“We aim to help Times readers understand this astronomical event, and connect with the stories of people who will encounter the eclipse along its path.” — Michael Roston, an editor on the Science desk
At 9:51 a.m. local time on April 8, on Mexico’s western coast near the beach town of Mazatlán, the moon will begin crossing over the sun — the start of a total solar eclipse. As the moon continues its journey, the event will be visible across the United States and into Canada. More than 30 million people live inside the path of totality, according to NASA. And those who live along the route won’t be the only ones gazing skyward. Hotels started selling out in October.
If you didn’t get one of those sought-after reservations or aren’t lucky enough to live along the path, you can follow The Times’s extensive coverage of the event. Michael Roston, our enthusiastic — and exhausted — editor coordinating the coverage, has been planning for months. (He vows to be on vacation for the next one.)
Here’s what we have so far
Katrina Miller, a reporting fellow who holds a Ph.D. in physics and covers space and the intersection of science and society, has outlined everything you need to know about the eclipse.
Jonathan Corum, a graphics editor, has created several maps of the eclipse’s path as well as images of what you might experience during the event.
Our weather data team, which typically brings you warnings of atmospheric rivers and approaching hurricanes, is tracking the cloudiness forecast for the eclipse — and hoping for clear skies. Led by John Keefe, the team, which includes Judson Jones, a meteorologist, and William B. Davis, a graphics and multimedia editor, has already started filing forecasts with the help of our data desk and two graphics editors, Josh Katz and K.K. Rebecca Lai. As we get closer to the start of the eclipse, our team expects those forecasts to become more reliable and will continue to update them here.
Sarah Maslin Nir, who covers New York, spent some time in Buffalo, where she reported that the city was ready to party, with at least 50 eclipse-related events planned.
Ivan Penn, who has been covering the energy industry for more than 15 years, explains that while the eclipse will cause a sharp drop in the energy produced by solar panels, people won’t be left without power.
Our New England bureau chief, Jenna Russell, hung out in Houlton, Maine, where its roughly 6,000 residents were preparing for possibly 40,000 visitors. A few were a little stressed out.
Gina Kolata, who reports on the medical world, reminds us about the dangers of looking at the sun. She spoke to doctors and examined studies on people whose eyes were damaged during an eclipse.
You’ll find all of our coverage collected here.
And be sure to return on April 8, when we will have …
Live coverage, minute by minute
Our team of journalists will begin filing reports in the early hours of April 8. As the eclipse begins, Emiliano Rodríguez Mega will check in from Islas Marías, an archipelago just off the Pacific coast of Mexico, and our Canadian correspondent Ian Austen will be watching on the other side of the continent in Newfoundland. And in between those two places:
Dennis Overbye, our cosmic affairs correspondent who covers physics and astronomy, will be watching and reporting from Dallas.
Katrina Miller, will be reporting from Carbondale, Ill., where residents will get their second plunge into totality in seven years. It will be Katrina’s first.
Kenneth Chang, who writes about NASA and the solar system, will be in Cleveland.
National and Metro reporters will also be stationed along the path of totality, providing updates as the eclipse progresses across Arkansas, Indiana, New York, Vermont and Maine.
Our photo editors Heather Casey, Matt McCann and Elijah Walker have assigned more than 20 photographers from Mexico to Canada to cover the eclipse. Look for images accompanying our live coverage all day.
For those of you who are lucky enough to be in the path of totality, remember that it is never safe to look directly at the sun during an eclipse (except for the few moments when the moon has fully obscured its surface). If you can’t find eclipse glasses, there are some homemade options here.
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