If you have not heard yet, MOST of Fort Worth and the surrounding areas will see a total solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024, in the early afternoon.

During this time, the moon's shadow will block out light from the sun for up to four minutes and 20-something seconds, depending on where you are. If you are at the outer edges of totality, it may be for less than a minute, while at the centerline, you may experience more than four minutes of relative darkness. The sky will grow dark, the horizon will appear as if a sunset is happening, and the brightest stars and planets may become visible. It will NOT be pitch-black, but will be like an hour or so after sunset, with enough light to see by, but with a very strange hole in the sky above.

The eclipse will start at around 12:20pm, and totality begins at 1:39pm, lasting only a few minutes. By 1:43, totality will be ober, while the partial phase will last until 3:01pm. For exact timing at your location, please use this map:

http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2024_GoogleMapFull.html?Lat=32.57128&Lng=-97.24694&Elv=228.0&Zoom=8&LC=1

During the eclipse I will be doing a livestream for the Fort Worth Astronomical Society, for those outside of the area, those who are not able to get outside at the time for whatever reason, and those who want to learn more about the eclipse during the partial phases as we get into totality. I will be using multiple cameras on telescopes to show different views of the sun during the event.

https://www.youtube.com/live/Hc-si6jSlkQ?si=Sf3YT72YtUqs_O7b

Staying safe during an eclipse is important. To see the partial phases, you need eclipse glasses or an eclipse viewer. Test any that you buy against lights inside your home before testing on the sun - if you look at the lights in a brightly lit room and can see anything more than just the lights themselves, they are NOT safe for use. For more details on that to look for, how to use eclipse viewers safely, and a list of manufacturers and vendors, please watch this video and read the description.

https://youtu.be/RdOj5GrdsVY?si=zrPJZSm8bNsSr3Tj

En español:
https://youtu.be/74lg5C7WwOY?si=u_gy9oV13Z2c7E83

There will be various local events happening as well at different venues around town, some free, some not. I will detail them as I find them. If you know of any events, especially free ones open to the public, please post them below.

If you are in a part of the path of totality that will have more than two or minutes of darkness, I would urge you to stay home, and watch with family and friends. Don't worry about taking pictures of the eclipse with cell phones (you can try, but they likely won't be great) or try to buy new cameras and telescopes just for this. It takes special techniques that are not learned overnight. Instead, take photos of the light of the sun through leaves of trees, though the holes of a colander or a saltine cracker. Experience the moment with friends and family having fun, take photos of them, and just watch the eclipse with your eyes.

One good reason to stay at home is that the Dallas/Fort Worth area is expecting between 1 and 2 million more visitors that weekend. Small towns along the centerline like Hillsboro (pop. under 9,000) and Ennis (pop under 22,000) are expecting 100k and 250k visitors, respectively. In the Hill Country, Kerrville, with fewer than 25,000 residents, is expecting half a million visitors in their region. Be ready for very long traffic jams, as emergency managers in the area are expecting 4hr delays on the roads throughout Monday, as people rush towards the path of totality, and then try to leave again right after totality passes. You may leave early, and not get home until nearly dark.

If you have any questions, I will try to answer as best as I can.