The increase in solar activity also ups the chances of a coronal mass ejection, a large puff of hot gas trapped in a loop of magnetic field that’s blasted away from the sun’s surface.Ī longer time to observe the eclipse and a more active sun will make it both a better show and a boon for scientists who have more telescopes, sensors and satellites available to study the sun than ever before. As a result, lots of bright, petal-like streamers of plasma will extend from the solar corona, the sun’s outer atmosphere. That’s the peak of its roughly 11-year activity cycle. What’s more, the sun will be close to solar maximum in 2024. That’s almost two minutes longer than the Great American Eclipse of 2017 ( SN: 8/11/17). ![]() As a result, for anyone fortunate enough to make it to the path of totality - where the moon completely blocks out the sun’s disk - it will be an especially dark eclipse that will last for nearly 4½ minutes. The moon will be at a point in its orbit that’s comparatively close to Earth in April, making the moon appear particularly large. Why will this eclipse last longer and feature a more active sun? Here are a few things to know about this spectacular event. All of that means that it’s an especially rare opportunity for casual observers and scientists alike. ![]() It will also be the last major eclipse to cross North America for 20 years.
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