Before modern astronomers and mathematicians figured out how to accurately predict solar eclipses, the extinction of the sun sparked terror. The god Zeus turned midday into night, the ancient Greek poet Archilochus wrote of a 647 B.C. eclipse, “and sore fear came upon men.” Thanks to science, we can now skip the fear and go straight to awe. And on April 8, millions of people across North America will be treated to an awe-inspiring view.
In fact, almost 32 million people in the United States alone live in the zone of totality for next month’s solar eclipse. The path runs from northern Mexico through the United States and then to southeastern Canada. As luck would have it, this will be an extra-special, superduper eclipse. If skies are clear, viewers will be treated to a blackout of nearly 4.5 minutes. That’s almost two minutes longer than the August 2017 eclipse, which was the last total solar eclipse to pass over North America.