What makes 2024's total solar eclipse so special
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 4 April 2024
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today on “Post Reports,” everything you need to know about Monday’s total solar eclipse. Plus, all the science happening during this event – and what we might learn from it.
Read more:
On April 8, the total solar eclipse will occur over the eastern United States, Mexico and Canada. The 115 mile-wide path of totality will include major cities such as Dallas, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Buffalo – and all of the continental United States will experience at least a partial eclipse.
Science journalist Kasha Patel discusses her efforts to whip up excitement about the momentous event, including articles, stand-up comedy and phone calls to family. And we talk about how to stay safe while viewing the eclipse and the science that will add to our understanding of the sun, our atmosphere and the animals living on our planet.
And before we go, one more piece of news about the eclipse: In New York, inmates are suing the state to allow them to watch the total solar eclipse. For the first time in a century, New York is in the path of totality. The court could rule as soon as Friday, and the inmates are hoping to have a verdict before the eclipse. Look out for that news on our site.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Oh, my |
| 0:03.7 | can I see the eclipse now? |
| 0:05.6 | I did the different phases. |
| 0:07.2 | Did you do this yourself? |
| 0:08.4 | No, I educated people at the nail salon. |
| 0:12.0 | I love it explanation process. |
| 0:15.0 | So what you're going to do is to make the celestial event. |
| 0:19.0 | No, I had to like show them pictures and stuff. |
| 0:21.0 | Yeah. This is Kasha Patel. She writes about science and the environment for the post. |
| 0:30.0 | And recently, that has meant writing a lot about the total solar eclipse, this magical event that is happening on Monday, April 8th. |
| 0:40.0 | Personally, I find it very exciting and I do stand-up comedy on the side and my specialty, I guess, is science-themed comedy. |
| 0:51.0 | So I actually did a little eclipse comedy tour. |
| 0:55.0 | What? |
| 0:56.0 | Yeah, we went to... |
| 0:57.0 | This is like the nerdiest stand-up that I've ever heard of my life. |
| 1:00.0 | Oh, it's special for sure. |
| 1:02.0 | And I get it, right? |
| 1:05.0 | Because like to a normal non-sciencey person, |
| 1:08.0 | like it's not, like you have to want to think it's cool, right? It's like going to an EDM concert or |
| 1:17.0 | scooting to work or coming to a science comedy night. |
| 1:24.0 | You have to want to think it's cool because if you think about it, you can make anything sound not cool, |
| 1:31.0 | right? Like, oh, the total solar eclipse is just like a dark spot in the sky. Oh, |
... |
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