Let us help you as you prepare to witness the awe-inspiring celestial event of the year! Keep reading for our quick tips guide for experiencing the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024!
Welcome to our quick guide to enjoying the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024! As the anticipation builds for this extraordinary astronomical event, it’s time to prepare for an unforgettable experience. To maximize your enjoyment and understanding, we’ve compiled a list of essential tips and tricks. What should you wear to witness the Purkinje effect? Which planets will grace the sky during this spectacle? What should you bring to see the unique shadow effects?We’ve got you covered. Keep these tips in mind to embrace the wonder of the total solar eclipse!
1. WHEN & WHERE is the Eclipse Happening?
The 2024 Eclipse is taking place on April 8, 2024 starting around 12 PM CST. Totality starts earliest at 1:40 PM CST in Dallas, Texas and at the latest at 3:32 PM EDT in Caribou, Maine.
Are you in the path of TOTALITY for the eclipse? And if you are, for HOW LONG?
- View the Interactive Eclipse Explorer map on NASA’s website to see if you are in the path of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse.
- The eclipse could last anywhere between a few seconds (18 seconds in San Antonio, TX) to nearly 5 minutes (4 minutes and 24 seconds in Kerrville, TX) depending on where you’re located.
- If you’re not in the totality path, or if you can’t be outside during the eclipse, you can watch the 2024 eclipse LIVE online at NASA’s website.
Get there EARLY!
It is important to get to your viewing location well before the moment of totality, because once totality starts, it will be over in 4 minutes at the most.
2. PREPARE by Reading, Watching, and Learning About Eclipses
Kids Books About Eclipses and other Astronomical Wonders
- “Sky Gazing” by Meg Thacher
- Also grab this “Cool, Cosmic Tattoo Stars and Planets: 50 Temporary Tattoos That Teach” for beautiful art fun that engages and educates!
- “Eclipse: How the 1919 Solar Eclipse Proved Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity” (Moments in Science) by Darcy Pattison
- “Totality!: An Eclipse Guide in Rhyme and Science” by Jeffrey Bennett also has a FREE companion app called “Totality by Big Kid Science” that helps you track the eclipse and has navigation tools to help you find the best route to the path of totality.
- “A Few Beautiful Minutes: Experiencing a Solar Eclipse” by Kate Allen Fox
- “What Is a Solar Eclipse?” (Who HQ Now) by Dana Meachan Rau
Kids Videos About the Eclipse
- “What Is a Solar Eclipse?” by NASA Space Place
- “Solar Eclipse” by The Dr. Binocs Show
- “Getting Ready for the Eclipse” by SciShow Kids
- “Why the 2024 Solar Eclipse is Such a Big Deal” by Be Smart
- “Solar Eclipse for Kids” by Socratica Kids
- “What is a Solar Eclipse?” by FreeSchool
- For extended learning, check out “Eclipses for kids – “What an eclipse is and how many types there are – Solar and Lunar Eclipse” AND “Eclipses and Movements of the Earth for kids – Solar and Lunar Eclipses – Rotation and Revolution” by Smile and Learn – English
Educational Eclipse Resources for Primary – Elementary Levels
- Mystery Science answers “Why does it get dark during a solar eclipse?” (Lesson + Activity)
- Perot Museum has an Educator Guide for the Great North American Eclipse
- For the Love of Homeschooling is offering this “Exploring Solar Eclipses Unit” as their Featured Freebie this week only (starting Saturday March 30, 2024). It is normally $10.
- PBS (WBGU) created a downloadable Eclipse Guide and Activity Companion, “Sun, Moon, and Shadows“
- NASA Space Place, an interactive website for upper elementary kids, has various activities when you search “eclipse” on their website
3. What to WEAR During the Solar Eclipse?
This is just a suggestion, but wearing GREEN and RED can create a cool effect. The Purkinje effect describes the phenomenon where the colors we perceive shift as light levels change, particularly in low-light conditions. During a solar eclipse, this effect can enhance the visibility of red and green hues while dimming other colors, creating a striking and unique viewing experience. So if you can get your group to wear red and green, this will be another once n a lifetime experience caused by the solar eclipse.
4. HOW to VIEW the Eclipse – Directly and Indirectly
Direct Eclipse Viewing:
Eclipse viewing glasses are absolutely necessary to protect your eyes while viewing the eclipse. You can cause serious damage by looking directly at the sun, even if it covered by the moon. Some people take their glasses off during the few seconds to minutes of complete totality, but even when the moon is almost fully covering the sun, the sun’s rays are still harmful to our eyes.
BUY NOW: 2 Adult + 3 Kid CE & ISO Certified Solar Eclipse Glasses
Indirect Eclipse Viewing:
Did you know that you can also witness the eclipse by looking DOWN?! Just like shadows get weird when we are surrounded by artificial lights coming from different directions, the eclipse creates special shadows. If you take items that have holes in them, such as a colander or a simple piece of paper with a hole cut into it, the shadows form crescents! You can even see the crescent shadows here from the gaps between leaves on trees, like we did during the Total Solar Eclipse in August 2017 and the Annular Solar Eclipse in October 2023.
5. WHAT Else Will Be Visible in the Eclipse Sky?
A few planets and even a comet will be visible in the sky during the 2024 total solar eclipse through North America.
To the LEFT of the Sun: Jupiter may be visible
To the RIGHT of Jupiter: Comet 12P Pons-Brooks may be visible
To the RIGHT of the Sun: Venus, Saturn, and Mars may be visible
(source)
6. WHERE to attend an eclipse event in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area?
If you want to join like-minded eager eclipse goers, find events near you. Dallas is the largest city in the path of this eclipse, so there are events going on all around the metroplex. Here are a few events to participate in while viewing the Great North American Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024. A lot of larger venues put tickets on sale several month ago and have already sold out (like the Perot and Arboretum in Dallas, TX), but here are some FREE events to attend in the DFW:
- Eclipse at EpicCentral – Grand Prairie, TX
- Grand Prairie, TX is hosting several days of events leading up to the day of the eclipse.
- Fort Worth Museum of Science – Fort Worth, TX
- A free event on the Museum’s lawn in collaboration with the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.
- Solar Eclipse at the Trinity – Dallas, TX
- In addition to viewing the eclipse along the Trinity River in Dallas, TX, there will be music, games, contests, crafts, STEAM education, and more!
- Total Eclipse of the Park – Grapevine, TX
- Food trucks, educational activities, free solar eclipse glasses for the first 400 people, and more will be available at this FREE event in Parr Park in Grapevine, TX.
- Total Eclipse of the Park – Frisco, TX
- Join this FREE eclipse watch party at Hall Park in Frisco, TX.
7. After the Eclipse is Over
Even after the total solar eclipse is over, the experience doesn’t have to fade away. Encourage kids to reflect on their observations and feelings during the event, perhaps by journaling or creating art inspired by what they saw. Additionally, delve deeper into the science behind solar eclipses, exploring topics like celestial mechanics, the sun’s role in our solar system, and the cultural significance of eclipses throughout history. By continuing to learn about the phenomenon, children can foster a lifelong curiosity about the universe and their place within it, making the eclipse not just a momentary spectacle but a catalyst for ongoing discovery and exploration.
- Watch the eclipse in full (3 hours)
- Watch a highlight video of the eclipse (1 minute 21 seconds)
- Watch the moments of eclipse totality (7 minutes 19 seconds)
- Introduce a research project where your young learners search for high definition photography and videography from the eclipse. Have them create a slide show and provide their sources to give credit to the artists
- Create artwork or a scrapbook page with photos from your time watching the eclipse
- Draw a picture and/or write a passage detailing your memories of the day of the eclipse
- Learn how different cultures explained eclipses through history (even more cultures here, and a research paper here)
- Continue to learn about the eclipse through sources like those listed above in #2
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