Data from multiple past NASA missions was used to create the map and calculate the position of the moon's shadow during upcoming annular and total eclipses that will be visible in parts of the United States in October 2023 and April 2024.
Orange ovals on the map represent locations where an annual eclipse will be visible on October 14, 2023, while the purple ovals represent areas where a total eclipse will be visible on April 8, 2024. The shape of the ovals delineates the shape the moon's shadow will take as it crosses the United States.
Each oval on the map has a time listed which indicates when the eclipse will be visible to people on the ground at the indicated location. The closer a person is to the center of an indicated oval the longer the eclipse will last at their observation point.
An annular eclipse occurs when the moon blocks out most of the sun but a corona or "ring of fire" can still be seen along the edges. A total eclipse occurs when the sun is completely blocked by the moon.
In addition to a map of the path the moon's shadow will take across the U.S., NASA also released a map of the path the eclipses will take across the entire globe and a YouTube video detailing the path of the upcoming eclipses that explains how they will appear to observers on the ground.
The moon's shape was mapped by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and topographical information from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission was used to map the location of the moon's shadow on the ground. The positions of the Moon, Earth and Sun were calculated using data from NASA's Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility.
The color of the map was added using data from NASA's Blue Marble, a composite of satellite images collected by NASA's Earth Observatory Team. Additionally, nighttime images Fromm NASA's Black Marble, which maps the planet at night, was also used.
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