- You won't want to miss the April total solar eclipse. The US won't see another until 2044.
- But this rare astronomical event falls right in the middle of working hours on a Monday.
- Eclipse chasers told BI why you need to convince your boss to let you play hooky for the event.
Isn't it just our luck that the most anticipated astronomical event of the year falls on a Monday afternoon when most of us are working?
The first total solar eclipse in the US since 2017 is sure to be astonishing, weather permitting.
On April 8, the moon's shadow will pass over the sun and thrust hundreds of cities from Texas to Maine into darkness.
Hundreds of schools are closing or letting out early for the event.
More than 100,000 flights are expected over the next few days as people travel to the path of totality (and for spring break).
And multiple cities across the US have declared a local state of emergency or disaster to prepare for the surge in visitors.
So, if you're in the path of totality already, you owe it to yourself to try and get at least a free hour off work to catch the total eclipse on Monday.
Or if you're within a day's drive, take the day off for a spontaneous road trip with friends. You can check NASA's Eclipse map to figure out where and when totality will be in your location.
Here are four reasons you can give your boss why you shouldn't be stuck at a desk for this rare cosmic event.
1. The US won't get to experience totality again for 20 years
Witnesses have described totality as an intense, profound, and even eerie experience.
David Baron, avid eclipse-chaser and author of the book "American Eclipse," tries to see as many as he can. Over the years, he's seen eight total solar eclipses.
It was his friend, astronomer Jay Pasachoff, who first turned him into an eclipse chaser.
"He said, 'Before you die, you owe it to yourself to see a total solar eclipse,'" Baron recalled Pasachoff saying to him 30 years ago. "And he said it with such sincerity and such passion that I took him seriously, and I went to see my first total solar eclipse in 1998 in Aruba."
If you can drop everything to get to the path of totality on Monday (including your nine-to-five), you should, Baron said.
Since 1998, he's been chasing that awe-inspiring feeling that only totality can give you. The first time he saw totality, he was amazed by the sun's corona and the planets flanking it.
"I had this visceral sense that I've been transported outside our solar system to some other world, and I was looking back at the solar system" he said.
And for people living in the US, this opportunity for such an experience won't arise again until the year 2044.
2. It's the longest and most visible total eclipse for the US in 100 years
Several southern states — Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Illinois — will experience a whopping four minutes or more of totality.
That's nearly a minute longer than the average total eclipse over the last century, which has been 3 minutes and 13 seconds.
Totality is longer this time because Earth will be far from the sun, but the moon will be close to the Earth, causing the moon to block out more of the sun for longer.
If you're among the 300 million Americans who don't live in the path of totality, traveling there is worthwhile, said Fred Espenak, an astrophysicist whose passion for solar eclipses earned him the nickname Mr Eclipse. He's seen 24 total eclipses in his lifetime, recalling his first one in 1970.
Espenak started planning his first eclipse trip seven years out when he was just 11.
"1970 rolled around, I had just gotten my driver's license, and I convinced my parents to let me take the car and drive 600 miles to totality, unchaperoned," Espenak said.
And it was worth it. "It was so overwhelming," he said.
"You're standing there and daylight suddenly vanishes in a matter of 30 seconds," he said, later adding that, "It's very dramatic."
3. You might get to see 2 planets and a massive comet at the same time
There's a chance that eclipse watchers might get to see four astronomical events in one on April 8.
During the eclipse, the planets Venus and Jupiter will come into view as bright points of light just to the lower right and upper left of the eclipsed sun.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, a.k.a. The "Devil comet," will also make a rare appearance in the sky during the eclipse.
The Devil comet only flies by Earth once every 71 years. It's unusually large — as big as Mount Everest — and glows green due to dicarbon in its chemical makeup.
The darkness afforded by totality could offer a rare opportunity to see this comet during the day, right next to the solar eclipse.
It will likely be just barely visible to the naked eye, showing up as a tiny gray smudge on the sky between the planet Jupiter and the eclipsed sun.
4. You'll have the chance to watch massive eruptions on the sun
What's especially unique about this year's total eclipse, is that right now the sun is near solar maximum, which occurs about every 11 years.
Solar maximum is when the sun's magnetic field flips, triggering more solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and sun spots.
What this means for eclipse watchers is that you'll have a better chance of seeing these massive, blazing jets of plasma erupt from the sun's surface that will appear as tiny neon-pink spikes.
Witnessing the power of the sun in this way is an awesome — and humbling — experience, Baron said. For him, the real reason to see the solar eclipse is to be reminded of the bigger picture.
"It's a useful lesson to learn over and over again — just to be grateful to be alive on this planet and to realize that while we are tiny and kind of insignificant, we're part of something enormous and amazing, and that's the universe," he said.
Watch safely
Even if you're making last-minute arrangements to miss work for the eclipse, it's important to make sure you're properly prepared.
It's unsafe to look directly at the sun during a partial eclipse with your eyes, phone, or camera. The powerful solar radiation could permanently damage your vision or electronics.
To watch safely, you'll need to wear protective eclipse glasses, use protective filters for your phone or camera, or use another viewing method, like looking through a welder's glass or a pinhole camera.
It's only safe to look at the eclipse directly without eye protection during totality, when the moon blots out the sun's harsh rays.