2024 Solar Eclipse: Path, Duration, and Viewing Tips

The moment the moon's shadow eclipsed the sun.Photo byTyler Penland/NowHabersham.com

The day is almost here. We are just a few days away from the second Total Solar Eclipse to cross the United States in the past seven years. This time, the total solar eclipse won’t come over Northeast Georgia, but we will still be treated to a respectable partial solar eclipse.

The big show comes on next Monday, April 8, 2024. The path of totality, where the sun is completely covered, will run from South Texas through the northeast. Major cities like Dallas, TX, Little Rock, AR and Indianapolis, IN will all experience totality as the moon’s shadow races over the country.

The path of totality in the U.S. stretches from South Texas to the Northeast across Arkansas and Indiana.Photo byGreatAmericanEclipse.com

RELATED Habersham Schools announces early release for eclipse April 8

The August 2017 eclipse visible from Habersham lasted a little under 90 seconds. This time, the area with maximum totality will see just shy of 4.5 minutes of spectacular darkness. As a bonus, this eclipse will happen mid-afternoon when the sun is high in the sky, leading to fewer issues with clouds in any given location.

Many news outlets are already posting cloud forecasts, but these are incredibly unreliable at this point. In fact, clouds were forecast just a few days before the 2017 eclipse, and we wound up with absolutely beautiful skies.

A compilation of the August 21, 2017, eclipse from the campus of Tallulah Falls School.Photo byBrian A. Boyd/Tallulah, Falls School

Over North Georgia, this eclipse will cover up to about 80-85% of the sun, depending on your location. While definitely not the event a total eclipse is, it is still quite the sight to see and will be enough for some noticeable dimming of daylight for a while.

You will need solar eclipse glasses to view this eclipse since totality doesn’t move overhead. Your safety is paramount, so equip yourself with the necessary protective gear.

The image below shows what to expect at maximum over Cornelia. The sun will appear as a beautiful crescent. Locally the eclipse will begin around 1:48 p.m. with maximum coverage at 3:06 p.m. and ending at 4:22 p.m.

This is how the partial solar eclipse will appear in the skies over Georgia.Photo byNASA

If you haven’t made plans to see this eclipse from the path of totality, it is not too late. However, many locations have been sold out of hotel rooms for months. So expect to pay a premium to stay in the path of totality or drive in on the morning of the eclipse.

Click here for more information from NASA’s eclipse page, and click here for the Great American Eclipse page, which contains lots of maps and useful information.