This spring, northern Vermont will be plunged into darkness. No, it’s not the end times — though given the events of the past few years, you could be forgiven for worrying. Rather, amid the great eternal dance of the cosmos, the stars will align to present one of our solar system’s most spectacular celestial events: a total solar eclipse.
On Monday, April 8, 2024, at precisely 3:26 p.m., the moon will pass directly between the sun and the Earth to cast parts of Vermont in complete shadow. The eclipse's full “path of totality” — or where the moon fully obscures the sun — will travel across Mexico, the United States and Canada. Northern Vermont lies directly in this path and will experience this once-in-a-lifetime convergence.
The eclipse is expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors to the Green Mountain State. In the months leading up to it, Seven Days will be covering a variety of eclipse topics, from practical guidance and science-y stories to special events and the best places for viewing. In the meantime, here’s a primer on what to expect.
Why is this eclipse a big deal?
Well, the freaking sun is gonna disappear, for starters. But more to the point, while solar eclipses are fairly common — they happen about twice a year on average — only a small percentage of people in the world ever see them.
“You have to be in the right place … in the shadow cast by the moon onto the Earth,” University of Vermont astrophysicist John Perry said. “If you stay in one place and just wait for a total solar eclipse to come to you, you’ll be waiting on average 360 years.”
Perry noted that some parts of the world haven’t seen a solar eclipse in 2,000 years. The last one in Vermont was a bit more recent than that. It happened in 1936 but was only visible to a small portion of the state.
Where is the best place to see the eclipse?
The totality will be visible from a roughly 70- to 80-mile swath across the region, from Montréal in the north to Middlebury in the south, with Burlington and St. Albans smack in the middle. Where you go in that band is up to you. Pretty much anywhere you can see the sun will work, though Perry suggests getting away from artificial lights so that “you’ll see how dark it really gets.”
Perry also advises those near Lake Champlain to seek out higher ground in order to see the shadow of the moon sweep across the lake from west to east at about 1,000 miles per hour. Others might opt for festivities in Burlington and other towns.
“It is sort of a social event,” he said.
What will it be like when the sun disappears?
In a word: spooky.
The eclipse will begin at 2:14 p.m., and the sky will gradually darken as the moon passes in front of the sun. Totality in Burlington will last for about three and a half minutes before the sky begins lightening again — the length of totality will vary slightly depending on where you are. The eclipse will be visible until 4:37 p.m.
“It’s very dramatic,” Perry said. “It’ll get very dark, and the sunlight will look creepy.”
He added that stars and planets will be visible in the sky — including Mercury, which is often hard to see because its orbit is so close to the sun. Wind could pick up as the temperature drops. And nocturnal critters such as bats, owls and raccoons may be tricked into thinking it’s nighttime and come out.
Perry noted that the sun’s spiky corona will reach about twice as far as the disk of sun we normally see. Shortly before totality, you’ll glimpse “Baily’s beads,” a half circle of bright spots on the leading edge of the eclipse created by light streaming through the valleys on the moon. Finally, you’ll see the “diamond ring,” one last bright bead visible only for a second or two before the sun is fully obscured.
How should I view the eclipse?
Remember in 2017 when president Donald Trump was photographed staring directly at an eclipse? Don’t do that.
“You can really damage your eyes,” Perry advised.
Instead, you should wear special solar eclipse glasses — they kind of resemble 3D movie glasses. The State of Vermont has purchased thousands of them that will be freely available through towns and community organizations. Or you could buy your own online.
And don’t take them off, at least not until totality.
“They should not be taken off until the sun is completely blocked out,” Perry said. “And you should put them back on the instant you see some sun shining through.”
Or maybe just leave them on to be safe.
This seems like a pretty big deal for Vermont.
It sure could be. In 2017, 300,000 people descended upon Idaho Falls for a total solar eclipse. That city is a bit larger than Burlington, but you get the idea. If early reports from hotels and short-term rentals are any indication, we’ll see quite a crowd. Places to stay are booking up fast — and in some cases charging double and triple the normal rates.
Details are still in the works, but you can expect lots of festivities. Burlington City Arts is spearheading event planning for the city. The University of Vermont will have telescopes set up on campus and is hosting a series of lectures related to the eclipse — Perry is giving a talk on some of the major scientific discoveries that have been made during eclipses. And at Jay Peak Resort, a Pink Floyd cover band has been hired for an eclipse viewing party to play — what else? — The Dark Side of the Moon.
What if it’s cloudy?
Shhhhh! Why would you even ask that?
OK, fine. Given that Vermont ranks as the second cloudiest state in the country, it’s fair to worry about rain on our parade — or even snow, in early April.
“It’ll still get dark,” Perry said. “But that’s about it, which would be very unfortunate.”