HOUSTON (OSV News) - The total solar eclipse will be visible only along a slim corridor stretching from Texas to Maine, but a partial eclipse will be visible in other U.S. states. On average, NASA — which will hold a live online broadcast — says about 375 years elapse between the appearance of two total eclipses in the same place.
Father John Kartje — rector and president of the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Illinois, who also holds a doctorate in astrophysics from the University of Chicago — has been fielding a multitude of eclipse inquiries from fellow Catholics.
“As extraordinary as an eclipse is, it’s simply the natural world behaving in the way the one and only God who created it set it up to behave,” Father Kartje said. “But I think anything that can give us a little jaw-dropping awe and wonder to stop us in our tracks — to quiet and silence the din and buzz of everyday busyness — can be a great opportunity to reflect on God’s grandeur.”
Auxiliary Bishop Gregory W. Gordon of Las Vegas and chancery staff look outside at the partial eclipse in Las Vegas April 8, 2024. A partial eclipse was visible throughout all 48 contiguous U.S. states, while a total solar eclipse was visible along a narrow track stretching from Texas to Maine. (OSV News photo/Montie Chavez, courtesy Archdiocese of Las Vegas)
Seventh grader Matilda Dias of Sts. Philip & James School in St. James, N.Y., uses special protective glasses as she views a solar eclipse from the schoolyard April 8, 2024. (OSV News photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)
Rainbow forms over Niagara Falls in New York April 8, 2024, as people wait at Niagara Falls to view the total solar eclipse. (OSV News photo/Aleksandra Michalska, Reuters)
Students watch a partial solar eclipse at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Glendale, Calif., April 8, 2024. A partial eclipse was visible throughout all 48 contiguous U.S. states, while a total solar eclipse was visible along a narrow track stretching from Texas to Maine. (OSV News photo/Mario Anzuoni, Reuters)
People gather in New York City at Edge at Hudson Yards, the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, before a partial solar eclipse comes in to view April 8, 2024. (OSV News photo/Eduardo Munoz, Reuters)
A partial solar eclipse is seen from Mazatlan, Mexico, April 8, 2024. (OSV News photo/Henry Romero, Reuters)
A total solar eclipse is seen from Mazatlan, Mexico, April 8, 2024. (OSV News photo/Henry Romero, Reuters)
A boy reacts during the partial solar eclipse at Liberty Island in New York City April 8, 2024. A partial eclipse was visible throughout all 48 contiguous U.S. states, while a total solar eclipse was visible along a narrow track stretching from Texas to Maine. (OSV News photo/David Dee Delgado, Reuters)
The Statue of Liberty is seen during a partial solar eclipse at Liberty Island in New York City April 8, 2024. A partial eclipse was visible throughout all 48 contiguous U.S. states, while a total solar eclipse was visible along a narrow track stretching from Texas to Maine. (OSV News photo/David Dee Delgado, Reuters)
