Looking forward to next April’s total solar eclipse and want to make sure you have the best place mapped out or best composition for your photos of it? Today’s your day!
Today — Monday, Sept. 4 — is 108 days away from the winter solstice on Dec. 21. The eclipse will take place on April 8, 2024, 109 days away from the winter solstice. Meaning that the position of the sun today at 3:09 p.m. will be the same as it will be on April 8 when eclipse totality begins.
The sun’s path in our sky continuously shifts each day, hitting its most northern point on the day of the summer solstice and its southernmost on the day of the winter solstice. (That’s also why we refer to those two days as being the “longest” and “shortest” of the year, due to the amount of sunlight being at the peak and low point, respectively.)
If you can’t make it outside today, or are distracted by Labor Day festivities, don’t worry too much as the sun’s position at that time the next few days will be very, very close to what it will be April 8, just off by a fraction of a fraction of a degree.
