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    Total Solar Eclipse and California Henge Synced Up in April 2024

    Photo Courtesy of NASA

    The solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, now known as the Great North American Eclipse, was visible across much of North America, from Mexico to the U.S. to Canada. While sky gazers here in the San Francisco Bay Area only saw the Moon cross about 35% of the Sun’s diameter at the eclipse’s peak, the spectacle was still breathtaking and memorable.

    It was even more so for San Francisco Bay Times contributors Fred Sullivan and Jamie Botello, who used to live in the Bay Area but now reside in Durango, Mexico. They captured a series of three images depicting the progress of the eclipse from their vantage point.

    Closer by, Bay Times team member Juan Davila was in Dolores Park watching locals watching the skies over San Francisco. The park’s grounds, where thousands recently viewed or participated in the annual Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Easter in the Park celebration, welcomed eclipse watchers who shared their blankets, refreshments, and more.

    The San Francisco Bay Times team’s Juan Davila (left) with eclipe
    watchers sporting their special viewing glasses
    Photo Courtesy of Juan R. Davila

    During live coverage from the Indianapolis Speedway on NBC News, anchor Lester Holt expressed the sentiment of many when he spoke of the awe of the moment when millions paused to view the shared phenomenon visible throughout our hemisphere.

    Among the popular images shared on the internet was NASA’s Photograph of the Day for April, taken in space by the EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera) on the DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory), showing the Moon’s shadow moving eastward across North America.

    California Henge

    On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, just one day after the total solar eclipse, the phenomenon known as “California Henge” took place as it does twice a year in San Francisco. It happens when, at sunrise, the Sun lines up with California Street, shining between buildings and over the Bay Bridge in the distance.

    Earth Month 2024
    Published on April 18, 2024