© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WECS · WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM · WVOF
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

MAP: See the path of the 2024 total solar eclipse in Vermont

On April 8, for the first time in almost 100 years, Vermont will see a total solar eclipse. The moon will completely block out the sun, leaving only the sun's corona — the outermost region of the sun’s atmosphere, named for its crownlike appearance — visible for several minutes.

Towns like St. Albans lying directly down the center of the path of totality — the line along which the darkest part of the shadow cast by the moon, called the “umbra,” moves — will experience the total eclipse for the longest duration, around three and a half minutes. Towns closer to the edges like Montpelier will see it for a shorter duration. Areas outside of the path of totality will still see a partial eclipse, called the “penumbra.”

The state is expecting a large influx of visitors, with hotels and resorts fully booked, schools closing early (to let children view the eclipse), and towns preparing to host massive crowds.

Loading...

The shaded areas on the map, representing the path of totality, are shaded based on the duration of the total eclipse — the darkest area, in the center, will see the total eclipse the longest, around 3.5 minutes. The lightest area, around the edges, will still see the total eclipse, but for a shorter duration. Only locations outside of the shaded area will not see the total eclipse.

You can keep up with Vermont Public's eclipse coverage here.

What goes into calculating an eclipse?

Calculating the exact path of an eclipse is complicated, said Ernie Wright, a scientific visualizer at NASA who calculated the path of the 2024 total solar eclipse. First, you need to know the position of the moon, a task made easier by a set of special mirrors called retroreflectors placed on the moon during several lunar missions, including Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 in 1969.

“We shoot lasers at these retroreflectors from the Earth and determine the position of the moon by the time it takes for the light to travel to the moon and come back,” Wright said. “Using that, we’re able to measure the position of the moon to within a centimeter.”

Additionally, the apparent position of the moon and the sun is affected by the time it takes light to travel, around 8 minutes from the sun to the Earth, and 1.3 seconds from the moon to the Earth. Not accounting for that, using a process called light-time correction, could throw predictions of the path of the eclipse off by miles, Wright said.

Also a factor: the shape of the moon itself. The moon’s surface is covered with mountains, craters, valleys and other features. The edges of the moon, as viewed from Earth, are called the lunar limb. As the moon shifts into or out of the path of the sun, transitioning between total and partial eclipse, the moon’s limb unevenly blocks the light, resulting in a sparkling effect known as “Baily’s beads.”

This effect is more noticeable at the edges of the umbra, which you can only know about in advance of an eclipse with a more accurate map.

An image of the 2017 solar eclipse showing the corona as a pale white aura around the moon with slivers of light peeping out from the corners.
NASA
/
Aubrey Gemignani
This photo of the 2017 total solar eclipse in Madras, Oregon shows Baily's beads in the bottom left of the eclipse. The white aura around the moon is the sun's corona.

Wright’s total eclipse model includes 18,000 geometric points around the edge of the moon to get a more accurate shadow, which he describes as looking like a potato.

In total, Wright’s calculations consist of over 5,000 lines of code and took several days to complete. NASA’s official map, based on those calculations, is accurate within around 200 meters, Wright said.

An abstract drawing of the moon's shadow, which is shaped like a potato, over a map.
Michala Garrison; eclipse calculations by Ernie Wright, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
/
NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio
The shadow cast by the moon is closer in shape to a potato than a smooth oval due to its irregular limb. Part of a larger visualization.

The data used in Vermont Public’s map, also from Wright, is accurate within about a kilometer, as it uses a simpler model — one that does not take into account the exact shape of the moon.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message.

More eclipse resources

See all of Vermont Public's 2024 eclipse coverage.

Corey Dockser worked with Vermont Public from 2023 to 2024 as a data journalist.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content