A TOTAL solar eclipse is set to occur on Monday, April 8, crossing North America and passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

The total solar eclipse is rare and is often described as once in a lifetime opportunity for those who witnessed it. It takes place when the Moon moves in the middle of Earth and the Sun. The Moon blocks the light of the Sun, either fully or partially, which casts a huge shadow on some parts of the world.

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It will only take place in parts of the United States, Mexico, and Canada. However, the Moon will cover some parts of the Sun in a partial eclipse in parts of some Caribbean countries, Colombia, Venezuela, Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, and Iceland. Unfortunately, there will be no eclipse visible to anyone in Nigeria or anywhere else in Asia.

A report by The ICIR debunked the claim in a viral video on WhatsApp that there will be total darkness for three days following the expected solar eclipse from April 4.

The finding in the report shows that the claim is false and the solar eclipse is expected to only take place on April 8, 2024, for a few minutes and will not subject the whole world to total darkness.

During a solar eclipse, the Moon passes between the Earth and the sun. The Moon blocks the Sun’s direct rays by casting a shadow on the Earth’s surface. The degree of obstruction is determined by the respective positions and sizes of the three celestial bodies, resulting in partial, annular, and complete solar eclipses.

Unlike other eclipses, where there can be between two and five solar eclipses every year, a total solar eclipse is rare and will only take place in certain areas because the entire path of the umbral shadow during a solar eclipse only covers less than one per cent of the globe.