Experience April’s total solar eclipse from the palm of your hand with Big Kid Science’s ‘Totality’ app
Download the app
The free app is available for iOS and Android users in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.
a total solar eclipse will be visible in the US on April 8, 2024, and the free app ‘Totality’, developed by Big Kid Science, is the perfect tool to guide your eclipse viewing experience.
The app’s interactive map function shows you where in the world upcoming solar eclipses is visible and uses that of your phone GPS to tell you what those eclipses would look like from your current location. If you are not in the path of totality for an upcoming total solar eclipse, including the one in April, “Totality” also shows you the nearest locations from where you can witness the totality. The app also contains a wealth of scientific information about eclipses and can even use Google Maps for precise navigation to the path of totality.
Related: Where will the April 2024 total solar eclipse be visible?
“I saw the need for an easy-to-use app that would let both kids and adults know exactly when and where to view an upcoming solar eclipse and that would provide accurate information about safe viewing and eclipse science,” Jeffrey Bennett, “Totality” app creator and founder of Big Kid Science, Space.com told in an email.
Bennett also wanted the app to be free so that cost would not be a barrier for anyone. He created the app to help as many people as possible experience totality and learn the underlying science behind eclipses. The app was sponsored by the American Astronomical Society.
“I worked with Xavier Jubier, who kindly provided the solar eclipse prediction code he wrote for his interactive website, and the two of us worked with the brilliant software engineers at Germinate LLC to make this vision a reality,” Bennett continued .
The “learning” section offers enough solar eclipse resources such as information on how, when, and why solar eclipses occur, as well as classroom activities designed to inspire the next generation of budding eclipse chasers.
Download “Totality” at iOS And Android platforms in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.
Jeffrey Bennett is an astrophysicist and lead author of best-selling textbooks on topics including astronomy, mathematics, statistics and astrobiology. He is the founder of Big Kid Science and creator of the app “Totality”.
Why is the solar eclipse something to be excited about?
Jeffery Bennett: If you’re thinking, you can just wait for the next one: While a total solar eclipse is happening somewhere Soil Almost every year or two, after next April’s solar eclipse, the next total solar eclipse to cross much of the United States won’t occur until 2045! (A solar eclipse in 2033 will hit northern Alaska, and a solar eclipse in 2044 will hit Montana and North Dakota.)
Is it worth a long drive to see “totality” somewhere?
Bennett: If you can, it is absolutely worth traveling to the path of totality. Imagine day suddenly turning into night, even when the sun is high in the sky. For most of human history, such an event – a total solar eclipse – would certainly have been frightening. Today, however, we can predict the exact times and locations of total solar eclipses centuries in advance, meaning there is no more fear, just an awe-inspiring spectacle of nature. Ask anyone who witnessed totality in 2017 (or any other total solar eclipse) and I guarantee they’ll tell you to make sure you experience totality this time.
And very important for those who live near the path of totality: do not round up! You might be tempted to think that a partial eclipse of 90%, 99% or even 99.9% will give you an ‘almost’ total experience – but that’s not the case! Even at 99.9%, the sky is still hundreds of times brighter than during totality. That means you’ll miss the most incredible parts (like seeing the corona and the stars/planets) unless you make the short drive to the full trail. So plan ahead – especially since the eclipse falls on a school day (Monday, April 8) – and make sure you find a way to be ON the path of totality.
This is especially important because millions of people live in cities that are either on the edge of the trail or just off it, including San Antonio, Austin, Cincinnati, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Montreal and more.
