April 8, 2024: Today the moon passes in front of the sun, casting the lunar shadow across a large swath of North America.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:21 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:25 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
American Solar Eclipse
A Great American Solar Eclipse occurs at today’s New Moon. The lunar shadow first touches Earth’s surface in the South Pacific and races eastward. It reaches southwest Mexico, trekking northeast toward Texas. The total eclipse shadow crosses the US mid-section near many populated areas. It moves across southeast Canada and the Maritime provinces and across the North Atlantic where it leaves the planet.
This eclipse likely provides the largest mass migration for an event of this type because the eclipse shadow crosses the ground at or near major cities such as San Antonio, Dallas, Memphis, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Buffalo, and Montreal with major transportation hubs and highway systems.
In southern Illinois, the eclipse briefly passes over the same territory as the 2017 solar eclipse. The 2023 annular eclipse passed across San Antonio. Many sky watchers are returning to those regions to see two total eclipses from one place.
Cities such as Chicago experience a partial eclipse with 94% of the sun covered. Detroit has a 99% eclipse. Nearly all locations in the contiguous US see the sun partly covered.
Historically, the weather prospects are not good for today, although April 8, 2023, was a clear day across the US Midwest. Even with clouds, the sky gets very dark during an eclipse
For future total eclipses in North America, one occurs March 30, 2033 in Alaska and the Arctic Ocean. This is followed by a total eclipse in the northern US, Canada, and Greenland, August 24, 2044. A total eclipse spanning the continental US from west to east occurs the next year on August 12. Partial eclipses occur in North America as well as other solar eclipses occur across the globe.
Summaries of Current Sky Events
Summary for Venus as a Morning Star, 2023-24
Here is today’s planet forecast:
Morning Sky
Mars and Saturn
Mars marches eastward toward Saturn, passing closely in two mornings. This morning the Red Planet is over 5° above the horizon at 45 minutes before daybreak. The planet’s red hue blends into the soft rosy colors of morning twilight. A binocular is needed.
Through the binocular, locate Saturn, 1.7° to the lower left of the Red Planet.
After the impending conjunction, Saturn appears higher in the sky each morning. In two weeks, it is nearly 10° above the horizon at this time interval, but Mars marches eastward, still in the beautiful colors of morning twilight.
Venus, rising only 20 minutes before the sun, is washed out by the sun’s bright light.
Evening Sky
Jupiter
Mercury is rapidly overtaking our planet on an inside orbit. It passes between Earth and Sun in three days. Setting 29 minutes after the sun, the planet is not easily visible tonight.
Bright Jupiter is visible in the western sky after sundown. At one hour after nightfall, the Jovian Giant is less than 15° above the horizon. It is moving eastward in front of Aries, over 12° below the Pleiades star cluster that is part of Taurus.
Look at the star cluster through a binocular as well as the Hyades star cluster. Aldebaran and the Hyades form a letter “V,” outlining the Bull’s head.
Jupiter and Uranus through a Binocular
With the binocular look for Jupiter’s four largest moons. They resemble stars that are close to the planet.
After spotting the moons, tilt the binocular slightly so that Jupiter appears about halfway from the center of the field of view to the six o’clock position in the circular view. Note Delta Arietis (δ Ari on the chart) and Zeta Arietis (ζ Ari), to the upper right of the field. Dimmer stars 53 Arietis (53 Ari) and 54 Arietis (54 Ari) are to Jupiter’s upper right.
Aquamarine Uranus, slightly dimmer than Zeta, but brighter than 53 and 54 is near the center of the field. It resembles a dim star, as a telescope is needed to see the planet’s globe.
Jupiter sets in the west-northwest 151 minutes after the sun, ending today’s planet show.
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