Eclipse fever is gripping North America, as a spectacular celestial spectacle on Monday promises a unique blend of commerce, science, and celebration.

The Moon’s shadow will arrive on Mexico’s Pacific coast at 2:07 p.m. ET (1807 GMT), then race northeast across a 15-state expanse of the United States and into Canada, exiting the continent just under an hour and a half later over Newfoundland.

Festivals, viewing parties, and even a mass wedding are planned along the eclipse’s “path of totality,” where the Moon will fully cover the Sun’s light for up to a few minutes – if rain clouds do not interfere, which could happen in the southern and central United States.

“Eclipses have a special power,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated recently. “They move people to feel a kind of reverence for the beauty of our universe.”

This year’s totality path is 115 miles (185 kilometers) wide and home to approximately 32 million Americans, with an additional 150 million residing within 200 miles of the strip. Those who live further away can still see a partial eclipse or watch a webcast offered by the US space agency NASA.

The next total solar eclipse visible from a substantial area of North America will not occur until 2044.

Festivals, flights, romance

Businesses are profiting on the enthusiasm by hosting special events, while hotels and short-term rentals in ideal viewing areas have been fully booked for months.

Eclipse viewers from all around the world gathered at the Stonehenge II park near Ingram, Texas, which is a facsimile of England’s prehistoric edifice.

“This is our third solar eclipse,” Jim Saltigerald, 62, told AFP. He was watching with his wife and two children. “We’re all praying and hoping that we have a good break in the clouds and get to see it.”

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland is planning a four-day “Solarfest” of live music, with local officials expecting around 200,000 attendees.

And in Russellville, Arkansas, 300 couples will exchange vows during “A Total Eclipse of the Heart” mass wedding ceremony, with the “thin circle of light around the moon resembling a huge wedding ring in the sky!” according to the event’s website.

Many schools along the route will be closed or have pupils leave early.

Several airlines have marketed flights that would pass through the eclipse, including Delta, which has planned two unique journeys along the path of totality.

The Perryman Group, a Texas-based research group, forecasts that the direct and indirect economic benefits of this year’s eclipse could total $6 billion.

Scientific windfall 

Then there is the science. NASA intends to send three sounding rockets prior to, during, and immediately following the eclipse to study changes in the ionosphere, an upper layer of the atmosphere vital for long-distance radio transmission.

The eclipse also provides an excellent opportunity to examine the Sun’s corona, the outer layer of our star’s atmosphere that is typically obscured by the dazzling light of the surface.

Researchers are particularly excited because the Sun is nearing the pinnacle of its 11-year cycle.

Previous eclipses have resulted in unusual animal behavior, such as giraffes running and roosters and crickets crowing and chirping.

NASA has asked the public to participate in research through its citizen-science initiative Eclipse Soundscapes, which involves recording natural sounds and providing multimodal observations.

Eclipses in humans elicit sentiments of awe and “prosocial” impulses toward others, according to study.

Safety first

To avoid retinal harm, experts emphasize the importance of wearing certified eclipse glasses.

Previous eclipses have resulted in an increase in hospital visits by persons complaining of fuzzy vision, alterations in color perception, and blind patches, with the outlook for recovery far from assured.

Only those in the path of totality can safely remove their eye protection and view the corona peeking out from behind the silhouette of the Moon for a few brief moments.

However, students must be aware of when it begins and ends and wear their glasses on time, according to health authorities.