Here are 27 interesting facts specifically about the April 8th, 2024 total solar eclipse. In addition to the usual weird activity during these events, there are some interesting things about the 2024 event that make it historic!

1) Everyone in the continental U.S. will see at least a partial eclipse. In fact, if you have clear skies on eclipse day, the Moon will cover at least 16 percent of the Sun’s surface, and that’s from Neah Bay at the northwestern tip of Washington.

2) If you want to be the first person to experience totality in the continental U.S., be at the Mexican border in Las Quintas Fronterizas, Texas, at 1:27:21 p.m. CDT. There, the totality lasts 4 minutes 22 seconds.

3) The total solar eclipse will carve a narrow path of totality from southwest to northeast across 13 U.S. states.

4) The center line crosses through 15 states. This includes Texas Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Some states such as Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee only see slivers of the eclipse.

5) Totality lasts a maximum of 4 minutes 28 seconds.

6) The last state in the continental US to experience totality will be Maine.

7) In 2017, approximately 12.25 million residents of the U.S. lived along the path of totality. In all, approximately 31.5 million people can simply walk outside, look up, and see a the event during the day, weather permitting, of course.

8) With a magnitude of 1.0566, its longest duration of totality will be of four minutes and 28.13 seconds near the town of Nazas, Durango, Mexico, and the nearby city of Torreón, Coahuila.

9) This eclipse will be the first total solar eclipse to be visible in Canada since February 26, 1979, the first in Mexico since July 11, 1991, and the first in the U.S. since August 21, 2017. 

10) It will be the only total solar eclipse in the 21st century where totality will be visible in the following countries during the same event: Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

11) Totality will pass through the town of Wapakoneta, Ohio, home of Neil Armstrong, the first person to set foot upon the Moon.

12) Rochester, NY last total solar eclipse was on January 24, 1925.

13) September 14th, 1205 was the last time that a Total Solar Eclipse visible from what was to become the circle city, today this circle city is known as Indianapolis.

14) In 2024, more than that number live along the path in the US state of Texas than the total number of people who saw the eclipse in the US in 2017.

15) The major cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., are all within 200 miles of the path of totality. If you cant get a flight closer, try these cities and then driving to totality.

16) Carbondale, Illinois enjoys it’s second total solar eclipse just 7 years after the August 21, 2017 eclipse.

17) This is the 3rd of 7 total solar eclipse in the 2020s

18)The eclipse belongs to Saros 139. It is number 30 of 71 eclipses in the series.

19) Many cities are hosting events

20) 2 of the top 10 largest US cities will be in the direct line of path–San Antonio and Dallas, Texas

21) This eclipse will be the 3rd total solar eclipse to go over Arkansas, with the 1st being November 1834

22) Before this eclipse, no part of Ohio has experienced a total solar eclipse since 1806 and won’t again until 2099.

23) The solar eclipse occurs the day after Cleveland plays host to the 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four basketball tournament.

24) The most recent total solar eclipse event of Vermont’s history, in which the sun is fully blotted out by the moon – save for a “ring of fire” around its perimeter – occurred Aug. 31, 1932. 

25) Last time that Buffalo saw totality for total solar eclipse was January 24th, 1925

26) The last time New Hampshire was in the direct path of a Solar Eclipse was in 1959, and the next won’t be until 2079.

27) The farther north one goes towards Maine and away from Texas, the greater the chances of a cloudy day. (based upon recent weather averages during April)

For more 2024 Solar Eclipse information, check out this site. To keep up to date, check out our Twitter, Instagram, and Mastodon accounts!