A Baptist, a Muslim, a Seventh-day Adventist, two Santeros and an atheist imprisoned in the Woodbourne prison (New York) filed a lawsuit a few days ago against the prison for its decision not to leave them outside during the total eclipse of Monday sun. Everyone, including the atheist, claimed that they considered it a religious event and that it violated his rights to prevent them from seeing it. Finally, they have reached an agreement with prison officials and will be able to see this Monday how the Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth. The satellite's shadow will travel across North America from south to north and from east to west, crossing Mexico, the United States and Canada on its way. Along with the Woodbourne prisoners, millions of citizens will look to the sky. Eclipse fever is unleashed.
The phenomenon has already left its trail before arriving. Hotel prices in the path of totality, the area where the Moon will completely block the Sun, have skyrocketed. Millions of tourists eager for experiences travel hundreds or thousands of kilometers to witness the cosmic spectacle in its fullness.
Hotels are not the only ones that have seen a business opportunity. Airlines like Southwest and Delta have announced flight routes to view the eclipse, New York skyscrapers have hosted exclusive parties, and there are also eclipse cruises to view it from the water. Many festivals and events have been organized. In the eclipse areas, not only glasses are sold to look at the Sun without suffering eye injuries, but also t-shirts and souvenirs of all kinds. Numerous fast food chains have launched offers inspired by the event and local restaurants have also organized special menus and parties.
Krispy Kreme sells the “total solar eclipse doughnut,” in collaboration with Oreo. The donut is the sun and the cookie is the moon that passes through it. Vanilla and chocolate provide the color range. Sonic has launched the blackout slushie with “galactic chips”. Frito Lay, from the Pepsico group, has had the collaboration of an astronaut, Kellie Gerardi, to offer a special limited edition of the eclipse of potato chips flavored with “pineapple habanero and spicy black bean gouda cheese.” According to the company, the recipe “blends ingredients reminiscent of sunny skies and bright days ahead, while winking at the moon with a hint of cheese.” It is not very clear what the astronaut's responsibility is in all this, but Frito Lay is responsible for making it clear in a tone of astonishment that Gerardi "has literally gone to space."
Some media outlets have proposed their soundtracks for the phenomenon.
Total eclipse of the heart,
by Bonnie Tyler, hardly has a rival, but there is no shortage of songs by Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Rosalía or Pink Floyd in the suggested playlists.
The Canadian region of Niagara (Ontario) has declared a state of emergency to prepare for the flood of visitors. The falls, on the border between the United States and Canada, are in the path of the total eclipse. The city's mayor, Jim Diodati, said a few weeks ago that he hopes that on Monday all visitation records will be broken to a place that already attracts mass tourism. Due to expected heavy traffic and other disruptions, hundreds of schools have decided to close or hold classes remotely in Texas, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont. The baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins has had to be delayed four hours due to the eclipse, so that the playing field does not darken shortly after it starts.
The last total eclipse that the United States experienced, in 2017, caused fuel shortages, lack of telephone coverage in certain areas and collapse of services, including restaurants, in areas that multiplied their population suddenly. After the pandemic, in the midst of the phenomenon of consumer revenge, with the rise of social networks and the thirst for experiences, an even greater mobilization is expected. Additionally, the next total solar eclipse in the United States will not be until 2033 and will be limited to Alaska. In 2044 the Moon's shadow will darken western Canada, Montana and North Dakota. In 2045, a total solar eclipse will cross the country from California to Florida.
Hays County, Texas, has posted on its website the recommended contents of the “survival bag” for the eclipse: protective glasses, drinking water, food, medication for two or three days, cell phone and charger, maps forms and compass, first aid kit, sunburn medication, cash in case ATMs and credit cards don't work...
“It will be one of the biggest tourism events the state has ever seen,” says Michael Pakko, an economist at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “I can't imagine any other event that will have the same number of visitors as we will receive this weekend in Arkansas. We expect many visitors to come to our region, and visitors tend to spend money, so we hope it will have a significant economic impact,” he explains in an emailed message.
The path of the total eclipse will make landfall in Mazatlán (Mexico), on the Pacific coast, at 11:07 local time. After leaving its shadow in Durango, Torreón and Monclova, it will cross into the United States through the hectic Eagle Pass border crossing at 1:27 p.m. local time. In Texas it will also cover San Antonio, Austin and Dallas after noon. On its way north, it will also darken Little Rock (Arkansas), Indianapolis (Indiana), Cleveland (Ohio) and Buffalo (New York). On the border with Canada it will completely cover Niagara Falls, skim Toronto and completely block the Sun in part of Montreal before heading to the North Atlantic through Newfoundland. The towns of Cape Girardeau (Missouri) and Carbondale (Illinois), which were already in the path of the eclipse in 2017, now repeat.
Approximately 44 million people live along the route where the eclipse will be total, and another 200 million in a strip of about 300 kilometers wide where the obscuration will be significant, which suggests that it will be the most viewed eclipse on the continent. in the history. It will be noticeable to a greater or lesser extent in much of North America, including percentages of 85% to 90% in large Eastern cities such as New York, Boston or Washington. In any case, the difference compared to the total eclipse is very large, since even 1% of sunlight prevents darkness.
The total eclipse will last longer than usual because the Moon will be only 360,000 kilometers from Earth, one of the closest approaches between the two in the year, which will cause an especially long and intense period of darkness when they align. The total eclipse will have its longest duration when it passes through Mexico: 4 minutes and 28 seconds. In other places, such as New York state, it will last just a minute and a half. Scientists will take the opportunity to do various experiments.
If the sky is clear, a comet and four planets can be seen during the total eclipse. Jupiter will be to the left of the Sun and Venus to the right. Saturn and Mars will be to the right of Venus, but fainter. Even comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, which is passing in front of the Earth as it does every 71 years, could be seen near Jupiter, although in the latter case a telescope will most likely be needed. Although, above all, what is needed is a clear day. Clouds are expected in large areas of the route. You can always wait for the next eclipse. The next two total solar eclipses, on January 12, 2026 and August 2, 2027, will pass through Spain.
A frog that swallows the Sun
Cultural accounts of the solar eclipse in Native American cultures vary greatly, according to Erin Fehr, deputy director and archivist at the National Sequoyah Research Center at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock. This weekend, Fehr explained this interaction between mythology and science in ancient American cultures at an event at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. "The Navajo consider the solar eclipse a sacred time of silence and meditation. They stay home and do not eat, drink or sleep. They reflect on their lives. When the eclipse ends, it is considered a time of rebirth and renewal. Some consider the solar eclipse as a new year and they make resolutions. Although it is a sacred moment and one should not look at the Sun, some do. It depends on each family," he explains in a message sent to EL PAÍS with part of the content of his intervention.
The Cherokees, for their part, have a story that tells of a giant frog that swallows the Sun. "When the frog swallows the Sun, everything becomes dark. The Cherokees have to figure out how to get the frog to spit out the Sun. The men take rifles and pistols, shoot in the air and beat drums. The women take shell shakers and bang pots and pans. They make a lot of noise to scare the frog into spitting out the Sun. That is the end of the eclipse, and it ends with a celebration of the return of the Sun," he explains.
"I think it's interesting to learn how different cultures view a given event," Fehr says. "A total solar eclipse is a phenomenon that can be seen once in a lifetime. It is a great opportunity."
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