The blackout lasts from less than a minute to more than four minutes, depending on the location. The nearly 200-kilometer-wide eclipse area passes over the cities of Dallas, Indianapolis, and Buffalo in the United States, among others.
Parts of North America will experience a rare total solar eclipse today. According to NASA, the US space agency, about 32 million people live in the region of total eclipse, and in addition, a large rush of tourists is expected in the region stretching from Mexico to Canada.
The nearly 200-kilometer-wide eclipse area passes over the cities of Dallas, Indianapolis, and Buffalo in the United States, among others. For example, in Cleveland and Montreal, Canada, schools are closed early so that students can see the eclipse.
The blackout lasts from less than a minute to more than four minutes, depending on the location. The solar eclipse starts around 19:30 Finnish time, and it reaches its peak around 20:45.
The next total solar eclipse will be seen in North America in 2033.
The scientific community is looking forward to the eclipse
Nasa says it will finance it five different projects investigating the effects of a solar eclipse on the Earth’s atmosphere and animal behavior, among other things.
Researcher and astrophysicist working for NASA Kelly Korreck says that researchers have long used solar eclipses for scientific purposes.
– They have helped us detect helium for the first time, provided evidence to support the general theory of relativity and allowed us to better understand the Sun’s influence on the Earth’s upper atmosphere, says Korreck.
The effects of the solar eclipse can also be seen in the economy.
The direct and indirect economic effects of the eclipse have been estimated to reach up to billions of dollars in its area of influence. In many places, for example, hotels are fully booked months ago.
Sources: AP, AFP, STT