Total solar eclipse 2024: ATCEMS shares safety tips
AUSTIN, Texas - We're just three months away from a total solar eclipse that will stretch from Mexico to Maine.
The eclipse's path of totality will cross over Central Texas, so ATCEMS has put together some eclipse safety tips to help Central Texans and tourists prepare:
- Plan your travel in advance and consider carpooling
- Stay updated on road closures
- Have a communication plan; ATCEMS says texting may work best
- Remember that cell phone service may be impacted
- Have a full gas tank, first aid and other supplies with you
- Focus on the road; don't get distracted by the eclipse
- Never look at the eclipse through the lens of a telescope, binoculars or a camera, or regular sunglasses
- Supervise children
ATCEMS is also reminding residents that large crowds, tourists and traffic delays are possible as both locals and tourists flock to viewing spots for the eclipse.
On April 8, the eclipse will be at least partially visible "to nearly everyone in North America fortunate to have cloud-free skies," according to the American Astronomical Society.
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The last total solar eclipse across the continental U.S. was seen seven years ago in 2017. Last October, a rare "ring of fire" eclipse of the sun, also known as an annular solar eclipse, passed from the northwestern U.S. to South Texas.