On April 8th 2024 a solar eclipse passed over the United States, Canada, and Mexico. A total solar eclipse is when the moon completely passes over the sun which can make the sun disappear in the middle of the day. It gives the effect of the nighttime when it is mid day.
The last total solar eclipse was only able to be seen from Antartica in 2021. The period of totality lasted for only one minute and fifty four seconds. Which was one of the shorter eclipses. However the last total eclipse that was seen in North America was in 2017 which was the first total eclipse that was ever seen by a lot of generations. According to studies and research the United States won’t see another total solar eclipse until 2044, about twenty years in the future. An eclipse happens somewhere on the planet about every two to three years due to the alignment of the sun and the moon compared to the earth. This also effect where the eclipse can be seen from the earth, all depending on the angles of the direct point of vision.
Although eclipses aren’t necessarily “uncommon”, they are cool to be able to see in your lifetime. Many people will make a big deal out of the eclipse and even travel to a different part of the country to get a better view of the eclipse. Many people travelled to Ohio and New York to view the eclipse because they were going to be best seen there. They put on celebrations and watched the eclipse together. These are the places that the sun would be completely covered and it would go dark during the day. This causes lots of uproar within the public because this is so uncommon for the people to see. Other cities where the eclipse could be seen well in the United States are Vermont, Indiana, and Arkansas. 
As many people have probably seen people using glasses while looking at the eclipse. These solar eclipse glasses are needed to be able to look at the sun during the eclipse without damaging your eyes. Now many people ask “Why is it different from looking into the sun on a regular day?” This is because during a regular day if you look into the sun, it will hurt your eyes and your body will react and squint and likely make your eyes look away because they know that its not good for them. However during a solar eclipse the sun will be covered somewhat by the moon, causing your eyes not to have the reaction that they would regularly have to the sun and allow you to look at it for a longer period of time without feeling any pain. The sun will still have the same effects that it normally would and can burn your retinas. This can cause people to have serious seeing problems such as complete or temporary blindness or obstructed vision. That is why you don’t want to look into the sun without glasses during a solar eclipse.
