‘Rare Total Solar Eclipse Expected to Send Shivers Down Spines in Illinois Once More | US News’
Occurring only once every 375 years in any one location, the perfect alignment of Earth, the sun, and the moon will amaze viewers in Illinois, US for the second time in less than a decade. Thousands of people are expected to gather in the midwestern state on 8 April to witness the total solar eclipse, described as “our planet’s greatest spectacle” by an astronomy expert.
The US, Mexico, and Canada will be within the totality path of the eclipse, offering more than 31 million people across 15 states the mesmerizing view of the sun being obscured by the moon. The event will darken the sky and create a halo around the sun as its light is blocked by the moon.
For the small city of Carbondale, Illinois, this will be the second time experiencing this phenomenon in just seven years, following a total solar eclipse in August 2017.
Professor Chris Lintott from the University of Oxford expressed his envy for Illinois’s unique opportunity, stating that a total solar eclipse is one of the grandest sights in nature and rare even within the galaxy.
Guests watch the sun re-emerge after a total eclipse at the football stadium at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale in 2017. Pic: Reuters
“Everyone should try and see at least one in their lifetime. It’s our planet’s greatest spectacle.”
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources mentioned that Southern Illinois is considered the eclipse crossroads of America due to its alignment with the path of totality in 2017 and 2024.
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In the UK, an eclipse will be visible across 90% of the country in 2026, but a total eclipse won’t occur until 2081 in the Channel Islands or 2090 in the South West.
“I get a shiver down my spine every time, and the memories of the eclipses I’ve seen will last a lifetime,” said Professor Lintott.
According to NASA, the eclipse will first be visible in totality on 8 April on Mexico’s Pacific coast around 11:07 a.m. PDT. The eclipse’s path will then move through various states in the US and parts of Canada before concluding in Newfoundland.
