What causes a total solar eclipse?

Anatomy of a solar eclipse

Dan Henry breaks down what exactly will happen during the total solar eclipse on April 8.

The total solar eclipse is coming up and plenty of people have questions about what to expect.

On April 8, 2024, the moon will move directly between the Earth and the sun, casting a shadow across a wide swath of North America. For millions of people, daytime will briefly turn to night.

There is a partial shadow, called the penumbra, that will be the experience for most of the United States.

You’ll notice a chunk of the sun is being blocked. The farther away you are, the smaller the moon’s bite will appear to be. In Seattle and Portland, Oregon, about as far away as you can get in the continental U.S., one-third of the sun will be swallowed.

North Texas is in the sweet spot, meaning we will be in the umbra or the full shadow. When we are in that full shadow it is called totality.

Totality doesn't last all that long and the amount of time in totality depends on where you live.

In Dallas, the partial eclipse will begin at 12:23 p.m., meaning part of the sun will be covered.

At 1:40 p.m., totality begins. That is when it is actually safe to actually look at the sun.

You will be able to the sun's outer atmosphere, known as the corona. Totality ends in Dallas at 1:44 p.m.

In addition to the total solar eclipse, you will also get a chance to see some other things in the sky.

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As the sky turns dark in the early afternoon, you will be able to see Jupiter and Venus.

The comet 12P, or Pons-Brooks comet, will also be visible. The comet is nicknamed the "Devil Comet" because it looks like it has horns.

The end of the eclipse in Dallas will be 3:02 p.m.