LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Cities in the path of totality for the Great American Eclipse on April 8 are now in their final preparations.
This one will be different in many ways from the eclipse we saw in 2017.
The 2017 total solar eclipse was quite the show, but we are in for a whole new adventure in less than one month for several reasons.
Length of totality, width of the path, and greater accessibility will all contribute to making this year a brand new, and improved, viewing experience.
Totality Duration
Chances are you remember racing to Hopkinsville, Kentucky to view the total solar eclipse in 2017.
You probably recall the traffic headache it caused as well. Hours of travel to get the best view of the moon covering the sun’s light for a quick 2 and a half minutes.
This April, you will get a lot more bang for your buck.
The duration of darkness for those in the path of totality this year is longer than the duration for the 2017 total eclipse, so you've got a little bit more time to be in the darkness in the middle of the day.
The moon will block the sun’s light for over four minutes in several Indiana towns that are not far from Louisville.
Path Width
The path of totality is wider by about 45 miles than its predecessor. The swath starts in Eagle Pass, Texas, crosses through 13 states and eventually moves through Maine. The 115 mile-wide swath nearly doubles the 2017 eclipse, which was around 70 miles wide.
The path also passes over more densely populated areas than in 2017.
Nearly 31.6 million are in the path this year, over two and a half times the amount from seven years ago.
Accessibility
One of those densely populated areas is Indianapolis. Over one hundred thousand visitors are expected to head to the city for the spectacle. Morgan Snyder with Visit Indy talked with WHAS11 News about their preparations to ensure a seamless experience, especially when it comes to traffic volume.
"Indy is deliberately designed to host large scale events, you see that a lot when Indy hosts the sporting events like the final fours or the Super Bowl or the college football playoff championship," she said. "So we're really taking a page out of that playbook, and applying it to our first opportunity to ever host a solar eclipse.”
Cities near and far are ready and we hope you are too. If you are not quite prepared, it's okay; you can find more information here.
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