On Monday April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse was visible across parts of Mexico, the United States, and Canada. In the U.S., the path of totality began in Texas around 1:28pm CDT and ended in eastern Maine around 3:35pm EDT. This total shadow is called the umbra.

A partial shadow is called the penumbra and was seen over a much larger area and for over an hour before and after the umbra (see map for maximum fractions and timing of solar blockage). The penumbra entered Texas around 12:10pm CDT and exited Maine around 4:40pm EDT.

In Miami, the penumbra entered the area at 1:47pm EDT, reached a peak of 46% solar blockage at 3:01pm EDT, and exited the area at 4:13pm EDT.

From a weather satellite's view, the shadow is very obvious as it makes its way across North America, and this loop of images captures the eclipse from above! This satellite loop from GOES-West captures the beginning of the eclipse over the central Pacific Ocean and this satellite loop from GOES-East captures the end of the event over the north Atlantic Ocean.

From our vantage point on Earth, a total solar eclipse occurs when the moon just barely blocks the entire blinding disk of the sun... no more, and no less (during a total solar eclipse, viewers are treated to a brief spectacular naked-eye view of the sun's outer atmosphere, or corona). It is an amazing natural coincidence that the moon is just the right size and distance from Earth that its disk appears to be the same size as the sun's disk!