Total solar eclipse 2024 In English version

The story of how my wife, daughter, and her stuffed animal went to see the 2024 total solar eclipse. For this total solar eclipse, which could be seen across the Pacific, through the Mexican states of Sinaloa, Durango, and Coahuila, include states of Texas and 14 other states in the US before crossing into Eastern Canada. We observed it in the state of Durango, Mexico.

Journey to See the Total Eclipse
We went to see the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Starting Friday, April 5th, I took time off work, and we flew from Cancun to the city of Aguascalientes. We rented a car at the airport and spent Friday and Saturday nights in the town of Zacatecas.

It was windier and colder at night than expected for April, so the idea of camping somewhere close to a better eclipse view spot seemed impractical. I had called ahead to book some lodgings near small villages on the eclipse path, but everywhere was fully booked.

However, one ranch (a village outskirts area with farmland and simple dwellings) near the town of Naza said camping was possible. We couldn’t decide on it because it was expensive for camping. After arriving, we were not sure if the cold night temperatures would let us sleep while camping. So we decided to stay in Zacatecas with my wife’s sister and her daughters and grandson.

It was just a week after the Easter week, there were many concerts and vendors on the plazas and streets.

The Geographic Eclipse Path
Let me explain what makes a good eclipse viewing location. Unlike a partial or annular eclipse, for a total solar eclipse there is a 250km wide geographic band where the moon completely covers the sun. This path crosses from southwest to northeast in this time. The further from this band, the less of the sun is obscured by the moon.

To see phenomena like the sun's corona and prominences visible during the total eclipse, and the diamond ring effect just before/after totality when one bright point shines through, and a thin ring of inner corona around the moon's silhouette which looks like the ring with a gem, you need to be within this path of totality. In addition, there is also one point along the path where the total eclipse lasts longest, getting shorter the further you are from that point within the path.

So being in that 250km band is crucial, and ideally positioning yourself at or near the point of longest totality duration. But there are various considerations on exactly where and what circumstances to observe from. For example, whether you want to be surrounded by a lot of people and crowds, or prefer a more private viewing with just a small group of friends and family.

Past Total Eclipse Experiences
To explain my thinking for this eclipse, let me describe my past total eclipse experiences. I saw my first one in 1999 in Romania, It is a region famous for the story of Dracula called Trasylvania. A total eclipse happens at the exactly same spot only about every 200 years or so (there are various theories though), leading to jokes about Dracula could come out of his coffin for the first time in 2 centuries during the daytime on that day (I'll save the Dracula story and that eclipse trip for another post).

It was at an amazing scenic viewpoint on a hill with 360 degree views of rolling green countryside. A trance party was organized there, though due to some issues, music duration was limited. But witnessing a total solar eclipse was an unforgettable thrill, of course.

The 1998 total eclipse trance party in the Colombian desert is legend, friends who were there inspiring me, I attended in Romania next year. Perhaps that marked the fusion of the group going to the trance party and the people chasing the eclipse around that point?

Musical festivals were indeed held at eclipse viewing sites near Mazatlan, Mexico and in Texas this time too. To hold events are a continuation of that drift since then. My friends chased eclipses and trance parties to places like Zambia in 2001, Australia in 2002 & 2003, Turkey in 2006, while this time I opted to view more low-key with my wife and daughter.

Eclipse in Japan
In 2009 I traveled to Japan's Yakushima Island to see a total eclipse, but it was cloudy so we all missed it, which was disappointing after such a long journey from where I lived in Mexico then. Yakushima is an amazing place, but that's in another post.

Apparently many were clouded out that day across the surrounding islands, preventing numerous people from being able to view the total eclipse. In the end, those who were able to see it were on ships, as the captains navigated to find clear breaks in the clouds. Some witnessed the eclipse through those cloud gaps thanks to the ships maneuvering.

Weather and Eclipses
That Yakushima experience left me traumatized about cloud risks. April rain chances are low in northern Mexico, but I felt it was crucial to keep our location flexible based on the weather, not to definitively decide on where to be until the last minute.

With no firm lodging reserved and to camp was too cold, the circumstances weren’t ideal, but I didn't want another experience of being clouded out and missing the eclipse view. I was prepared for a scenario of driving to chase any clear skies if needed like those ship captains did.

To Durango State
On the morning of April 7th, 2024, we left the city of Zacatecas and headed north. It was still over a 4-hour drive to the town of Naza in the state of Durango. The previous day, I had tentatively made a reservation to camp at a ranch on the outskirts of a village near Naza. However, I had also been eyeing a state park in Durango which seemed to have a large lake that could be a good spot to view the eclipse based on maps. In Zacatecas, I met someone who had been to that state park and highly recommended it, so I thought it might be nice to camp near there and view the eclipse from the park.

After driving for about 2 hours, the northern skies started to become overcast. The previously blue desert skies seemed deceptive. While the landscape remained desert-like, the further north we went, the darker the sky appeared. I had an uneasy feeling.

With the eclipse happening the next day, I wanted to confirm our actual viewing location beforehand if possible. But it seemed the weather conditions had to take priority over the viewing spot ambiance. I needed to check the weather forecast and cloud movement radar to determine the best place to go.

The forecast indicated chances of clouds increased the further east we went. Considering clouds more likely eastward and difficulty accessing the state park from major roads if needing to re-position westward, I decided the ranch near Naza was the better option. If we needed to move further west the next day due to cloudy skies, the ranch's proximity to a major road would make that easier to manage. I wanted to be flexible in case we had to reposition for clearer skies.

Northern Mexico's Nature
Due to the inland climate and high plateaus of northern Mexico, days are hot when the sun is out, but nights become windy and cold once the sun sets. Most of this northern region is desert terrain. Unlike the sandy dunes of the Sahara, these are dry, rocky deserts dotted with cacti and low-lying, drought-resistant vegetation. Along the paved states road, we could see many bizarrely-shaped rocky mountains and outcrops. Compared to the southeastern Yucatan Peninsula where we live, this landscape seemed like another planet entirely, not just a different part of the same country.

As we neared the town of Naza, the weirdly-shaped rocky mountains appeared similar, but we also started seeing more green vegetation. According to maps, the Naza River flows through here, creating an oasis amid the desert along its banks. Approaching the villages, we could make out lush green crop fields, though we couldn't identify what was being cultivated at first.

For these desert oasis villages that likely never received many outside visitors before, hosting tourists coming to view the total solar eclipse must be an unprecedented major event since the founding of the villages. While it didn't seem overly crowded, these are originally small villages with hardly any lodging facilities available. Whatever accommodations existed were likely fully booked, so even the villagers probably couldn't predict how things would unfold.

Arriving at the Ranch
We went towards the ranch after doing some shopping in the nearby village. We arrived at the ranch with many trees planted regularly, at the end of a bumpy, unpaved road. The trees were walnut trees, and the welcoming person told us that they are a local specialty product in this area. They had a pool just for storing water, and said they would start filling it with water now. I wondered how long it would take to fill it up. Next to it, they seemed to be barbecuing. The friendly Mexican told us "When it's ready, I'll bring some over for you." In the end, we were the first ones to arrive that day, as the people who stayed the previous night had already left. I got a little worried, wondering if it would be the place to stay. They suggested we could pitch our tent in the living area next to the kitchen room inside the building. The floor would be hard but much better than the cold outside I thought. It seemed that a friend of the ranch owner who lives in a town a little far away had planned this event, so that tourists could come camp at this ranch where they sometimes gather for weekend barbecues, and they themselves could also enjoy the total solar eclipse. Perhaps they had actually expected many more guests. Local friends from the village were also helping out, offering to give us a tour of the area in their cars.

The Town of Naza And Surroundings
First, they took us to the nearby town of Naza. Though called a town, it was just slightly larger than the village, without much difference. We were told that the name "Naza" originally referred to a complex basket-like trap made from local vines used for catching fish in the river. We could see people selling these on the street, but mentioned that nowadays no one actually uses them for fishing anymore, and the tradition of making them is being forgotten. Since "Naza" is not a Spanish word, it must be from a local language spoken before the Spanish arrived. The river itself is also called Naza, so perhaps this fishing technique was widely known along the length of this long river. The gradual disappearance of indigenous languages in Mexico, while inevitable with the march of time, also means the loss of associated knowledge, it is sad to see this decline in the world's diversity. There was a bridge crossing over the river, which had too strong a current for swimming. On that Sunday, local people had gathered to spend time on the riverbanks next to the bridge. We crossed over and toured the surrounding villages on the other side, which were told would be the spot to view the longest total eclipse duration of 4 minutes and 28 seconds.

NASA at Naza
We were told that researchers from NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) would also be present. NASA's Parker Solar Probe is currently orbiting very close to the Sun (NASA says it has touched the Sun). It is the fastest human-made object in history and has traveled closest to the Sun. The gravitational forces it experiences are likely the strongest ever encountered by a human-made object. The Sun's outer corona is about 300 times hotter than the surface. This is quite perplexing, as one would expect things to get cooler the farther away from a heat source, like a campfire at night. Yet the opposite happens near the Sun. Scientists have long worked to solve this "coronal heating problem." It is said that combining data from the Parker probe with expert observations of the eclipse on Earth may help unravel this solar mystery. Speaking of total solar eclipses, a famous observation took place on May 29, 1919. During totality, the sky darkens enough to see stars. Among ongoing debates about Einstein's general theory of relativity, Arthur Eddington's observations provided evidence. By observing stars near the Sun during totality, their light was seen to bend slightly due to the Sun's gravitational field, causing a minor positional shift. Comparing the measured shift to the value predicted by general relativity confirmed the theory's validity.

Ancient and Medieval Eclipses
In ancient times, before the periodicity of total solar eclipses was understood, people must have been utterly astonished if such an event suddenly occurred overhead. Eclipses were especially feared in medieval Christian Europe. Even in modern times when eclipses can be accurately predicted, some people still view them with awe.

Unfortunately, the books of the Maya were destroyed by Spanish Christian missionaries on the Yucatan Peninsula, so few original Maya texts survive today. However, four remaining Maya codices written in classical Maya glyphs provide some insights.

The Dresden Codex, from pages 51 to 58, apparently contains accurate predictions of eclipses occurring over a 33-year period in the 8th century. It also records orbits of Mars and Venus, and their conjunction cycles, standing as firm evidence of Maya astronomical sophistication.

Other eclipse records exist in the Madrid and Paris Codices (named after where they are housed). Texts like the Chilam Balam books and Popol Vuh were oral traditions transcribed using the Latin alphabet, not original Maya glyphs.

The practice of human sacrifice, which the Toltec civilization is believed to have influenced other Mesoamerican tribes, was also carried out by the Aztecs and late Maya period civilizations, timed according to their calendars. Captives from other tribes were selected, and their blood and hearts were offered to ensure the sun's return. It is thought that the late Maya and other civilizations may have also performed such rituals on the days of total solar eclipses.

The Villagers
Carlos, who gave us a tour by car, was originally from a village near the town of Naza. Like many northern Mexicans, he had gone to work in the United States in his younger days. However, he decided that living an easygoing agricultural lifestyle in his birth village was better, so he returned a few years ago. The lush green fields surrounding the village were planted with alfalfa, used for raising horses that contribute to the local economy – a scene that epitomized rural Mexico, I thought. Apparently, children in these parts start caring for their own horses and helping out at home from as young as 9 years old. We witnessed tiny kids riding large horses, strolling through the village. Perhaps they were just tasked with running errands like fetching supplies from the local shops. The sight of young children so adeptly handling big horses was fascinating.

The Desert River
Despite the harsh desert conditions surrounding them, one river makes life possible for people and animals alike. Those who rely solely on the river to survive are indeed very resilient, as without it, existence would be nearly impossible. The contrast between the oasis and desert is stark. Seeing Mexicans return from cities in the United States made me ponder what constitutes happiness and true freedom. Living a simple life sustained by the river amid the harsh natural environment is difficult, yet some perceive more joy and liberty in this way compared to advanced urban societies.

There is a famous Mexican joke. An American tourist sees a Mexican napping in a hammock during the day and asks, "What do you do for a living?" The Mexican replies, "I'm a fisherman. I went fishing early and came back." The American retorts, "Why don't you work more instead of lounging in a hammock?" The Mexican asks, "What would I gain by working more?" The American responds, "If you worked harder, you could earn enough to buy your own ship, hire people, and catch more fish." The Mexican asks, "And then what would I gain?" The American says, "With more fish, you wouldn't have to work so hard and could relax more." As the Mexican rolls over, he replies, "But I already have that."

The Night Before
When we returned to the ranch, a couple that had driven for 16 hours straight from the state of Morelos had also arrived. It seemed we were the only guests, while the rest were friends of the ranch owners gathering for another barbecue. We had a light dinner and tried to take rest for the next day, but after my wife and daughter went into the tent, I couldn't fall asleep as I kept checking the weather forecast and maps. What if it's cloudy in the morning? How long would it take us to depart and reach a clearer area, and by what time would we need to make that decision? Which route should we drive? The night dragged on, staring at my phone screen.

The Day Of
Upon waking, I immediately looked up at the sky. The weather was ambiguous. For now, the sky was mostly clear, but the forecast predicted deteriorating conditions with clouds moving in from the east. We decided to have breakfast and see how the weather developed. The ranch staff began preparing a pre-eclipse brunch. Apparently, they had been simmering an entire cow's head in a large pot all night. I was amazed at how much edible meat a cow's head could provide.

As predicted, thin clouds gradually started to appear. I was agonizing over what to do. My wife and daughter left the decision to me, saying I should make the call. My wife checked with one of the ranch staff, who had a friend in the city of Torreón to the northeast. The friend confirmed by phone that it was cloudy there, aligning with the weather forecast.

Honestly, I dreaded the idea of searching for a new eclipse viewing spot at this point. Various scenarios raced through my mind, like ending up watching from some random roadside spot or missing the eclipse entirely due to relocating. However, considering the possibility of needing to depart, we began preparing by packing all our belongings and food from the tent into the car, ready to leave if necessary.

Once we were set to go, I looked up at the sky again. Wait a minute, the moon was already starting to cover part of the sun! I had miscalculated the timing by an hour. I thought we still had an hour to drive, but apparently, I was mistaken. Since the eclipse was already visible, there was no point in going anywhere else now. Let's watch it here, I decided! I could imagine people saying, "You realized that now?"

The Solar eclipse
We took out the mats from the car to lay on the grass around the planted walnut trees and borrowed chairs from the ranch to start our relaxed viewing. We sat, laid down, and changed positions while wearing our eclipse glasses to watch. Gradually, it seemed as if the moon was eating the sun. The sun was being eclipsed like the phases of the moon, bit by bit every few minutes.

I tried taking photos by covering my smartphone camera lens with the eclipse glasses, but it didn't work well on auto settings. After manually adjusting various settings, I managed to take fairly good photos with my smartphone. The photos at the beginning of this article were taken with my smartphone without any filters. Of course, they can't compare to images captured with specialized cameras or telescopes, but I was amazed that it was possible to get photos using just a smartphone.

As the moon progressively covered the sun, it started to get slightly cooler. It felt very strange to experience cooling temperatures in the middle of the day at an oasis in the desert. Also, the sunlight filtering through the gaps between the leaves of the trees, the dappled light, appeared to be partially eclipsed. It's hard to describe, but just as the sun itself looked eclipsed, the patches of sunlight on the ground also looked like they had bites taken out of them. Apparently, this is called the pinhole camera effect

The duration of overlapping
The moon began gradually covering the sun before noon, and after just over an hour, the complete overlap of the moon and sun drew very close. It got increasingly cooler, the blue of the sky deepened, and the horizon started to resemble the evening sky after the sun had set. It grew darker and darker, and while the sky wasn't as dark as night, it turned a unique deep azure. The sun's light visibly narrowed, and the moon's movement could be seen in the thinning crescent.

The last sliver of the sun's edge disappeared, and the moon completely obscured the sun. The two celestial bodies appeared perfectly aligned. The sun's corona illuminated the Earth, so it wasn't the color of night, but stars were visible. The sun wasn't blindingly bright—or rather, it couldn't be seen directly at all—so we could look at the overlapping celestial pair with the naked eye.

Amidst the sky and landscape painted in an extraordinary color, neither night nor dusk, all we could do was stand and gaze upward. Goosebumps rose on our skin, stunned by the celestial spectacle. We were speechless, mouths agape, unable to look away. Of course, we also observed the surrounding scenery and the strange hue of the sky, but the cause was the two celestial bodies high above. It was a mystical 4 minutes and 28 seconds where time seemed to lose meaning.

As the period of complete overlap passed, the moon shifted ever so slightly, revealing a thin strand of the sun beside it. Startled by the intensity of that light, we hurriedly put our eclipse glasses back on. The brightness and power of the sun were palpable, even in that small sliver. The sun's blessings are not to be underestimated. The moon continued to inch along, exposing the opposite side of the sun than before, reversing the eclipse. The colors of the sky and the landscape gradually transformed once more, slowly brightening and warming. Over the next hour or so, we returned to everyday normalcy, albeit with the lingering afterglow of those precious minutes.

Laws of the Universe
I'm not sure which is more improbable: the chance of a satellite as large as the moon orbiting the Earth at just the right distance to match its apparent size with the sun's or the possibility of life emerging on Earth. But it's arguably the most intimate cosmic mystery for humankind. In our solar system, the ratio of a moon's size to its host planet is unparalleled, and even among observed exoplanets and their satellites, the Earth-moon size ratio is quite rare.

Nature's blessings allow us to live, and the natural world of this planet is one facet of the universe's laws. The fact that we can look up at the sky and witness these grand principles at work, even if we are unaware of their intricacies, is evidence that we ourselves are part of the mystery.

The odds are infinitesimal. Over an immense span of time, the universe formed from dust into its current state. The sun, moon, and Earth found equilibrium, and water was brought to this planet. Countless species emerged, disappeared, and evolved, coexisting and forming their own societies and families. Out of thousands or millions of sperm, I was conceived from the egg of that moment, born as myself. Now, I've come to this desert oasis to gaze at the sky.

To borrow the words of Dr. Stephen Hawking, we humans are not at the center of the universe; we reside on a minor planet orbiting an ordinary star. Yet, we are extraordinary in our ability to observe and comprehend this by looking up at the sky.

We must use our wisdom to stop suffocating ourselves. The occurrence of such improbable events is indeed mysterious, and we should not forget to be grateful. We feel happier when we seize an opportunity—while we can still perceive it as such.