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Our live coverage of the eclipse has moved here.
Get ready for the eclipse across America: Here's what to expect tomorrow
From CNN's Ashley Strickland
When thetotal solar eclipsetraces a pathacross Mexico, the United States and Canadalater today, spectators can anticipate a multitude of awe-inspiring moments.
It’s worth taking some time to stop and take in this historic celestial event because a total solar eclipse won’t be visible across the contiguous US again until August 2044 and an annular eclipse — which happens when the moon can’t completely block the sun— won’t appear across this part of the world again until 2046.
Here's what else you should watch for:
- Partial eclipse: The moon doesn’t suddenly appear between Earth and the sun — the event begins with a partial eclipse, in which the moon appears to take a “bite” out of the sun. Depending on your location, the partial eclipse can last between 70 and 80 minutes, according toNASA. For those living outside of the path of totality, a crescent-shaped partial eclipse, rather than a total eclipse, will be the main event.
- Changes in the sky near totality: Within the path, the partial eclipse is the longest phase, but as the time for totality nears, look for changes in the sky’s appearance. "About 15 to 20 minutes before totality, the sky starts getting this really weird gloomy color," said Dr. John Mulchaey, Carnegie Institution for Science’s deputy for science and the director and Crawford H. Greenewalt Chair of the Carnegie Observatories. “It’s almost like a gray because the sun’s way high in the sky, but it’s almost entirely blocked out." The eerily darkening sky is a cue for skywatchers that the stellar show is about to begin. Just make sure you have eclipse glasses handy to safely view the sun before the event gets underway.
- Glowing rays around moon: Two breathtaking phases occur within the final moments before totality, Mulchaey said. When the moon begins to cross in front of the sun, the star’s rays will shine around valleys on the moon’s horizon, creating glowing drops of light around the moon called Baily’s beads. And as totality nears, Baily’s beads will quickly disappear and make way for the “diamond ring,” a nickname for how it looks when a single point of light remains — like a glistening giant diamond ring. Both of these phases last less than a minute, Mulchaey said.
Here's where tomorrow's eclipse will be most visible across the US:
Don't miss tomorrow's total eclipse: It'll be 2 decades before the contiguous United States gets another
If you miss Monday's eclipse, you'll be waiting for a while for your next chance to see one on US soil. The nexttotal solar eclipsewon’t be visible across the contiguous United States again until August 2044.
Parts of Europe, including areas of Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and a small area of Portugal, will see the world's next total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, according to NASA.
And there will be annular solar eclipses — which are like total solar eclipses, except the moon is at the farthest point in its orbit from Earth, so it can’t completely block the sun — even sooner.
An annular solar eclipse will be visible in South America later this year on October 2. There will be another one in February 2026 for parts of Antarctica.
NASA wants you to help collect data during the solar eclipse
From CNN's Taylor Nicioli
NASA’sEclipse Soundscapes Project will collect observations from the public on animal behaviors as well as human reactions to the eclipse through written multisensory reports — such as what the observer saw, heard or felt — and audio recordings of the environment during the solar event.
Total solar eclipses are infrequent events that provide scientists with rare opportunities to collect data on behavioral responses to the phenomenon, said Kelsey Perrett, communications coordinator for the Eclipse Soundscapes Project.
Nearly, 2,500 people have already signed up for the NASA project, she added. “When it comes to data, it’s the more the merrier. The more people who participate, the better we can answerour questions about how solar eclipses impact life on Earth.”
Who can participate: The NASA project is open to all volunteer participants, including those who are blind or have low vision, according to thenews release.What’s more, it’s not necessary to have an animal within eyesight to take good observations, as listening is also an important sense to use during the eclipse,said Dr. BryanPijanowski, professor of forestry and natural resources and the director for theCenter for Global Soundscapesat Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana
Severe storm threat increasing for parts of Texas in the path of the solar eclipse totality, forecasters say
From CNN Meteorologists Caitlin Kaiser & Elisa Raffa
There is now a Level 3 of 5 risk for severe weather on Monday just outside of Dallas, Texas, where thousands of people will be gathered for the solar eclipse.
The severe weather is expected to move into the region after the eclipse reaches totality in the area, but could be hazardous to those traveling through.
"There may only be a short window (1-2 hrs) between the eclipse and strong to severe storms," according to the National Weather Service in Dallas.
The main threat associated with this system is large to very large hail, with the possibility of damaging winds and isolated tornadoes, the Storm Prediction Center said.
See CNN's full breakdown of eclipse weather news for the latest.
Track the path: Here's a look at where tomorrow's eclipse will be most visible across the US
NASA advises that there is always some uncertainty involved in mapping the eclipse's path.
New map calculations have raised some concerns that the path of totality — where it’s possible to see the moon completely block out the sun — is slightly narrower than NASA calculated. That means some cities on the edge of the route that were expecting to experience a second or two of total darkness might be left out.
But NASA spokesperson Karen Fox notes the difference would only affect cities on the very edge of the path, where predictions are difficult regardless. That's why the space agency and other experts always recommend spectators head for the middle of the path.
Bill Nye shares his advice for the total eclipse tomorrow: "Be in the moment"
From CNN's Jackie Wattles
Everyone's favorite science educator Bill Nye sat down to chat with CNN about tomorrow's total eclipse, sharing some words of encouragement for people who may be watching in cloudy conditions, and challenging people — especially young eclipse viewers — to "be in the moment" on Monday.
Watch the interview below:
A certain kind of cloud will disappear during the eclipse
From CNN's Ayurella Horn-Muller
It’s midday, and the sun is high in the sky, a natural cyan canvas peppered with puffy, cauliflower-shaped clouds. With little warning, the clouds cluttering the horizon start to vanish before your eyes. Not long after, the world begins to darken, as the sun disappears from view.
For the entirety of the eclipse, the clouds will stay away.
That’s at least what scientists expect to take place in swaths of Mexico, Canada and the United States duringApril 8’s total solar eclipse. If weather permits, those living in the 49 US states where apartial eclipseis expected could also spot some clouds vanishing.
Here's why that is: During an eclipse, shallow cumulus clouds start dissipating in large proportions when only a fraction of the sun is covered, and they don’t reform until the end of the event, according to astudypublished February 12 in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment. The research team found that cumulus clouds dissipate during eclipses because of the relationship between solar radiation and the formation processes of the clouds.
During an eclipse, the surface cools rapidly from the moon’s shadow blocking the sunlight, preventing warm air from rising from Earth’s surface — a core ingredient in the formation of cumulus clouds, according to Victor Trees, a doctoral candidate in the Netherlands who led the study. That rising air process leading to theproduction of cloudsusually takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes, according to simulations.
But this doesn’t mean your vantage point of the forthcomingeclipseis guaranteed to be cloud-free as the research doesn’t apply to all clouds — only the shallow cumulus kind found hovering over land.
What to do if you don't have certified solar viewers and eclipse glasses
From CNN's Ashley Strickland
If you don’t have certified glasses or viewers on hand for tomorrow's big eclipse, you can still view it indirectly by using apinhole projector, such as a hole punched through an index card.
These work when you stand with your back to the sun and hold up the card. The pinhole projects an image of the crescent or ring-shaped sun on the ground or other surfaces.
Just remember: Never face the sun and look directly at it through the pinhole.
Other pinhole projectors you may already have on hand, include colanders, straw hats or anything with small holes in it. Or you can simply hold up your hands, space out your fingers and cross them over each other to create a waffle pattern. The small space between will reflect the sun’s crescent during a partial eclipse or a ring during the annular eclipse.
Standing by a leafy tree? The small spaces between leaves will dapple patterns of the eclipse phase on the ground.
