.

As per NASA, the dark paths on the continent show the ideal spots for observers in order for them to see the ring of fire. The map also reveals how much and where the moon will partially eclipse the sun. On both occasions, all 48 contiguous states will go through a partial solar eclipse, at least.

On this new map of solar eclipses, the paths for the total and annular eclipse appear as dark bands spreading over the US.

Phys notes that anyone in the path of the annular eclipse, which is from Oregon to Texas, may see the annular eclipse during clear skies. Moreover, anyone in the path of the total eclipse, which is from Texas to Maine, may see the total eclipse in good weather as well.

Within the dark paths are oval shapes that have times written inside of them. They reveal the moon's shadow shape that is cast on earth at specific times. People located within the oval areas may see the annular or total eclipse during the specific time period.

For areas closer to the path's center, the total or annular eclipse may last longer compared to those close to the path's edges. Within each path are white lines that show the duration of the totality or annularity.

Watchers who are not in the path locations will not get to experience an annular or total solar eclipse. However, they may still catch a glimpse of a partial eclipse.

However, none of these eclipses will be contained within the contiguous states. In the lower right portion of the map, a globe reveals the full paths of these eclipses. The annular eclipse will reach South America, Central America, and Mexico, while the total eclipse will cross over northeastern Canada and Mexico.

Shaded bands also demonstrate where observers can see a partial eclipse. For instance, southeastern Alaska may experience a partial eclipse in October 2023, while Hawaii may see a partial eclipse by April 2024.

Behind the Map's Construction

Michala Garrison, who is an SVS (Scientific Visualization Studio) member at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, used her cartography and geography background to design the map. Garrison incorporated various data from different NASA resources.

Elevation information came from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, while the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter supplied maps of the moon's shape. The sun, moon, and earth's positions were found through data and software from the Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility of NASA. Garrison's colleague from SVS, Ernie Wright, utilized the data to calculate the moon shadow's shape and location.

Other than this, land color was provided by NASA's Blue Marble. Garrison also added nighttime earth imagery from the Black Marble, which reveals city lights on the planet's night side, which was imaged by the Suomi NPP craft.

One of the goals of the map was to encourage individuals to go to the total and annular eclipse paths, which is something that Garrison was not able to do during the last eclipse.

To make the map practical and aesthetic, Garrison revised the map continuously. She notes how it required a lot of trial and error, and she wanted the map to be helpful but not overwhelming.

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