April 2024 - Newsletter

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April 1st, 2024

April’s Total Solar Eclipse In Texas: Maps, Times And Best Places

Where the best place to see the 2024 total solar eclipse in Texas is has long been on the minds of eclipse chasers. A total solar eclipse may be visible from parts of 15 U.S. states on Monday, April 8, but it’s to Texas that a large number of eclipse-chasers will head. With the chances of clear skies the highest in the U.S, many travelers are targeting the Lone Star State to experience a rare totality.In fact, according to GreatAmericanEclipse.com, between 270,000 and over a million visitors are expected to travel to Texas to witness totality. That’s on top of the almost 13 million people that live in the path of totality in Texas. Its first total solar eclipse since May 28, 1900 and the last until August 12, 2045, what's assured is that more people will experience totality in Texas than in any other U.S. state.Here’s exactly what you need to know to be one of them, from eclipse maps of the path of totality and eclipse times to climate predictions, traffic advice, how and where to find accommodation, and all about festivals, events, and the best places to view.

A total solar eclipse results when the new moon completely blocks the sun for a few minutes, casting a narrow dark shadow across Earth’s surface. This is the path of totality, and on April 8, it will be between 121 and 118 miles wide as it surges across Texas, going southwest to northeast, entering the state at the U.S.-Mexico border at 13:27 CDT and exiting at the border with both Oklahoma and Arkansas at 13:49 CDT. That’s just 22 minutes.MORE FROMFORBES ADVISOR

Where you need to be to see the total solar eclipse is paramount. You must be within the path of totality, which cannot be stressed enough. There is no level of totality, as some of the maps suggest. Within the path, you’ll see a total eclipse of the sun, but outside of it—even a mile on the wrong side of the border—you’ll merely see a partial solar eclipse, with no darkness nor views of the sun’s corona.Top tip: On the centerline of that path, totality will last for between 4 minutes 26 seconds and 4 minutes 19 seconds, depending on your exact location (punch in any location here for a full schedule), but there’s no need to be on the centerline. It’s more important to be where the skies are clear—though you should try to stay away from the edge of the path of totality. That’s going to be challenging for millions of Texans.

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