If you don’t want to wait for this phenomenon to occur in France, in 2081, you can enjoy the spectacle observed Monday in the skies of Mexico, the United States and Canada.
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It is a spectacular celestial event which was admired by millions of people, special protective glasses on their noses. A rare total eclipse traveled across the northern American continent on Monday, April 8, starting on the Pacific coast of Mexico. The trajectory then crossed part of the United States, from Texas to Maine, before ending its course in eastern Canada. In total, the Moon’s shadow took about an hour and a half to travel over the three countries. Outside the 185-kilometre-wide total eclipse band, other residents were able to view a partial eclipse.
Visible for a few minutes at most, total eclipses occur when the Moon places itself exactly between the Earth and the Sun, temporarily blocking the light of our star in broad daylight. The Sun is approximately 400 times larger than the Moon, but also 400 times further away, and the two stars therefore appear to be of a similar size. The next total eclipse will take place in Spain, in 2026 (and not before 2081 in France). In the meantime, franceinfo invites you to relive this show, almost as if you were there.
When the Sun disappears behind the Moon
To begin, let yourself be hypnotized by these NASA images, filmed from Mexico. Two fantastic minutes of total eclipse, spotted by French astrophysicist Eric Lagadec.
Many journalists and amateur photographers had marked April 8 on their calendars to treat themselves to some of the most beautiful images of their careers.
When solar filaments become visible
In Arkansas, an astronomy professor captured the chromosphere, which corresponds to the Sun’s lower atmosphere, a thin layer of pink-colored gas. We can see solar prominences, formed by plasma, some of which are much larger than the size of the Earth.
“An owl started hooting, the cicadas started singing and we could clearly see with our eyes a pink protuberance”marveled an amateur photographer on X.
When a plane comes to the show
In Arkansas, an amateur photographer immortalized the passage of a plane in front of the eclipse. “What a great experience”, he commented, sharing his photo on Facebook. The scene was also filmed by tornado chaser Brandon Clement.
When America plunges into darkness
An American tornado chaser went to the heights of Illinois to film the passage of the eclipse, all summarized in 30 seconds in the video below. “I don’t have the words”he commented, faced with the magic of these moments.
Same spectacle in Vermont, in Burlington, where a magnificent blue veil covered Lake Chamberlain and, in Ohio, in Cleveland, where nightlife took over for a few minutes.
Also in Ohio, a enthusiast of climatic and astronomical phenomena immortalized the moment when the light disappeared in the sky of Sandusky, not far from Cleveland. Moved to tears, he took the opportunity to photograph his nearly 90-year-old grandfather, who was witnessing the first total eclipse of his life. “It’s incredible”the old man kept repeating.
When cries of joy ring out on a beach in Mexico
The coastal city of Mazatlan, Mexico, was one of the first to benefit from the total eclipse. Thousands of people gathered on the beach to give the phenomenon a popstar welcome as the day faded.
Here is the same scene from the heights of Mazatlan, without sound and in accelerated fashion, in a 25-second timelapse.
Still higher in Mexico, a drone took off to treat us to this eclipse filmed from the sky of Torreon, in the center of the country.
When the eclipse turns into an engagement ring
A photographer from Dallas, Texas, filmed the marriage proposal of a certain Alex to his partner Austyn, who visibly said yes while the Moon married the Sun by drawing a ring in the sky.
When the eclipse is observed from space
The shadow caused by the eclipse appeared on satellite maps of North America.
A satellite from the company Starlink, orbiting the Earth, filmed the eclipse, revealing a black crater dug into the surface of the planet.
Astronauts from the International Space Station were able to fly over the scene. The images shot on board show a clear distinction between the area of the Earth that has entered into darkness and the rest of the territory lit by the sun.