FACT CHECK: Will The April 8 Eclipse Cause Three To Five Days Of Darkness?
A video shared on Instagram claims the April 8 eclipse will purportedly cause three to five days of darkness.
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Verdict: False
The claim is false. According to a list of “Frequently Asked Questions” that appears on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ‘s website, the eclipse will last around four minutes in total. An astrophysicist denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.
Fact Check:
Seymour and Oxford Public Schools in Connecticut are set to hold early dismissal for students on April 8 due to the solar eclipse, according to local outlet WTNH News 8. Over 60 schools in Illinois are also planning to hold early dismissal due to the event, ABC 7 Chicago reported.
The Instagram video, which has garnered over 7,000 likes, claims the April 8 eclipse will purportedly cause three to five days of darkness. Besides Instagram, the claim also circulated on TikTok.
The claim is false, however. According to a list of “Frequently Asked Questions” that appears on NASA’s website, the eclipse will last around four minutes in total. “The longest duration of totality is 4 minutes, 28 seconds, near Torreón, Mexico. Most places along the centerline (path of totality) will see a totality duration between 3.5 and 4 minutes,” the website indicates.
Likewise, in a Feb. 13 article, Live Science also indicated totality varies based on location, with an estimated totality of four minutes and 28 seconds for “parts of Mexico” and an estimated totality of two minutes and 52 seconds for Newfoundland, Canada. (RELATED: Image Claims To Show New Drone From Lockheed Martin)
Additionally, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim made via the Instagram video. In fact, the opposite is true. USA Today debunked the claim as false via an April 3 article.
Dan McGlaun, an expert who has viewed 14 solar eclipses, denied the claim’s validity, according to the outlet.
“The eclipse happens at different times for everyone. Just like someone walking in front of the TV blocks it momentarily for you, but not for the person on the couch next to you. No way (the moon) will stop, so there’s only so long that it can block the sun,” he explained to the outlet via email.
Furthermore, the American Astronomical Society has neither referenced the claim via its website nor its associated social media accounts.
Dr. Victoria Kaspi, an astrophysicist and professor at McGill University, denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.
“That statement is false. Totality will last about a minute and a half,” Kaspi said.
Check Your Fact has contacted multiple astronomy and astrophysics experts for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
