Great American Eclipse releases 3D flyover video of the upcoming Annular Solar Eclipse on Oct. 14
On April 8, 2024, the path of totality will start in northern Mexico, cross 13 U.S. states and finish in eastern Canada. Anyone within 200 miles of the path will likely experience the total eclipse. Outside that distance, and you’re stuck with a partial solar eclipse.
SANTA FE — Before it even occurs, you can watch the moon’s shadow race from Oregon to Texax in a unique flyover video animation that chases the ‘Ring of Fire’ eclipse set for Oct. 14, with a view from 125 miles high at speeds from 7,000 mph to 1,700 mph.
The video was created by Michael Zeiler, of GreatAmericanEclipse.com. The 3000 frames were composed in ArcGIS Pro and Adobe Illustrator with additional specialized Python and Javascript code. Eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak, and eclipse computations by Xavier Jubier.
Zeiler has long had an interest in astronomy and has travelled the world to see total solar eclipses since 1991. He has had a long career in GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and developed skills in cartography and geographic analysis. He decided to create his own eclipse map, because he couldn’t find a precise enough one.
Today, the website GreatAmericanEclipse.com is the leading informational website on coming solar eclipses, reaching the top Google page rank on most eclipse-related searches.
Less than 9 months from now, Americans will get to see a Total Solar Eclipse. 6.63 million Americans already live inside the path, and millions more are expected to travel to see this annular solar {span class=”hit”}eclipse{/span}.
The website highlights the two upcoming solar eclipses in the US; the annular solar eclipse on October 14, 2023 and the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. The website also serves extensive information on other past and future solar eclipses.
Both solar eclipses, the Annular and the Total, are being called the Great American Eclipses. The largest cities in the path of annular solar eclipse are San Antonio, Albuquerque, and Corpus Christi.
You can see the eclipse fly over Crater Lake National Park, Great Basin National Park, and others in the Four Corners region. The archeo-astronomical site at Chaco Canyon is ideally situated for a dramatic eclipse.
During an Annular Solar Eclipse, the apparent size of the Moon’s disk is slightly smaller than the apparent size of the Sun’s disk. Therefore, only the outer edge of the Sun remains visible, and the Sun appears as a brilliant ring. This is an otherworldly sight often called a “Ring of Fire”. People must be inside the path of annularity to see it. Outside the path, people will see a partial solar eclipse.
“An annular solar eclipse is other-worldly!” says Zeiler.
“Annular eclipses often provide the opportunity to view the spectacle of Baily’s Beads, as the last stray bits of sunlight bubble around the edges of the moon” says Polly White, Great American Eclipse co-founder.
GreatAmericanEclipse.com is the authoritative source for comprehensive information on the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses over North America.
Free mobile app is available on Apple and Google Play.
