What Time to See the Solar Eclipse Broken Down by State

Tens of millions of people live in the path of the highly-anticipated total solar eclipse passing through the U.S. on Monday, April 8, with others planning to travel to see it. 

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

The total eclipse, during which the moon passes between Earth and the sun and blocks the face of the sun, will enter the country in Texas before passing through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reported. 

Slivers of Tennessee and Michigan will also catch glimpses of totality, NASA said, although what you can see during an eclipse depends on the weather in your location, as cloud cover can affect visibility.

Read More: Helpful Tips for Planning Your Solar Eclipse Trip

Below is a list of local times to see the total eclipse in states with the best views, according to NASA. You can search more locations on NASA’s interactive eclipse map or view lists of total eclipse cities and all eclipse spots—both resources recommended by scientist Samaiyah Farid.

Texas 

Totality will hit Dallas from 1:40 p.m. to 1:44 p.m. The partial eclipse will start at 12:23 p.m. and finish at 3:02 p.m. 

Oklahoma 

The partial eclipse begins in Idabel at 12:28 p.m., with totality hitting at 1:45 p.m. and concluding at 1:49 p.m. The partial eclipse ends at 3:06 p.m. 

Arkansas 

The partial eclipse commences at 12:33 p.m. in Little Rock, followed by the total eclipse from 1:51 p.m. to 1:54 p.m. The partial eclipse concludes at 3:11 p.m. 

Missouri 

People in Poplar Bluff will experience the partial eclipse starting at 12:39 p.m., with totality from 1:56 p.m. to 2 p.m., and witness the partial eclipse’s end at 3:15 p.m.

Read More: The Best Apps for the Solar Eclipse

Kentucky

If you’re in Paducah, start looking for the partial eclipse at 12:42 p.m. Totality will last from 2 p.m. to 2:02 p.m. The partial eclipse will extend until 3:18 p.m. 

Illinois 

Carbondale will see a partial eclipse starting at 12:42 p.m., followed by the total eclipse from 1:59 p.m. to 2:03 p.m., with the partial eclipse ending at 3:18 p.m. 

Indiana 

Evansville will experience the partial eclipse starting at 12:45 p.m., followed by totality from 2:02 p.m. to 2:05 p.m., with the partial eclipse finishing at 3:20 p.m. 

Ohio 

Cleveland will spot the partial eclipse starting at 1:59 p.m. The total eclipse will run from 3:13 p.m. to 3:17 p.m. The entire eclipse will be over at 4:29 p.m. 

Pennsylvania 

The partial eclipse will begin in the city of Erie at 2:02 p.m. Totality extends from 3:16 p.m. to 3:20 p.m., with the entire eclipse over by 4:30 p.m. 

New York 

Buffalo will experience the partial eclipse beginning at 2:04 p.m., then the total eclipse from 3:18 p.m. to 3:22 p.m., with the entire event concluding at 4:32 p.m.

Read More: Is It Safe to Fly During a Solar Eclipse?

Vermont 

The partial eclipse will begin to be visible in Burlington at 2:14 p.m. Totality extends from 3:26 p.m. to 3:29 p.m. The partial eclipse is over at 4:37 p.m. 

New Hampshire 

In Lancaster, the partial eclipse commences at 2:16 p.m. Totality lasts from 3:27 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The eclipse is over at 4:38 p.m. 

Maine 

The partial eclipse will descend upon Caribou at 2:22 p.m. Totality will engulf the city from 3:32 p.m. to 3:34 p.m. The partial eclipse will cease at 4:40 p.m. 

source https://time.com/6963975/what-time-to-see-solar-eclipse-us-states/

Marjorie Taylor Greene Responds to Backlash Over Comments About Northeast Earthquake

U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, doubled down on comments about Friday’s earthquake in the Northeast and the upcoming solar eclipse expected across North America as signs from God in response to online criticism.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

On Friday, in the wake of a 4.8 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter in New Jersey that rattled the Northeast, Greene posted on X, formerly Twitter, that she viewed the natural phenomena as divine symbolism.

“God is sending America strong signs to tell us to repent. Earthquakes and eclipses and many more things to come. I pray that our country listens,” Greene wrote.

Readers added context in response to Greene’s comment, culminating in a community note appearing under the original post. They pointed out that astronomers have known for years that April 8’s solar eclipse will take place. Additionally, the National Earthquake Information Center reports around 55 earthquakes happen a day around the globe, caused by movement between the earth’s tectonic plates on active or inactive faults.

Greene responded to the online backlash on Sunday, posting on X: “Many have mocked and scoffed at this post and even put community notes.” She quoted a passage from the Bible where Jesus said to a crowd: “You know how to interpret the appearance of the Earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?”

“Yes, eclipses are predictable and earthquakes happen and we know when comets are passing by, however God created all of these things and uses them to be signs for those of us who believe,” Greene wrote.

Many have mocked and scoffed at this post and even put community notes.

Jesus talked about that in Luke 12:54-56.

Yes eclipses are predictable and earthquakes happen and we know when comets are passing by, however God created all of these things and uses them to be signs for… https://t.co/BPs70oNXx3

— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) April 7, 2024

The far-right Republican often makes headlines for her comments. In March, the Donald Trump supporter swore at a British journalist at the end of an on-camera interview when asked about a conspiracy theory she had espoused. Greene also interrupted President Joe Biden during his State of the Union speech, leading him to deliver impromptu remarks in response about Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, whose murder has become a flashpoint in immigration debates this election year.

source https://time.com/6964423/marjorie-taylor-greene-backlash-response-earthquake-conspiracies/

How English’s Global Dominance Fails Us

Back in 2012, in an op-ed for the New York Times, former Harvard president Lawrence Summers questioned whether the “substantial investment” to learn another language was “universally worthwhile” given rapidly changing machine translation and the “fragmentation of languages” worldwide. Over time, he said, mastering a language would become “less essential in doing business in Asia, treating patients in Africa, or helping resolve conflicts in the Middle East.” 

The subsequent years of globalization, mass migration, and geopolitical conflicts have proven Summers dead wrong. Although AI generated translation has become increasingly accurate, it lacks the essential human element and the cultural sensitivity that comes with learning a language. And while English has continued to be the favored lingua franca in many parts of the world, other languages like Chinese and Spanish are increasingly chipping away at its dominance. English, long considered the primary language for business, has never been as universal or sufficient as conventionally believed.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

As the world’s economy has become increasingly globalized, employers across sectors, from multinationals to small businesses and government agencies, now look for workers with multiple language skills. That leaves much of the monolingual Anglosphere at a major disadvantage.

The indifference, or resistance, among native English speakers to learning other languages is a recurring topic of finger-pointing and handwringing among globally aware policymakers. Across the English-speaking world, commentators decry the “foreign language deficit” and the failure of countries to prepare young people for the global economy. Data from the U.S. is especially revealing. Though U.S. students are enrolling in study-abroad programs in record numbers, most of them opt to take classes and even entire degree programs offered in English, a growing possibility especially in European universities.

With the exception of Korean in part for K-pop appeal, enrollment in language courses, from elementary school through college, is steadily declining. Some higher education institutions have dropped foreign languages as a condition for admission or permit students to “test out” of coursework if they can demonstrate proficiency. Some have nearly eviscerated their foreign language programs. Most recently, West Virginia University’s decision to ax all foreign language degrees made national headlines. The irony is that many universities are embracing an international mission, opening campuses abroad, recruiting students from other countries, and claiming to prepare citizens of the world. The apparent assumption is that the world speaks English.

That assumption rings hollow on the facts. Only one-quarter of the world’s population has some degree of competence in English. Even those who claim conversational skills often don’t operate at a high level of proficiency. And so monolingual English speakers cannot communicate with three-quarters of the world, nor can they tap into knowledge created in those languages. Beyond the limits this may place on their career and business opportunities, it can also make English-speakers more politically and culturally isolated, by leaving them unable to access how the world digests their politics or fully understand newsworthy developments abroad. Print and broadcast media—and increasingly web content too—speak in many voices and worldviews.

Read More: The Internet Is Changing the English Language. Is That a Good Thing?

Unlike the Anglosphere, most of the world is at least bilingual, with English often in the mix. That is true within E.U. countries, partly the result of migration and partly encouraged by education policies, as well as the vast store of intersecting languages in postcolonial countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and elsewhere. Many people in these countries continue to choose adding English to their diverse linguistic repertoire. That’s why English today has 1.5 billion speakers worldwide, compared to around 1.1 billion for Mandarin Chinese, 600 million for Hindi, and 550 million for Spanish. That’s despite English ranking behind Mandarin Chinese and Spanish in the number of speakers for whom the language is the first one learned.

To what degree the decision to learn English is a matter of choice, chance, or expediency varies widely within and between countries. The same can be said for English speaking countries, where the study of languages as well as study abroad opportunities are unequally available depending on race and socioeconomic factors. A form of “elite multilingualism” with English as a key component is spreading worldwide and leaving many native English speakers on the sidelines.

It is not unreasonable to foresee another lingua franca pushing English aside someday. Spanish, spoken on five major continents, might prove to be the most viable successor. In the meantime, rather than reveling in English’s dominance or tolerating it as a necessary evil, key decision makers should accept English as a core component of multilingualism and decisively move toward educating informed citizens who can transcend linguistic and cultural borders. It’s a message the Anglosphere most needs to hear.

source https://time.com/6963810/english-global-lingua-franca/

Why Mexico Is Breaking Diplomatic Ties With Ecuador

QUITO, Ecuador — Mexico’s government ended diplomatic ties with Ecuador after police broke into the Mexican Embassy late Friday to arrest a former Ecuadorian vice president, an extraordinary use of force that shocked and mystified regional leaders and diplomats.

Ecuadorian police broke through the external doors of the embassy in the capital, Quito, to arrest Jorge Glas, who had been residing there since December. Glas sought political asylum at the embassy after being indicted on corruption charges.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

The raid prompted Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to announce the breaking of diplomatic relations with Ecuador Friday evening, while his government’s foreign relations secretary said the move will be challenged at the World Court in The Hague.

“This is not possible. It cannot be. This is crazy,” Roberto Canseco, head of the Mexican consular section in Quito, told local press while standing outside the embassy right after the raid. “I am very worried because they could kill him. There is no basis to do this. This is totally outside the norm.”

On Saturday, Glas was taken by armored vehicle from the attorney general’s office to an airport, where he boarded an aircraft for a flight to the port city of Guayaquil, 265 miles (425 kilometers) south of Quito. People who had gathered outside the prosecutor’s office yelled “strength” as the convoy of police and military vehicles moved off.

Ecuador’s corrections agency said Glas will remain in custody at a maximum-security facility in Guayaquil.

Authorities are investigating Glas over alleged irregularities during his management of reconstruction efforts following a powerful earthquake in 2016 that killed hundreds of people. He was convicted on bribery and corruption charges in other cases.

The office of Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa defended the raid in a statement, saying “Ecuador is a sovereign nation” that will not “allow any criminal to stay free.” López Obrador fired back, calling Glas’ detention an “authoritarian act” and “a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of Mexico.”

Alicia Bárcena, Mexico’s secretary of foreign relations, posted on the social platform X that a number of diplomats suffered injuries during the break-in, adding that it violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Diplomatic premises are considered “inviolable” under the Vienna treaties and local law enforcement agencies are not allowed to enter without the permission of the ambassador. People seeking asylum have lived anywhere from days to years living at embassies around the world, including at Ecuador’s in London, which housed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for seven years because British police could not enter to arrest him.

The decision of Ecuadorian authorities was condemned by presidents, diplomats and a regional body on Saturday.

Honduran President Xiomara Castro, writing on X, characterized the raid as “an intolerable act for the international community” and a “violation of the sovereignty of the Mexican State and international law” because “it ignores the historical and fundamental right to asylum.”

The Organization of American States in a statement reminded its members, which include Ecuador and Mexico, of their “obligation” to not “invoke norms of domestic law to justify non-compliance with their international obligations.”

“In this context, it (the OAS) expresses solidarity with those who were victims of the inappropriate actions that affected the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador,” according to the statement released Saturday. The organization added that it deemed a meeting of its permanent council “necessary to address the issue,” but did not set a date.

Bárcena on Friday said Mexico would take the case to the International Court of Justice “to denounce Ecuador’s responsibility for violations of international law.” She also said Mexican diplomats were only waiting for the Ecuadorian government to offer the necessary guarantees for their return home.

Noboa became Ecuador’s president last year as the nation battled unprecedented crime tied to drug trafficking. After a group of armed individuals assaulted a TV station during a live broadcast in January, he declared the country in an “internal armed conflict” and designated 20 drug-trafficking gangs as terrorist groups that the military had authorization to “neutralize” within the bounds of international humanitarian law.

Will Freeman, a fellow of Latin American studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the decision to send police to Mexico’s embassy raises concerns over the steps Noboa is willing to take to get reelected. His tenure ends in 2025 as he was only elected to finish the term of former President Guillermo Lasso.

“I really hope Noboa is not turning more in a Bukele direction,” Freeman said referring to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, whose tough-on-crime policies have been heavily criticized by human rights organizations. “That’s to say less respectful of rule of law in order to get a boost to his popularity ahead of the elections.”

Freeman added that whether Glas was abusing diplomatic protection is a “separate issue” from the decision to send police to the embassy.

“We see a pattern of that in Latin America with politicians abusing embassies and foreign jurisdictions, not to flee prosecution but to flee accountability,” he said.

Ecuador’s ministries of foreign affairs and interior did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Associated Press.

Former Ecuadorian ambassador Jorge Icaza told AP that the raid was illegal, but he added that it is also against the law to protect “a criminal who was punished by the Ecuadorian justice system in two prominent cases, which is also negative from the point of view of international norms.”

The Mexican Embassy in Quito remained under heavy police guard after the raid — the boiling point of recent tensions between Mexico and Ecuador.

On Thursday, tensions escalated after López Obrador made statements that Ecuador considered “very unfortunate” about last year’s election. In response, the Ecuadorian government declared the Mexican ambassador persona non grata.

source https://time.com/6964342/mexico-breaks-diplomatic-ties-with-ecuador/

Israel’s Military Recovers the Body of a Hostage in Gaza During Night Raid

CAIRO — Israel’s military said Saturday it had recovered the body of a 47-year-old farmer who was held hostage in Gaza, while negotiators prepared to begin another round of talks Sunday on brokering a cease-fire and securing the release of the remaining hostages, six months into the war.

Israel’s army said it had found the body of Elad Katzir and believed he was killed in January by militants with Islamic Jihad, one of the groups that entered southern Israel in the Oct. 7 attack, killed more than 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. Katzir had been abducted from Nir Oz, a border community that suffered some of the heaviest losses.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

The discovery renewed pressure on Israel’s government for a deal to get the remaining hostages freed, as families have long feared time is running out. At least 36 hostages in captivity have been confirmed dead. About half of the original number have been released.

Meanwhile, the toll of Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza is measured in tens of thousands of deaths and more than a million Palestinians displaced.

“We have arrived at a terrible milestone,” the U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement marking six months and noting “the immediate prospect of a shameful man-made famine.” He called the prospect of further escalation in Gaza “unconscionable.”

Israelis are divided on the approach by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government after multiple rounds of stalled cease-fire negotiations. A week ago, tens of thousands of Israelis thronged central Jerusalem in the largest anti-government protest since the war began.

Negotiations will resume on Sunday, according to an Egyptian official and Egypt’s state-owned Al Qahera TV. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the talks.

U.S. President Joe Biden has sent CIA Director Bill Burns to Egypt. And a Hamas delegation will arrive on Sunday to join the talks, the militant group said.

Hamas has insisted on linking a phased end to the war — not a temporary cease-fire — to any agreement releasing hostages. It has said it will agree to release 40 hostages as part of an initial six-week cease-fire deal that would include the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Hamas also seeks the return of displaced people to devastated northern Gaza and more aid.

Israel has offered to allow only 2,000 displaced Palestinians — mainly women, children and older people — to the north daily during a six-week cease-fire.

The new talks will come days after international condemnation of Israeli airstrikes that killed seven humanitarian workers with the World Central Kitchen charity. The Israeli military has described the strike as a tragic error. Aid groups say the mistake is hardly an anomaly.

Some Israel allies are now considering halting arms sales. Biden warned Netanyahu that future U.S. support for the war depends on swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers.

“We need security guarantees for us as humanitarians but also for the people we serve,” said Marika Guderian with the World Food Program, speaking inside Gaza.

The killings halted aid deliveries on what had been seen as a crucial new sea route for humanitarian aid directly to Gaza as the U.N. and partners warn of famine.

In Jabaliya, a refugee camp near Gaza City, families scrounged in the rubble for mallow leaves to make a thin broth to break the daily Ramadan fast. “Life has become miserable. They (daughters) tell me, ‘Father, you are feeding us mallow, mallow, mallow every day. We want to eat fish, chicken, canned food. We are craving eggs, or anything,’” said Wael Attar. They shelter in a school as part of the 1.7 million people displaced in Gaza.

The humanitarian group Oxfam says people in northern Gaza have survived on an average of 245 calories a day since January. Israel has promised to open more border crossings into Gaza and increase the flow of aid.

The war’s death toll in Gaza is now 33,137, the territory’s Health Ministry said. Its toll doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants, but it has said women and children make up the majority of the dead.

The ministry said the bodies of 46 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes had been brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours — the lowest such daily tally in months.

Israel has blamed Hamas for civilian deaths in Gaza, accusing it of operating in residential communities and public areas like hospitals.

Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah now holds more than half of the territory’s 2.3 million people, and Israel’s vow to carry out a ground offensive there has caused weeks of dread and warnings even from Israel’s top ally, the United States.

An Egyptian official on Friday called Israel’s most recent proposal to evacuate civilians from Rafah an “unrealistic and unworkable plan.” Egypt again threatened to suspend parts of the 46-year-old Camp David Accords that facilitate security cooperation between the states.

source https://time.com/6964324/israel-military-recovers-hostage-body-gaza-night-raid/

Why the BBC Has Spoken Out About Its Coverage of Kate Middleton’s Cancer Diagnosis

The BBC released a statement in response to complaints from people who felt its coverage of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, announcing her cancer diagnosis was “excessive and insensitive,” the British public broadcaster said. 

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

The royal announced in a video released on March 22—which was filmed by BBC Studios—that she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer following tests conducted after a planned abdominal surgery in January. After the procedure, Kensington Palace had announced she would be absent from the public eye until at least Easter, but the uncertainty about her health led to a media and public frenzy before her cancer diagnosis announcement.

The BBC’s statement in response to criticism of its coverage, released April 5 on its complaints website, read: “We broadcast in full the highly personal video message from the Princess of Wales, in which she spoke directly to the public about her cancer diagnosis. Our coverage reflected the significance of this story and the outpouring of support for the princess from around the globe. We explained to our audience what was known about Catherine’s condition, but did not speculate on details that had not been made public.”

The broadcaster said its reporting “made clear that this is a difficult time for the princess and the rest of the royal family; we have been mindful at all times to approach our coverage with sensitivity.” 

The news organization said that it examined the “intense speculation” about Kate’s health in the weeks preceding her announcement and reported on her request for privacy and the statement from Kensington Palace detailing her right for medical privacy. 

“We always give careful consideration to the editorial decisions we make. While we have a responsibility to report on stories that are of interest to our audience, we appreciate that not everyone would have approved of the approach we took,” the BBC concluded. 

The BBC produces fortnightly reports of complaints that number more than 100. It also releases public statements in response to coverage that has generated a significant number of complaints or raised notable issues.

The BBC already issued two public statements this year in response to complaints about prior Kate Middleton reporting and coverage of her father-in-law, King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis.

On March 21, the BBC responded to complaints that the public felt its reporting on the withdrawal of an edited photo of the Princess of Wales and her three children, released on social media on U.K.’s Mother’s Day, was “excessive and sensationalist.” Kate took credit for editing the image and apologized after multiple photo agencies pulled it, noting it had been manipulated.

The BBC said the photo generated global interest because it was the first official picture released since Kate’s surgery in January—and ignited even more interest after it was withdrawn.

“Our coverage examined why this had caused so much interest and looked at considerations raised over the royal family’s communication strategy and public trust in information given by the Palace,” the BBC’s statement read. “We heard a nuanced and broad range of perspectives, including from those who were sympathetic to the princess, and those who felt this wasn’t an issue, given it isn’t unusual for people to edit their family photos before sharing them. Once the princess had issued her own statement on the matter, this was featured throughout our reporting.”

On Feb. 9, the BBC responded to complaints that it had “given too much coverage to the King’s cancer diagnosis.” The broadcaster said the news was “a story of significance which has generated national and global interest,” one that posted challenges for the royal family and was revealed in a statement containing an “unprecedented” level of detail about the health of a British monarch. The BBC said Buckingham Palace explained the King wanted to raise awareness about cancer, and the broadcaster subsequently has reported on cancer charities and the disease.

The BBC has previously received complaints and issued responses regarding its royals’ coverage, particularly on major events. 

In 2021, the broadcaster received nearly 110,000 complaints for excessive coverage of the death of Prince Philip, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s husband. In 2022, the news organization responded to complaints that its coverage of Queen Elizabeth’s death was “biased” toward the monarchy.

source https://time.com/6964311/kate-middleton-cancer-diagnosis-coverage-bbc-complaints-response/

Meet the Eclipse Chasers Traveling Thousands of Miles for the Astronomical Event

Among ancient civilizations who regarded solar eclipses as an evil omen, the sight of the cosmic phenomenon would have been cause for despair. But for many enthusiasts traveling thousands of miles to see the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8, the opposite is true.

“I’m not in any way religious at all. But [the eclipse is] almost as close to a religious moment as I think you can get,” says Sarah Marwick, a 51-year-old doctor based in the U.K. “It makes you feel enormous and tiny at the same time.”

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Marwick—who has seen six eclipses in the last 25 years in the Arctic Circle, China, France, Libya, the U.S., and Zimbabwe—is an eclipse chaser, or umbraphile. The neologism cannot be found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, but the word, meaning shadow lover, is used to describe the people who flock across the globe for a chance to see the moon obscure the sun. Eclipses happen anywhere from four to seven times a year, according to NASA. But solar eclipses are a much rarer phenomenon to see than lunar eclipses because they are only visible from a small area of the Earth each time they occur. 

“If it’s 10 seconds or several minutes, it doesn’t matter. It’s always too short for you,” says Tunç Tezel, a 46-year-old civil engineer from Turkey who has seen 13 solar eclipses and three lunar eclipses since 1999. He is traveling more than 6,000 miles from Istanbul to Houston this April. “The light comes back, and then you start to think, ‘When’s the next one? Where’s the next one? I think I need to see another one.’” 

For many, the obsession with eclipses began in childhood. “Growing up in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, one of the big things that I remember seeing were the two great comets we had,” says 35-year-old Aditya Madhavan, who has been chasing eclipses since he saw the “great American solar eclipse” in 2017. Others credit science teachers who inspired their love of space. But for most, the eclipse bug bit soon after they saw their first. 

Read More: How Astrologists Are Preparing for the 2024 Solar Eclipse

It’s hard to say how many people identify as an umbraphile. On Facebook, a public solar eclipse chasing group has nearly 21,000 members—an increase of about 13% since March. Not all of them are enthusiasts—some join to advertise their product or offer accommodations to see the eclipse—but filmmaker Nelson Quan, a member, says he noticed an explosion in interest after the 2017 eclipse. “Because these eclipses are in these narrow paths and certain places in the world, you kind of meet the same people,” says Quan, who directed a documentary about eclipse chasing called Chasing Shadows. 

In 2023, for instance, some 20,000 people traveled to Exmouth, Australia for the eclipse. That town had a population of 2,800. “Take a place like Australia. You think, ‘Australia is a big country?’ Well, yes, it is. But when the eclipse only hits the tip of it in Exmouth, it becomes a very small country,” says Mandie Adams, a 59-year-old landlord working in real estate.

Quan says the first online umbraphile community he remembers was a group on Yahoo called “the solar eclipse mailing list,” which included leaders of the previous generation of eclipse chasers, like astrophysicist Fred Espenak, otherwise known as “Mr. Eclipse;” cartographer Michael Zeiler, creator of GreatAmericanEclipse.com; and Xavier Jubier, the mastermind behind an interactive Google Maps site that details the timing and phases of an eclipse.  

Now that the community has grown, amateurs and newly-identifying eclipse chasers are using online platforms to share lodging plans, ask for tips, and recount tales of past trips abroad. Of the ten eclipse chasers TIME spoke to for this story, two traveled only in the U.S. for the 2017 eclipse and for this year’ astronomical event, six are traveling from other countries to see the April 8 eclipse in the U.S., and many already had plans to see the next total solar eclipse in 2026, with the most popular destination being Spain. “We are trying to do anything we can to see these eclipses as long as it’s possible,” says Tezel, a moderator of the Facebook group. “Maybe we are a bit more dedicated or a bit crazy. You decide.”

The most significant barrier to becoming an eclipse chaser might be the cost. Atlanta-based Madhavan paid $14,000 to travel to Antarctica via ship for an eclipse in 2021—and wasn’t able to see that eclipse due to cloud cover. The eclipse tourism industry is gaining traction. This year, Delta Air Lines is marketing flights for eclipse chasers to see the event from the sky and a $1.5 billion economic boom is expected to impact states in the 115-mile wide path of totality. 

Read More: Why These Passengers Are Flying up to 30 Hours to See Four Minutes of the Eclipse

Olivier Steiger, 65, says he strategically plans his eclipse trips to save costs. To maximize his time for his buck, Steiger plans on spotting other natural phenomena on this trip: he’s going to follow the northern lights for a few nights before heading to the U.S. for the eclipse, and hopefully do some storm chasing and see a tornado in Texas afterwards. Steiger says it’s cheaper to travel within Europe, and he can usually spot deals depending on where he wants to go. For this trip, he is driving down from Switzerland to Milan to take a cheaper flight to Iceland, before flying to Denver and then driving down south. 

Marwick, a mother to two children, says the cost of traveling with her family dictates her destination, accommodations, and length of time away from work. “If you’ve got a family, there’s a difference between taking a flight to Toronto that costs $400, or one that’s, you know, going to be $3,000 to Texas, and much longer time,” she says. 

Read More: Helpful Tips for Planning Your Solar Eclipse Trip

Being frugal has allowed Adams, based in England, to backpack through Chicago, Nashville, Austin, and Fort Worth during the four weeks leading up to the eclipse. “I don’t go for luxuries back home. I don’t go out and buy handbags and expensive clothes,” she says. “I want my money to be for experiences like the eclipse.”

For many umbraphiles, traveling for an eclipse will be their one extended vacation of the year. “It kind of is an excuse for us to get out of the country and go to places that maybe we wouldn’t have been before,” says Madhavan. Tunzel, who has a copy of the Fifty Year Canon of Solar Eclipses, which has maps of eclipse paths through 2035, jokingly refers to his catalog as his vacation planner. 

This year, Madhavan is traveling to Torreon, Mexico for the first time, but has also gone to countries like Australia in 2023 for an eclipse that only lasted for around a minute. “We traveled halfway around the world for [about] 56 seconds of totality, which makes it sound really crazy,” he says, “but the sun itself and the phenomena that we saw around this eclipse were just beautiful.”

That moment is never guaranteed, but the anticipation is worth it. “It’s like a calling,” says Tenzel. “We drop everything, meet… that eclipse happens, and then we go back to what we are doing in our normal lives.” And then the cycle begins again.

source https://time.com/6963961/solar-eclipse-chasers-2024/