Crowds versus solitude
With an estimated 43.8 million people living in the path of totality, and many more expected to travel there for the big day, a multitude of events and festivals are springing up to welcome the Moon’s shadow on April 8. Is it better to watch the solar eclipse in a crowd, or in relative solitude? Both Russo and Baron said there’s no right answer.
“It can be great fun to watch a total eclipse amidst thousands of people, and it can also be really meaningful to be alone or nearly alone and have it be a more private experience,” said Baron, who recalled a particularly memorable eclipse he saw in 1999 from a rooftop in Munich, Germany.
“I could see people gathered on rooftops all around me and in the streets below. And as the whole city fell into shadow, an enormous cheer came up from the streets,” he said.
If you’re looking for a group experience, one option is The Planetary Society’s Eclipse-O-Rama 2024 event in Fredericksburg, Texas, featuring live music, educational talks, and other activities. Keep an eye out for more information about this event in the coming weeks.
All along the path of totality, lodging prices have skyrocketed. Many locations have minimum stay requirements, and it may take some extra research to find accommodations near your targeted location.
Contrary to what the term implies, eclipse chasers prefer to do very little chasing on the day of the eclipse itself.
“If at all possible, sleep the night before in the path of totality, so you don’t have to go anywhere,” Baron said. “You don’t want to spend the whole morning stuck in traffic, worried you’re not going to get there.”