Watch live: Solar eclipse 2024 news and updates | AP News

BROKEN BOW, Oklahoma – The state’s secretary of tourism, is watching the eclipse from a lodge at Beavers Bend State Park in far southeast Oklahoma, which is in the path of the total eclipse.

Shelley Zumwalt said state officials began planning for the eclipse more than a year ago and brought in extra police and park rangers to McCurtain County, the population of which is expected to double due to visitors to the area.

“It’s really cool to see people lined up to experience something in nature,” Zumwalt said.

Zumwalt said visitors were hopeful cloud cover would burn off in time for the eclipse.

“We’re crossing our fingers and hoping,” she said. “Either way, it’s going to be dark for four minutes.”

ST. LOUIS — Colleen Devine and her husband planned to drive from their home in the suburbs of Chicago to Carbondale, Illinois, to watch the total eclipse.

But COVID-19 upended travel plans. “I didn’t want to deal with the traffic and the crowds,” Devine said.

Devine has recovered, but instead of heading south, the couple walked across the street from their hotel to the lawn near the Gateway Arch. Under a mostly blue sky, they’ll witness a nearly full eclipse.

“It won’t totally be in the path of totality but close enough,” she said.

MAZATLAN, Mexico – Mazatlan’s sparkling beaches have been cast into darkness as the total solar eclipse reaches its maximum coverage.

Hundreds of gathered faces were illuminated only by the screens of their cell phones as they tried to capture the slightly more than 4 minutes of totality.

Palm trees were silhouetted against a faint glow near the horizon like one of the resort’s famous sunsets, but coming before noon.

Karen Ibarra, of Colombia, is a researcher at Mexico’s National Autonomous University. She came to Mazatlan for the eclipse.

As darkness blanketed the coast she said, “seeing the corona is the best.”

PHILADELPHIA – Harris Pham, 27, rearranged his work schedule and traveled from suburban Lansdale to view the eclipse at the steps of the Franklin Institute, a science museum.

“I could have easily saw it, like, at the park. But I think just being with the community … it feels like you’re sharing an experience with humanity,” Pham said.

Hundreds gathered outside of the museum that was hosting a free viewing party.

Philadelphia is expected to see at least 85% totality as the moon passes over the sun. The Erie area, which is at the opposite corner of Pennsylvania, was awaiting a peek at totality.

RUSHVILLE, Indiana – The crowd briefly hushed as the eclipse began in Riverside Park in Rushville.

One spectator shouted: “This is the last time I’ll see this in my lifetime!”

Cars parked nearby in this small town of approximately 6,000 people are from Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin, Florida, North Carolina, Kentucky, New York and Michigan.

Rushville is in the path of totality and is expected to get about 4 minutes of darkness during the full eclipse.

DALLAS – Mia Baker, an eighth-grader at D. A. Hulcy Middle School, rolled a white knob of clay into a ball and attached it to a wooden stick. When her teacher, Tamara Thomas, turned off the lights, she and her classmates held up their “moons” and tried to cover the “sun”: a yellow lantern dangling from the ceiling.

Over the course of the day, students participated in a variety of eclipse-themed lessons. They drew timelines to explore the history of solar eclipses and colored in the spectacle’s path on cardstock.

When Baker held up her clay moon to model the eclipse, she was reminded of the phases of the moon, which she’d recently reviewed in science class.

“But it’s going to look better in person,” she said. “I’m ready to see it.”

A total solar eclipse has reached North America over Mexico as throngs gather along the country’s Pacific coast. It’ll race toward United States and eastern Canada before exiting into the Atlantic.

MESQUITE, Texas – City officials cheered as the thick clouds parted in early afternoon and the sun peeked out.

“We special ordered the sun this morning,” said downtown development manager Beverly Abell.

Hundreds gathered at Front Street Station for the outdoor watch party, many pulling out their eclipse glasses to watch the moon’s bite out of the sun grow ever bigger.

Heads tilted upward as DJ music blared from speakers, everyone hoping the sky would clear even more before darkness hit.

WASHINGTON – Janice Nozka and her three children – ages 11, 7, and 3 – picked up their eclipse glasses from a table outside the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall.

“This is a really special day, and I know it’s not going to happen again while all my children are still at home,” said Nozka, who is from Burke, Virginia.

She brought her children here to experience the partial eclipse together as a family this afternoon, after spending the morning at the space museum.

“I’m very excited, I’ve never seen anything like a solar eclipse before,” said Alina, 11, smiling broadly as she unfolded her new glasses.

The district has a chance at seeing more than 87% of the sun covered later this afternoon.

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – Jadiee Cesin, 8, and her family were among those set up with blankets and chairs at Waterfront Park under mostly sunny skies in downtown Louisville.

Kentucky’s largest city wasn’t in the path of totality but was in line to see 99 percent of the sun covered by the moon.

Jadiee said she learned about the eclipse in school and was hoping to get a good view at the park.

“It’s my first time,” she said about seeing an eclipse.

Meanwhile, a science-themed street fair in downtown Paducah, which was also in the path of the 2017 total eclipse, offered people a place to gather and see totality that lasted more than 90 seconds.

VIENNA, Illinois – At the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois, thick clouds cleared late this morning as dozens of people gathered
at the Hidden Springs Ranger Station.

The national forest is in the path of totality and will experience just over four minutes of darkness.

Thousands of people are expected to watch the eclipse from this area, a park official said.

MAZATLAN, Mexico – Cheers broke out along the beach in this resort city as the moon began to pass over the sun.

Hundreds in a beachside park had passed the waiting time by readying their equipment and listening to a youth orchestra play Star Wars songs while a large screen projected images of Princess Leia behind them.

Luz Elena Aguillón de la O sat in the grass with a group of 14 family and friends who had gathered from Mexico City, Guanajuato and right here in Mazatlan to take in the spectacle.

“Happy to be here with family, friends sharing a singular, unrepeatable event that the universe and nature give us,” she said.

GEORGETOWN, Texas – Tracy Bedell, from Katy, Texas, and Terri Pagani, from Atlanta, arrived in Georgetown yesterday after a year of planning their path to totality.

Relaxing on a lawn at Southwestern University, Bedell said she saw a total eclipse in 2017 and was determined to catch the next one. They began researching cities and hotel availability in June.

“It is still going to get dark,” Bedell said as she looked up at the shifting clouds. “It is still going to be phenomenal.”

University students were enjoying a day without classes as heavy clouds took turns with the sun.

“If it rains, it rains,” said Chloe Mayfield, a Southwestern senior. “Rain or shine, baby we are out here.”

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vermont – Pratik Koirala, a microbiology researcher from Brighton, Massachusetts, was in college in Kansas during the 2017 eclipse, but it was cloudy.

“I saw the darkness, but not the sun,” he said. “Now I want to see the sun.”

He and several relatives drove more than two hours to a grassy bank along the Passumpsic River in this town of about 7,000. He’s got a good chance — the sky is cloudless.

Sassee Niraula, a nurse and Koirala’s wife, was in Nepal in 2009 when an eclipse created 7 minutes of totality. Niraula, now 30, says she was too young then to fully appreciate it, so she’s back.

Nirmal Nepal, Koirala’s uncle, and Nepal’s wife, Sassee, took their two sons, ages 15 and 12, out of school for the day.

“It’s a better education than being in the classroom,” said Nirmal Nepal, of Needham, Massachusetts.

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas – Rose Hopper and Karen Thomas are among the visitors who grabbed spots in the park outside the Clinton presidential library to view the eclipse.

The friends traveled more than four hours from central Mississippi and decided to watch the eclipse at the city park outside the museum.

“It’s one thing to see it on TV. It’s a whole other thing to see God’s glory like that,” Hopper said. “I think it’s going to be spectacular.”

The two remained hopeful that the mostly clear sky would hold up.

“I’m just going to expect the best and see the whole thing,” Thomas said.

BURNET, Texas – The forecast in Texas is doing more than spoiling views of the eclipse.

One festival outside Austin wrapped up early Monday because of possible severe afternoon weather.

The Texas Eclipse Festival in Burnet urged attendees to pack up and leave early for safety and beat traffic.

Organizers canceled performances as well as inbound shuttles to the festival grounds.

The National Weather Service said severe weather could include hail, lightning and isolated tornadoes.

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden posted a brief video on X to encourage Americans to wear eye protection when viewing the eclipse – in a subtle dig at his predecessor and 2024 rival, former President Donald Trump.

“Folks, enjoy the eclipse, but play it safe, don’t be silly,” Biden said in a video showing him donning eclipse glasses and looking skyward from the balcony outside the Blue Room of the White House.

That’s the spot where Trump glanced up toward the sun without eye protection in 2017.

Biden is traveling to Wisconsin, which, like Washington, will experience a partial eclipse on Monday.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she had no details to share on whether Biden would view the phenomenon.

The moon lines up perfectly between the Earth and the sun in a total eclipse over the South Pacific.

Over the next few hours, it will sweep across North America, entering Mexico, cutting diagonally from Texas to Maine, before exiting over eastern Canada into the Atlantic.

By TOM WITHERS, STEPHANIE NANO

CLEVELAND – The alignment of earth, sun and moon above Cleveland came one day after a big star departed the city.

Caitlin Clark, the Iowa All-American guard and scoring sensation, ended her college career on Sunday in Cleveland in a loss to South Carolina in the NCAA championship game.

As basketball fans left Cleveland, sun chasers came in droves to witness the total solar eclipse.

There were also plenty of baseball fans flooding downtown: The Cleveland Guardians play their home opener two hours after the eclipse.

Michelle Samarin and Warren Root planned a doubleheader, the eclipse and then the Guardians game.

“We stay home constantly, so it’s nice to get out,” Root said.

When the sky is dark, you may be able to spot four planets and a comet, if you’re lucky.

Jupiter will be to the left of the sun and Venus to the right. Saturn and Mars will be to the right of Venus, but fainter. The solar system’s three other planets will be in the vicinity, but virtually impossible to see with the naked eye.

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is swinging past Earth, as it does every 71 years. Still faint, it will be positioned near Jupiter during the eclipse.

BURGEO, Newfoundland – Residents of a small fishing community along the south coast of Newfoundland, Canada, are celebrating their unique place in solar eclipse history.

Michael Ward, the town clerk manager for Burgeo, says British cartographer Capt. James Cook experienced a partial eclipse in 1766 on a small island nearby. Cook was so taken with the experience, he named the isle Eclipse Island, Ward said.

The town of about 1,175 people will unveil a solar-powered beacon on the island. Music and dance are also planned.

“I’ve got 490 pairs of eclipse glasses, and I’m hoping that by the end of the day, I’ve got none,” he said.

Newfoundland is the last spot in North America where people will be able to view the total eclipse.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Families are streaming into the Fort Worth Zoo, ready to experience totality along with the animals.

Rachel Slaughter, 34, made a two-hour drive from her home in Wichita Falls with her three children – ages 10, 6 and almost 2 – so they could experience totality.

“We want to see how the animals react in the eclipse,” she said. “Do they do anything different? We want to know.”

Researchers from North Carolina State University are at the zoo to watch the animals’ reactions. During an eclipse, many animals display behaviors connected with an early dusk, scientists say.

Kids arriving at the zoo can grab sheets so that they can share record their observations as well.

The International Space Station’s astronauts will have three chances to catch the eclipse, according to NASA.

After two opportunities above the Pacific, the station will pass over Maine and New Brunswick, Canada, near the time of totality, providing the crew’s best view of the moon’s shadow racing across the continent.

Like everyone 270 miles (435 kilometers) below, the four U.S. and three Russian astronauts are hoping for clear skies.

Some eclipse chasers are taking to the skies to soak in the spectacle.

Southwest and Delta have offered flights that will fly along or near the eclipse path. A special Delta flight from Austin to Detroit quickly sold out, prompting the airline to add another from Dallas.

A small section of the U.S. Midwest could witness a second total solar eclipse in less than a decade, weather permitting.

It usually takes 400 years to 1,000 years before totality returns to the same spot. The Illinois city of Carbondale and surrounding region are an exception.

In 2017, clouds rolled in at the last moment over Carbondale, but crowds still saw several seconds of the sun’s corona. Skygazers are hoping for redemption and a longer totality experience this year.

The moon has started to cover up the sun as a partial eclipse begins over the South Pacific.

Millions along a narrow corridor in North America from Mexico’s Pacific coast to eastern Canada hope for clouds to clear as they eagerly wait for totality to reach their location.

MAZATLAN, Mexico – Valeria Rosas says her four kids had been so excited by an October partial solar eclipse that passed over southeast Mexico, that she decided to come to this Pacific coast beach city for today’s total eclipse.

The 32-year-old drove eight hours from Leon, Guanajuato, with 10 friends and relatives.

They joined hundreds of others in a beachside park under blue skies streaked with wispy clouds. It’s the first part of North America that will get to see the total eclipse.

Rosas’ mother, Carmen Loza Rodríguez, recalled that Rosas was a baby when Mexico last saw a total solar eclipse in 1991.

“How cool that we have the opportunity to experience it in this digital age, that we can share it with the world,” Rosas said.

HOCHATOWN, Okla. — Michelle Smith, who co-owns a winery in a southeast Oklahoma resort town that is in the path of the eclipse, says traffic and crowds are far lighter than expected.

“It’s been nothing as predicted,” Smith said. “All weekend locals have described it as eerily calm.”
She said most of the roughly 3,000 luxury cabins dotting the area have been rented, so “we know that people are here.”

Smith said she and her co-owners have spent years planning a massive party at their Girl Gone Wine winery.

How far ahead? Five years ago, they reserved high-end portable restrooms.

“Those aren’t commonplace in McCurtain County,” she said.

INDIANAPOLIS – Annette Smith sat in the late morning sunshine at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, crocheting a blanket as she waited for the eclipse. She had taped a pair of eclipse glasses to her phone to take pictures.

Smith and her 22-year-old son drove a couple hours from Louisville, Kentucky, after catching the 2017 eclipse in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

“We’ve been planning this trip for seven years,” she said. “My son’s a science nerd.”

Speedway representatives expected about 50,000 people to watch the eclipse at the track, which drew more than 300,000 people for last year’s Indianapolis 500.

While eclipse watchers look to the skies, people who are blind or visually impaired will be able to hear and feel the celestial event.

Devices that can translate the eclipse on sound and touch devices will be available at some public gatherings.

An astronomer who is blind collaborated with a Harvard astronomer to design the LightSound box, which translates changing light in the sky into differing musical notes. Another device allows users to feel the eclipse through rows of dots that move up and down.

▶ Read more about the sound and touch devices.

Spectators gather ahead of the eclipse

It’s a picture perfect day in Lincoln, New Hampshire, but traffic has reached a standstill on Interstate 93 as thousands of people head north toward the path of totality.

For centuries, eclipses have had profound impact on adherents of various religions.

In Islam, a solar eclipse is a time to turn to God and pray.

Some faiths see solar eclipses as bad omens. That’s traditional Jewish religious law likewise depicts them, and it generally true for Hindus too.

Some Christians have believed that an eclipse portends the “end times” that will precede Christ’s return to Earth.

▶ Read more about how religions have responded to eclipses.

For teachers along the path, the eclipse inspired lessons in science, literacy and culture.

There is no better lesson than the real thing, said Dennis Schatz, a former president of the National Science Teaching Association who encouraged educators to use the eclipse as “a teachable moment.”

Some schools plan to have students watch the eclipse together. One school system in Portville, New York, near the Pennsylvania line, plans to load its 500 seventh- through 12th-grade students onto buses and drive about 15 minutes into the path.

But the timing of the eclipse, around dismissal time for some, means many schools will be closed for the day so that students aren’t stuck on buses or in crowds.

▶ Read more about how schools are preparing for the eclipse.

NIAGARA FALLS, New York – The main attraction at Niagara Falls is typically the more than 750,000 gallons of water that rush over the brink every second. Today, it’s the eclipse.

Tourists streamed into Niagara Falls State Park this morning with wagons, strollers, coolers and chairs. Photographers’ tripods lined a railing under cloudy skies.

Synthia Nguyen and Jen Cerna from Washington, D.C., claimed a prime lawn spot along the rapids, arriving at 6 a.m. with chairs, a blanket and a tent – that they were quickly asked to take down.

They were excited that totality would last a few minutes, long enough for it to sink in. The pair work in an ophthalmology office.

“We’re expecting a lot of calls tomorrow,” Cerna said.

Need some background music? The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland has come up with a playlist.

The list of over 100 songs includes Bonny Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” of course. Also on the list, the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun,” Cat Steven’s “Moonshadow,” and Pink Floyd’s “Eclipse,” with lyrics that conclude: And everything under the sun is in tune. But the sun is eclipsed by the moon.

The Rock Hall promises to have the soundtrack blasting at the museum and from “rock boxes” around downtown Cleveland, which is in the eclipse path.

The AP has also compiled 20 songs, spanning decades, genres and themes to soundtrack your total solar eclipse viewing experience. The list includes classics from Billie Holiday, Sun Ra, David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen to contemporary selections spanning reggaetón, K-pop, R&B, soul and Taylor Swift.

▶ Listen to the AP playlist on Spotify.

Researchers will be at several zoos to watch how animals behave during the eclipse.

There have been individual sightings of critters behaving bizarrely during previous eclipses, but only in recent years have scientists started to rigorously study the altered behaviors of wild, domestic and zoo animals.

One team will be at the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas to see if the animals there react like the ones they observed in South Carolina during an eclipse in 2017.

Researchers say that many animals display behaviors connected with an early dusk.

▶ Read more about how animals could react to the eclipse.

Scientists across North America will be watching the eclipse, but they’ll also be working. The event should be a scientific bonanza, thanks to new spacecraft and telescopes — and cosmic chance. The moon will be extra close to Earth, providing a long and intense period of darkness.

Normally hidden by the sun’s glare, the sun’s outer crownlike atmosphere, or corona, is on full display during a total solar eclipse, making it a prime research target.

Plus the sun should be more active. It is closer to its maximum solar activity than it was in the 2017 eclipse, with the potential for bursts of plasma. Some spectators will double as “citizen scientists,” helping NASA and other research groups better understand our planet and star.

Rockets will blast off with science experiments from Wallops Island, Virginia, while more than 600 weather balloons will be launched by college students along the track.

▶ Read more about the eclipse experiments.

NEW YORK – The best chances to see the eclipse are in northern New England, said National Weather Service meteorologist Cody Snell. That area has “a pretty solid lock to be able to see the eclipse pretty crystal clear.”

Next best is central Arkansas to southern Indiana. There will be clouds but they will be high and won’t completely block the view, he said.

In Texas, the south-central region is cloudy, but it is a little bit better to the northeast, he said.

“Dallas is pretty much a 50-50 shot,” he said.

Stores, hotels and restaurants up and down the eclipse path are expecting a boom in business. And they are ready.

Breweries, wineries and coffee shops came up with eclipse-themed drinks and businesses churned out T-shirts, jewelry and other mementoes to mark the day.

Some towns and business owners have been anticipating the celestial event and huge crowds for years.

▶ Read more about businesses preparing for eclipse.

Small towns and rural communities along the eclipse path are steeling for huge crowds.

Tourism and community leaders from Texas to Maine trucked in extra fuel and port-a-potties, and urged residents and visitors to be prepared — and to be patient.

Some counties have issued disaster declarations to get extra help with policing and other aid, similar to the aftermath of severe storms.

Among them is Kerr County, located about 65 miles northwest of San Antonio, where the normal population of 53,000 is expected to double or triple.

▶ Read more about how towns are preparing for the eclipse.

The 2017 total solar eclipse stretched from Oregon to South Carolina. Totality topped out around two minutes. This time it will last almost twice as long.

The path of totality is about 50 miles wider than in 2017, and the area includes a much bigger population. The moon is closer to Earth than it was during the 2017 eclipse, thus the longer period of darkness and wider path.

The full eclipse will last up to 4 minutes, 28 seconds.

The land track is roughly 4,000 miles in length but just 115 miles wide. It will take a scant 1 1/2 hours for the moon’s shadow to complete the continental course, at speeds upward of 5,000 mph.

JAY, Vermont – Sara Laneau, of Westfield, Vermont, woke up at 4 a.m. to bring her 16-year-old niece to nearby Jay Peak ski resort to catch the eclipse.

The pair were able to snag a coveted ticket on the ski tram to the top of the mountain where they will be with about 100 lucky skiers and snowboarders to catch the eclipse at 3,968 feet elevation.

Dressed in a purple metallic ski suit with a solar eclipse T-shirt underneath, the 57-year-old Luneau said she’s excited.

“This will be a first from me and an experience of a lifetime.”

AP chief photographer Julio Cortez recommends using a smaller aperture on your DSLR — f/11 or f/17 — to keep the focus “a little bit sharper.”

When Cortez shot the last U.S. coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in 2017, he used an ISO setting of 1250 and 1/500 shutter speed.

▶ For those with smartphones, AP’s Kelvin Chan tested different apps. Read the One Tech Tip column for his takeaways.

You can look indirectly with a pinhole projector that you can make yourself. NASA has a number of designs on its website, including one made with a cereal box. Or grab a kitchen colander — that casts images of the eclipsed sun onto a screen at least 3 feet away.

Sunglasses won’t work.

Special eclipse glasses are crucial for safely observing the sun. They need to be worn during the partial phases, as the moon covers more and more of our star.

During totality, when the sun is completely shrouded, it’s fine to remove your glasses and look with your naked eyes. But before and after, certified eclipse glasses are essential to avoid eye damage. Just make sure they’re not scratched or torn.

Wherever there’s only a partial eclipse, you need to keep those solar specs on the whole time.

Cameras, binoculars and telescopes must be outfitted with special solar filters for safe viewing.

▶ Read more about eclipse glasses and safety.

Doctors say looking at a solar eclipse for even a few seconds without proper eye protection isn’t worth the risk.

Staring directly at the sun during a solar eclipse or at any other time can lead to permanent eye damage. Symptoms can include blurred vision and color distortion.

In 2017, a woman who viewed the solar eclipse without adequate protection came to Mount Sinai’s New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, complaining of a black spot in her vision. Doctors discovered retinal damage that corresponded to the eclipse’s shape.

Sunglasses won’t cut it during the April 8 eclipse. Special eclipse glasses are crucial for safely observing the sun as the moon marches across the late morning and afternoon sky on April 8, covering more and more and then less and less of our star. (AP Video/Shelby Lum)

The weather isn’t looking good for a large part of the eclipse’s path. Clouds could get in the way for a stretch of the route, with the heaviest clouds expected in parts of Texas.

There are patches along the way that may be clear for the eclipse. And meteorologists point out that the eclipse might still be visible if the clouds are high and thin.

The one area where clear skies are expected is northern New England through to Canada.

▶ Read more about the weather forecast along the eclipse’s path.

Practically everyone in North America will have a chance at catching at least a partial eclipse.

The farther from the path of totality, the smaller the moon’s bite will be out of the sun. In Seattle, less than a quarter of the sun will be swallowed. In Miami, it’ll be about half.

▶ Take a stroll down cosmic memory lane and see pictures of past solar eclipses in this AP photo gallery.

The moon lines up perfectly between the Earth and the sun, blotting out the sunlight.

This time, the full eclipse will last up to 4 minutes, 28 seconds. That’s twice as long as the total solar eclipse that darkened U.S. skies in 2017. The length of totality varies by location.

The moon’s shadow that falls on Earth follows along a path that is 115 miles wide.

AP journalists are fanned out along the path of totality to bring you live views of watch parties and festivities.

We’re on the ground in Mesquite, Texas, which hosted a “solar rodeo” weekend of activities, as well as Mazatlán, Mexico; Eagle Pass, Texas; Hot Springs, Arkansas; Carbondale, Illinois; Cleveland; and Niagara Falls, New York.

A livestream kicks off at 10 a.m. EDT, with commentary from 1:30 p.m. EDT to 3:30 p.m. EDT.

▶ Follow along at the top of this page or on YouTube.

A total solar eclipse crosses North America today.

It will slice a diagonal line from the southwest to the northeast, briefly plunging communities along the track into darkness. It arrives in Mexico, crosses the U.S. and ends in eastern Canada.

Fifteen U.S. states get a chance to see the full eclipse, although just a small bit of Tennessee and Michigan are included.

▶ Read more about what to expect.