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The Most Incredible Thing About A Total Solar Eclipse Is…Math
The odds of this occurring are astronomical
Total solar eclipses are neat natural phenomena. It is estimated that nearly 5 million Americans are going to travel to the “path of totality” for the chance to see one with their own eyes. The 2024 solar eclipse is only remarkable because it cuts a path through one of the most densely populated areas of the Western Hemisphere. Total solar eclipses themselves are not all that remarkable.
Solar (and lunar) eclipses happen all of the time. But due to the fact that large swaths of the Earth are uninhabitable (Antarctica, the oceans, etc.), it is relatively rare for one to take place in such an easily accessible region. Tens of millions of Americans can reach this path of totality in a matter of hours. That is rare.
What makes solar eclipses fascinating is not what they look like or what happens when the sun is blotted out for a precious few moments but that they happen at all. The math behind solar eclipses is exciting. As a writer, I usually hate math, but in this case, the numbers are interesting enough to pique my interest.
Total solar eclipses should not be possible. In order for one to take place, the numbers have to match up just right. A series of improbable pre-existing mathematical…
