Project Mexico / USA Total Solar Eclipse Observation Site
After the very short eclipse of 2023, the duration of the 8th April 2024 event offers a quite different experience, with up to four and a half minutes at the mid-point of the track.
This solar eclipse begins in the Pacific and the shadow of the Moon reaches land on the west coast of Mexico near Mazatlán, moving inland to reach maximum eclipse duration in an arid desert region north of the city of Torreon. The eclipse provides a chance for a large part of the US population to observe the event as the shadow moves across the Mexican border near Dallas and then crosses the country to Maine and into Canada at New Brunswick and out into the Atlantic.
All groups on our Mexico tours will observe the eclipse from the campus of The Regional University Unit for Arid Zones of the Chapingo Autonomous University (location details below). We are delighted to have received permission from the University authorities to share their great location with their students for this special event.
The location is conveniently located just one hour north of Torreon and the eclipse duration here, at 4 min 27.8 seconds, is less than
1 second shorter than the maximum duration possible for this long eclipse.
The University is a specialist agricultural college and we look forward to some interesting interaction with the young people at the college. Their mission statement reads – a Regional University Unit for Arid Zones of the Chapingo Autonomous University trains professionals in the management of sustainable development in arid zones with a scientific, technical, and humanistic approach, based on its qualified personnel and on equity, solidarity, respect, and responsibility.
Mexico Site Data
25° 53' 42.65" N 103° 36' 12.35" W
Total Eclipse Duration 4m 27.8s
(lunar limb corrected)
Altitude: 1115m (3656ft)
Start of partial eclipse 12:00:24.4
Start of total eclipse 13:17:10.0
End of total eclipse 13:21:37.9
End of partial eclipse 14:41:43.9
(Local times *dependent on any daylight saving changes in the region which will be determined closer to the time)
We also have two other tour observation day locations - one based in *Niagara Falls (Ontario) and the other based near Valley Mills, Waco Texas. *Please note that the Niagara Falls location is not a private location and you are free to find your own spot to observe as there are many options with views of the falls near the group hotel.
Niagara Site Data
43° 05' 07.51" N 79° 04' 34.39" W
Total Eclipse Duration 3m 27.9s
(lunar limb corrected)
Altitude: 158m (518ft)
Start of partial eclipse 14:04:48.8
Start of total eclipse 15:18:15.7
End of total eclipse 15:21:46.6
End of partial eclipse 16:31:56.1
(Local times)
The spectacular Niagara Waterfalls have the highest flow rate of any waterfall in North America and during peak daytime tourist hours, more than six million cubic feet of water goes over the crest of the falls every minute.
This is a established tourist area with many well-manicured view points offering possibilities for interesting pictures of an eclipse above the falls. We will establish a meeting/help point for the group but you have many options to choose your own location.
April is at the end of the Niagara’s cloudier season and although not the clearest part of the track, prospects for a clear view of the eclipse are still very good.
Valley Mills, Waco Site Data
31° 37' 07.83" N 97° 23' 50.06" W
Total Eclipse Duration 4m 22.5s
(lunar limb corrected)
Altitude: 208m (682ft)
Start of partial eclipse 11:20:16.7
Start of total eclipse 12:37:38.7
End of total eclipse 12:42:01.7
End of partial eclipse 15:00:23.5
(Local times)
Named after the area's first inhabitants, the Huaco Indians, Waco lies along the Brazos River, which runs directly through the city. It is home to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum which traces the history of the state law enforcement agency and displays vintage badges and weapons. The Dr Pepper Museum pays homage to the famed, locally invented soft drink and the Waco Mammoth National Monument is a fossil site which is home to the bones of Columbian mammoths.
We will be observing the eclipse from a private equestrian academy location to the northwest of Waco towards the town of Valley Mills.
