Mazatlán Eclipsed

While the Earth typically experiences two to five partial solar eclipses every year, there are only one or two total solar eclipses during that same year. On average, a total eclipse occurs above a given point on Earth once every 375 years ...

The last time a total eclipse happened in North America was in 2017, the next time this will happen won’t be until 2044. Over a period of seven months starting this month, Mazatlán and Mexico will have experienced two solar eclipses. During the first, which occurred on this past October 14, Mazatlecos were able to view what appeared to them to be a partial eclipse, but for viewers in the states of Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo, the eclipse was total. The second total eclipse will occur on April 8, 2024. Its path will be directly overhead of the city, and will be viewed by Mazatlecos as a total solar eclipse.

In the lead up to the October event, there have been some excellent articles published on various websites explaining the ins and outs of eclipses. One of the best that I have come across was featured on the New York Times website and contained some very well-done and interesting graphics (derived from NASA data) explaining the fundamentals of eclipses. After some brief contemplation of the ethics involved, I rationalized that the Times would not mind if I “borrowed” some of those graphics for this post, as long as I made sure to give the paper full credit. So here is a link to the article which, unfortunately, is behind a paywall: Maps of the 2023 ’Ring of Fire’ Solar Eclipse. The article focuses on the October eclipse, but the concepts also apply to the upcoming April event.

An eclipse of the sun (solar eclipse) occurs when the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun line up with one another such that the moon, positioned between the sun and the earth, blocks out the light from the sun throwing a shadow on the earth (yes, I’m probably not telling you anything you didn’t already know). Here is an image from the Times article depicting the relationship between those celestial bodies during a solar eclipse:

When the moon is relatively far from the Earth, it does not completely block the light from the Sun during a "total" eclipse, (i.e., when the moon’s outline is centered on the Sun’s disk). This is termed an annular eclipse and is evidenced by a blindingly bright ring surrounding the entire circumference of the Moon. So while the relationships between Earth, Sun, and Moon are the same as for a total eclipse, an annular eclipse is not truly "total" because some of the Sun's light is still in view. The October 14 event was an annular eclipse.

Mazatlán did not experience the ring effect because the city was not in the path of annularity (the path along which the eclipse's annular ring is present). As shown on the figure below (see my crude red arrow locating Maz), Mazatlán viewers saw a crescent-shaped Sun (partial eclipse) that was only 60-70% obscured by the Moon’s shadow.

The popular term for the bright annular ring is "ring of fire" - maybe the inspiration for this song?:

During the April 8, 2024 eclipse, the Moon will be close enough to the Earth such that the eclipse will totally block the Sun with no annular ring - a true "total" eclipse. As you can see from the image below (courtesy of NASA) the path for this eclipse is approximately 90 degrees out from the path of the October event. The different orientation has to do with the tilt of the Earth, the nature of the Sun and Moon orbits, and the time of year - it's complicated:

On April 8, 2024, a partial eclipse will begin at 10:51 AM. At 12:07 PM, the partial will become total and an eerie darkness will descend over Mazatlan, and will persist for some four and one-half minutes. During those minutes, the stars and planets will be visible, but the only natural light will be the solar corona, which streams out into space above the Sun's surface. If you want to know how I know this timing, you can view the animation in the video below.

There are many religious and cultural beliefs regarding the appearance of solar eclipses. For instance, the Navajo Nation in the American southwest refers to eclipses in their language as jóhonaa'éí daaztsą́ — which means "the death of the sun", and, as explained in this article, observes proscribed respectful behaviors during the event. I asked Google's Bard artificial intelligence chat service (named after the "Bard of Avon", William Shakespeare) to list some other beliefs in cultures around the world:

In addition to religious beliefs, there are also many other cultural beliefs associated with solar eclipses. For example, some people believe that solar eclipses can cause pregnant women to miscarry or give birth to deformed babies. Others believe that solar eclipses can cause animals to behave erratically or even die."

NASA has a definite interest in viewing the 2024 total eclipse from Mazatlan. NASA scientists will be arriving in early December to install telescopes at various locations throughout the city. The Mexico Daily Post has the story: NASA in Mazatlán with telescopes, transmissions and more for the eclipse.

Mazatlán is hosting a number of events and activities leading up to the eclipse. These events are intended to educate the public about the eclipse and help them to prepare for it safely. In addition, travel agencies, photography buffs, colleges, astronomical societies, etc., are all making preparations to visit Maz for the event (do a google search for "mazatlan preparations for the total eclipse in april 2024").

Here are some tips for preparing to view the eclipse:

Note: We will be posting here any new developments or interesting items regarding the total eclipse between now and April 8th. We will also likely be including some eclipse-related articles in the Pacific Pearl in anticipation of the event.