journey to the end of the earth youtube

Journey to the End of the Earth | Summary and Analysis

Analysis of journey to the end of the earth by tishani doshi.

“Journey to the End of the Earth” is an account of Tishani Doshi’s visit to Antarctica, the coldest and most secluded continent in the world. She talks about her experiences there and expresses her views on the issues of climate change and global warming. For her, Antarctica is the link to our history which holds the answers to questions about where humans have actually come from and where we shall eventually head to. With its expansive white landscape and hardly any sign of vegetation or life, this continent is the most pristine place in the world since it is untouched by human civilization.

In this essay, Tishani Doshi also talks about the “Students on Ice” programme that has organised this excursion and how she was a part of the same. She believes that the youth has the power to both understand the problem posed by global warming as well as the ability to take preventive actions for the same. Enraptured by the unblemished beauty of Antarctica, she wonders how climate change will affect it and what will be the overall effect of the same on mankind. After spending time with the young participants of the programme, she is hopeful that they shall be able to make a difference and save the world from the otherwise impending doom.

Journey to the End of the Earth |  Summary and Analysis

This essay revolves around the most preserved place in the world, Antarctica, which is the sole unfragmented part of the Gondwana landmass from whose fragments the other continents and countries have emerged. Very few people in the world have had the chance to visit this place, the author being one of those privileged. She had a chance to work with the organisation “Students on Ice” which organises educational trips for students to various ends of the world in order to provide them the opportunity to develop a new insight towards our planet.

As a part of the programme in which the author was working, she had to travel across great distances, via many varying modes of transport, including a Russian research vessel- the Akademik Shokalskiy- before she was finally able to set foot on Antarctica. Upon reaching this continent, she was filled with a sense of relief since the harrowing journey had finally ended. This was followed by wonder and amazement at the vastness and isolation of Antarctica which was, not many centuries ago, the large landmass Gondwana from which the various other continents and countries, including India, were formed. As dinosaurs became extinct and mankind began to evolve, countries and civilisations started taking the shape and form by which we know them today.

So, in this regard, the continent of Antarctica is mankind’s sole link to the past, the present and the future. It holds underneath its surface the proofs of all that had happened over the course of the past millions of years, and the indicators of what might happen in the years to come.

Since the author hailed from India and was quite unused to living in such chilly conditions, the prospect of spending two weeks in Antarctica, a place that is absolutely devoid of all civilization, seemed very daunting. She says that as one sets foot in this continent, one loses all sense of perspective and time that governs the rest of the world. One can see creatures ranging from the microscopic midges and mites to the mighty blue whales. Huge icebergs, some of them being as big as countries, can also be seen. There is 24-hour sunlight and an all-pervading silence which is broken only by the sounds of the occasional avalanches or splitting ice-sheets. Such an environment forces one to look back to the earth’s history and find their place in it as well as think about the future that is to come, which the author believes is not good, especially for humans.

Human civilization has, within a very short span of time as measured on the geological clock, managed to exert its dominance on Nature through its increasing population and the creation of the structures of society such as cities and countries. As a result, the time has come when we have started battling with other species for the limited resources of the earth which has led to increased emissions of the greenhouse gases that causes global warming.

This increase in the average global temperature and the climate change that accompanies it has raised many environmental concerns, especially for Antarctica. This continent holds within its layers of ice half-million-year-old carbon records, the study of which can lead to discoveries about the Earth’s past, present and future. However, global warming has raised serious issues for Antarctica.

The “Students on Ice” programme for which the author was working, aims to inspire high school students to develop a greater understanding of the Earth and take actions towards its conservation. It provides these policy-makers of the future the opportunity to absorb, learn and act towards saving the world.

The programme has garnered immense success and one of the primary reasons behind this is that once one sees the impact of climate change on Antarctica, with polar ice-caps melting in front of their eyes, they realise the true extent of the threat posed by global warming. This continent with its simple ecosystem and lack of biodiversity shows the true picture of the huge repercussions of the little changes that occur in the environment. Through the example of phytoplankton, the author says that if we take care of the small things, the big things will automatically start falling in place.

Throughout her trip to Antarctica, the author had many such epiphanies caused by various incidents that happened during it, including walking on the ocean and experiencing its stark whiteness underneath which they saw the life that thrived therein. Such incidents made the author realise that everything on the earth is connected to one another.

Even after her trip ended she continued to wonder about the beauty of the balance that exists on our planet. She also thinks about what the future has in store for mankind, whether Antarctica would once again become warm or not and whether humans would exist to witness the same or not. However, even as she is sceptical about the future we are heading towards, she finds solace as she remembers the idealism of the children that accompanied her on this trip and holds the optimistic belief that a lot can happen over the course of time, with even a single day making a huge difference.

Journey to the End of the Earth | About the Author

Tishani Doshi is an Indian poet and journalist who won the Forward Prize in 2006 for her debut poetry book “Countries of the Body”. She has received great acclaim in the field of creative writing and is the recipient of several prestigious awards as well. Her publications include six books of poetry and fiction and her essays, poems and short stories have also been widely anthologized.

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NCERT Solutions For Class 12 English Vistas Journey to the End of the Earth

The Author Tishani Doshi is a writer and dancer of Welsh-Gujarati origin. She was born in Madras, India, in 1975. She studied Business Administration and Communications at Queens College, Charlotte, North Carolina and gained a Masters degree in the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. She moved to London in 1999, becoming assistant to the advertising department of Harper’s and Queen magazine. In 2001, she returned to India where she became a dancer with the choreographer Chandralekha. She also works as a freelance journalist, contributing to various newspapers such as The Guardian, The International Herald Tribune, The New Indian Express and The National. She has published six books of poetry and fiction. Her essays, poems and short stories have been widely anthologized. She currently lives on a beach between two fishing villages in Tamil Nadu with her husband and three dogs.

Introduction

‘Journey to the End of the Earth’ is a travelogue. The narrator gives an account of her journey to Antarctica under the programme ‘Students on Ice’ led by Geoff Green in the Russian vessel ‘Academic Shokalskiy’. Under this programme, high school students are taken to the ends of the world and provided inspiring educational opportunities which will help them to encourage in developing a new understanding and respect for our planet. It provides the students an ample opportunity to understand how global temperature can be a big threat to human existence. It inculcates a new understanding in them. Geoff Green thinks that high school students are the future policy makers. He offers the future generations a life-changing experience at an age when they are ready to absorb, learn, and most importantly, act and can help in saving the earth from ecological dangers and the effects of global warming.

The narrator says if we want to understand the earth’s past, present and future, Antartica is the place to go. The study of this region is useful to us because the world’s geological history is trapped in Antarctica.

The author started her journey in a Russian research vessel, ‘Akademik Shokalskiy’ bound for Antarctica. Her journey began 13.09 degrees north of the Equator in Madras. She travelled over 100 hours in combination of car, aeroplane and ship before she set foot on the Antarctic continent.

The purpose of the visit was to know more about Antarctica. The author stayed there for two weeks. It is a place which stores 90 per cent of the Earth’s total ice volumes. It has no trees, billboards or buildings. The visual scene ranges from the microscopic to the mighty. Days go on and on in 24-hour austral summer light. Silence pervades everywhere. It is broken only by an avalanche or calving ice-sheet.

She wondered how there could have been a time when India and Antarctica were part of the same landmass. Geological phenomena help us to know about the history of humankind. Six hundred and fifty million years ago, a giant southern supercontinent—Gondwana—did exist. It was centred roughly around present-day Antarctica. The climate was much warmer then. There were a variety of flora and fauna. Humans had not arrived on the global scene yet. Gondwana thrived for 500 million years. Then came the time when the dinosaurs were wiped out and the age of mammals began. At that time, the landmass was forced to separate into countries, shaping the globe much as we know it today.

Climate change is one of the most hotly contested environmental debates of our time. The most hotly contested debate of our time is whether West Antarctica Ice sheets will melt entirely or not. If we want to study the earth’s past, present and future, Antarctica is the place to go as it holds half-million-year-old carbon records trapped in its layers of ice.

Antarctica has a simple eco-system and lacks of biodiversity. It is the perfect place to study how little changes in the environment can have big repercussions. Scientists warn that a further depletion of the ozone layer will affect the lives of the sea-animals and birds of the region. It will also affect the global carbon cycle. The burning of fossil fuels has polluted the atmosphere. It has created a blanket of carbon dioxide around the world. It is increasing the global temperature which is visible at Antarctica when we see ice bergs melting away. It shows how minor changes in the atmosphere can cause huge effect. If the global temperature keeps on increasing, the human race may be in peril.

The author gives us an example of phytoplankton to show how small changes in the atmosphere can be threatening. The microscopic phytoplankton are single celled plants. They nourish the entire Southern Ocean’s food chain. They use the sun’s energy to assimilate carbon and supply oxygen. Any further depletion in the ozone layer may affect this functioning and indirectly affect the lives of all marine animals.

When the author returned, she was still wondering about the beauty of balance in play on our planet. Walk on the Ocean was the most thrilling experience of the visit. All the 52 persons on board put on breathable waterproof clothing and sun-glasses. They climbed down the gangplank and walked on the ocean. They were walking on a meter-thick ice-pack. Under the ice pack there was 180 meters of living, breathing, salt water. Seals were enjoying themselves in the sun on ice. The narrator was wondering about the beauty of the place. He wished it would become a warm place again as it used to be millions of years ago. If it happens, the results can be catastrophic.

Textual Questions

Q1. ‘The world’s geological history is trapped in Antarctica: How is the study of this region useful to us?

Ans. The study of this region gives us an insight into the world’s geological history. It shows that India and Antarctica were part of a supercontinent named Gondwana. This supercontinent exists 650 million years ago. The climate of Gondwana was much warmer. It fostered a huge variety of flora and fauna. Then about 150 million years ago, dinosaurs were wiped out. The age of mammals started. Gondwana was forced to separate into countries and continents. The globe was shaped much as we know it today. It shows how slight changes in the climate can change the shape of the region. It gives the explanation how the climatic conditions of the earth were not favourable for life before and how slowly rising temperature made earth a place to sustain life. All secrets are embedded in the layers of ice in the form of half million year old carbon records.

Q2. What are Geoff Green’s reasons for including high school students in the Students on Ice expedition?

Ans. Geoff Green took the high school students to one end of the world, to provide them the opportunity to develop respect and understanding for the earth. He wanted to make the future policy-makers to experience how difficult it would have been for the earth to sustain life by rising its temperature. He wanted them to understand that any interference in nature can cause drastic mishappenings in the future when the students see the ice shelves melting and collapsing, they can estimate the kind of environmental troubles ahead in their future.

Q3. ‘Take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves.’ What is the relevance of this statement in the context of the Antarctic environment?

Ans. Antarctica has simple ecosystem and it lacks biodiversity. Due to these two factors it is the perfect place to study how little changes in the environment can have big consequences. The author gives the example of very small, single-celled plants called phytoplankton. These grasses of the sea nourish and sustain the entire Southern Ocean’s food chain. The phytoplanktons use the sun’s energy to absorb carbon. They also synthesise various organic compounds through photosynthesis.

Scientists warn that a further depletion in the ozone layer will affect the activities of phytoplankton. It will have a chain-reaction. The lives of all the marine animals and birds of the region will be affected. The global carbon cycle will be disturbed. So if we want the world to go on properly we must take care of the small things. Then the big things will fall into place.

Q4. Why is Antarctica the place to go to, to understand the earth’s present, past and future?

Ans. Antarctica gives us an idea, how the earth would have been like millions of years ago and how it got divided into various earth masses. The melting and colliding ice masses also give us an insight into how our future is going to be, if we continue with interference in the working of the nature. Moreover, Antarctica holds into the depths of its ice half-million year old carbon records, which are helpful in understanding the past, present and future of the earth. Therefore, Antarctica is the place which reveals our past, shows our present and visualizes our future.

MCQ Questions for Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 3 Journey to the End of the Earth with Answers

Question 1. How does visit to Antartica help to understand the effect of global warming? (a) here one can see quickly melting glaciers and collapsing ice-shelves (b) it is filled with snow (c) it is away from urban rush (d) it has hidden treasures.

Answer: (a) here one can see quickly melting glaciers and collapsing ice-shelves

Question 2. The geographical phenomena is going to help us to know the history of mankind_________ (a) by showing the global warming (b) by showing the imapacts of global warming (c) by telling the age of existence of human beings on the earth (d) by exploring the world of ice

Answer: (c) by telling the age of existence of human beings on the earth

Question 3. Who is the author of the lesson Journey to the end of the Earth? (a) Tishani Doshi (b) Kamla Das (c) Jane Austen (d) Chitra Das

Answer: (a) Tishani Doshi

Question 4. What is the meaning of ‘epiphany’? (a) a moment of shock (b) a moment of great sadness (c) cacophony (d) a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization

Answer: (d) a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization

Question 5. The name of the programme that takes high school students to the end of the earth is ________. (a) Students of Ice (b) Students for Ice (c) Students above Ice (d) Students on Ice

Answer: (d) Students on Ice

Question 6. What does the author mean by “In that short amount of time, we’ve managed to create quite a ruckus”? (a) progress made by human race (b) destruction and disturbance caused by human race (c) stunning achievements of human race (d) None of the above

Answer: (b) destruction and disturbance caused by human race

Question 7. The synonym of ‘ubiquitous’ is __________. (a) abstract (b) complex (c) omnipresent (d) simple

Answer: (c) omnipresent

Question 8. The Drake Passage was created because of _________. (a) India drifting northwards (b) South America drifting off to join North America (c) North America drifting off to join South America (d) India’s collision with Asia

Answer: (b) South America drifting off to join North America

Question 9. Gondwana existed roughly around ___________. (a)110 million years ago (b)450 million years ago (c)250 million years ago (d) 650 million years ago

Answer: (d) 650 million years ago

Question 10. The narrator was aboard on the ship named ______ (a) World carrier (b) Academic Discovery (c) Akademik Shokalskiy (d) Denim Explorer

Answer: (c) Akademik Shokalskiy

Question 11. What was the name of the Southern Super continent? (a) Asia (b) Asia Pacific (c) Northern pole (d) Gondwana

Answer: (d) Gondwana

Question 12. What gives us an insight into the world’s geological history? (a) Study of Northern Pole (b) Study of Southern Pole (c) Study of Antarctica Continent (d) None

Answer: (c) Study of Antarctica Continent

Question 13. Which program was the author a part of? (a) Tour Program (b) Research Program (c) Students on Ice Program (d) None

Answer: (c) Students on Ice Program

Question 14. Why is Antarctica completely pure? (a) Because of ice (b) because of avalanches (c) because of melting glaciers (d) because of non-existence of humans

Answer: (d) because of non-existence of humans

Question 15. What used to flourished on Antarctica years back? (a) Animals (b) Tigers (c) Humans (d) Fauna and flora

Answer: (d) Fauna and flora

Question 16. What kind of atmosphere does Antarctica have? (a) coldest (b) driest (c) windiest (d) All these

Answer: (d) All these

Question 17. What was the center of the Gondwana Supercontinent? (a) Asia (b) Pacific (c) Antarctica (d) All these

Answer: (c) Antarctica

Question 18. How were the Himalayas formed? (a) by a collapse in the Gondwana supercontinent (b) by evolution (c) by deforestation (d) All these

Answer: (a) by a collapse in the Gondwana supercontinent

Question 19. How has the man created ruckus on the earth? (a) by travelling (b) by encroaching the earth (c) by visiting the iceland (d) none

Answer: (b) by encroaching the earth

Question 20. What disturbed the silence of the continent? (a) The birds (b) the animals (c) the humans (d) Avalanches

Answer: (d) Avalanches

Question 21. Why was Tishani Doshi filled with relief and wonder when she first set his foot on the continent? (a) to see its white expanse (b) to see its vastness and immense white expanse (c) to see the isolation from the rest of the world (d) All these

Question 22. What was the objective of the Students on the Ice program? (a) to make them travel (b) to make them see snow (c) to make them see white expanse in the form of ice (d) to enable them to think differently to save the planet

Answer: (d) to enable them to think differently to save the planet

Question 23. What was Gondwana? (a) An ancient tourist place (b) an ancient city in Antarctica (c) An ancient super continent (d) None

Answer: (c) An ancient super continent

Question 24. Who was Geoff Green? (a) Geoff was a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and The Explorers Club. (b) A scientist (c) A traveller (d) A tourist guide

Answer: (a) Geoff was a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and The Explorers Club.

Question 25. Why has the author called her journey as Journey to the End of the Earth’? (a) because it was too far (b) because no human race or plants exist (c) crosses nine time zones, six checkpoints, three water bodies and many ecospheres to reach there. (d) All these

Answer: (c) crosses nine time zones, six checkpoints, three water bodies and many ecospheres to reach there.

Question 26. Why is the Antarctica the right place to understand the past, present and future? (a) because half million-year-old carbon records are trapped in its layers of ice. (b) because of layers of ice (c) because of cold (d) none

Answer: (b) because of layers of ice

Question 27. Which programme aimed to take high school students to the end of the world? (a) The author’s delight (b) Teachers delight (c) School program (d) Geoff Green’s ‘Students on Ice’ programme

Answer: (d) Geoff Green’s ‘Students on Ice’ programme

Question 28. Why is a visit to Antartica important to understand the effect of global warming? (a) because here one can see quickly melting glaciers and collapsing ice-shelves (b) because it is filled with snow (c) because it is away from urban rush (d) None

Answer: (a) because here one can see quickly melting glaciers and collapsing ice-shelves

Question 29. What is the purpose of The Journey to the world’s most preserved place, Antarctica? (a) to tour the world (b) to see the beauty of the earth (c) to know the geography more closely (d) to sensitize the young minds towards climatic change

Answer: (d) to sensitize the young minds towards climatic change

Question 30. Who is the author of the lesson? (a) Tishani Doshi (b) Kamla Das (c) Jane Austen (d) Chitra Das

Question 31. If we want to know our earth, the human race and its past, present, and future where should we go? (a) Northern Pole (b) Southern Pole (c) Gondwana (d) Antarctica Continent

Answer: (d) Antarctica Continent

Question 32. How does the geographical phenomena help us? (a) how small changes cause big things to happen (b) it makes us study (c) it helps us to watch everything closely (d) none

Answer: (a) how small changes cause big things to happen

Question 33. Which program was a life changing program? (a) Tour and Travels (b) Know Antarctica (c) Know your earth (d) Students on Ice

Question 34. Where is the world’s geological history trapped? (a) on southern pole (b) On Northern Pole (c) on Asia Continent (d) On Antarctica Continent

Answer: (d) On Antarctica Continent

Question 35. Where does 90% of earth’s total ice exist? (a) Pacific region (b) Southern oceans (c) Northern pole (d) Antarctica Continent

Journey to the End of the Earth  Summary and Analysis

The short story, Journey to the End of the Earth is like a public address regarding the very real dangers of environmental degradation and pollution. Many types of writing have been published based on this topic and the last decade has witnessed a rise in ecological awareness among general society. This story, written by Tishani Doshi is an innovative piece of writing where the narrator simply does not count and explain the facts but also relates the real experience of a young student who goes on an expedition to Antarctica through a programme called ‘Students on Ice’. The setting of the story is entirely situated in the cold, white and frozen landscapes of the continent Antarctica. According to the author, “It’s easy to be blasé about polar ice-caps melting while sitting in the comfort zone of our respective latitude and longitude, but when you can visibly see glaciers retreating and ice shelves collapsing, you begin to realise that the threat of global warming is very real.” This is the main purpose of the programme, to bring the problem of climate change closer to a long-term solution by educating the young minds so that they can build a safer tomorrow.

Journey to the End of the Earth Short Summary

The author begins her story from the starting of her long journey to Antarctica. After completing over a hundred hours of travel using various kinds of transportations like a car, an aeroplane and ship, the author feels tired but mesmerized by the expansive white landscape of the isolated continent. This frozen corner of the earth is nearly inhabitable by humans but rare arctic species like penguins and seals thrive here and populate the landmass. She finds moments of relief after having successfully reached her destination but that feeling is immediately replaced by a sense of profound wonder. The young explorer then delves into a part of earth history where she describes the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana. This supercontinent connected and contained the entire landmass on earth which separated later into the seven continents, much as we know it today.

During that time, in earth’s early history, humans had not arrived yet, the climate was warmer and the world hosted a huge variety of flora and fauna. The writer debates how a visit to Antarctica ensures a sound learning, yet mind-boggling experience to future policy-makers of the world, inspiring them to act promptly to abate the situation. She relates a few of these experiences in the story as when she understands the balance of the simple ecosystem prevalent on the continent. She says that such a place is best suited to the study of the environment where little changes can have big repercussions.

The author then follows her microscopic observances with the frightening details of an incident which occurred at the end of her expedition. While returning, the Russian sea vessel in which she was travelling, the Shokalskiy, had managed to get stuck between a stretch of ice between the peninsula and Tadpole Island, due to which they were unable to move forwards. Before going back towards the North, the Captain asked his entire team of explorers to climb out and walk on the ocean. With only a metre of ice between her feet and the ever deep depths of the ocean, the author no doubt had a dream-like epiphany where she could connect all the dots of existence. She finally pieces together the purpose of her journey which lay in her understanding of the requirement for balance in our planet. Climate change can probably never be stopped but it can be controlled and moderated if we take the right steps now.

Journey to the End of the Earth:  Analysis

The story is a prognosis on the future of humanity on earth and how we can stop the imbalance in our environment to avoid drastic changes from happening soon. According to the author, history can be studied with relevance to its origin and its future on Antarctica as it is the right place to understand about mountain ranges and the rise of sea-levels, ozone and carbon, microscopic phytoplankton that build up the source for the entire ocean. The author hailed from a sun-worshipping warm place where the temperature varied from mild to hot. It was a chilling ordeal for her to leave the comfort of home and set off on this life-changing journey. Nevertheless, she took the courageous step and showed some responsibility as a human. She gathered her wits and paid attention to the lessons she was learning from this untouched ancient place which had all the answers. The setting of the place demanded silent awe and ponderous thoughts on the significance of evolution and extinction. Many species that had once flourished existed only as fossils today. Imminent change is possible at any point and us as a race may or may not be able to cope up with it. From what she observed, the pace in which the earth is headed towards ecological destruction, the future may not be so kind for us.

Journey to the End of the Earth Explanation: Literary Devices

The story Journey to the End of the Earth has been written down in the form of an account or a travel document. The author makes use of various literary devices such as similes, metaphor, imagery and foreshadowing to relate her experiences in the isolated continent of Antarctica where the common laws of human civilization do not apply. It is the one place on earth which has remained intact due to less human interference. The author alludes this place as a vast ice desert which seems indefinite and stark in the continuous austral light of the sun. The story is imbibed with a sense of awe and adventure with a hint of scientific imagination. It truly provides an appropriate response to such an opportunity of travelling to this less accessed place. Thrilling multi-dimensional information included by the author makes it a fascinating and knowledgeable read.

Journey to the End of the Earth Character Sketch

The narrator of the story is comprehensibly the main protagonist of the story since through her eyes we see the fierce and vulnerable beauty of nature in Antarctica. She paints a peculiar and stark picture of this secluded continent through her prose. She describes the region as a place where time and space seem to be suspended and where “Days go on and on and on in surreal 24-hour austral summer light, and a ubiquitous silence, interrupted only by the occasional avalanche or calving ice sheet, consecrates the place.” Although the nature of the expedition seems to be scientific and adventurous, the author, who hails from the city of Madras in South India, has perhaps attained a spiritually evolved understanding of life and balance on this journey as concluded from her writings. She is awed and inspired by her surroundings but is also acutely aware of her purpose to gain knowledge regarding the environment of the earth; she finds “Wonder at its immensity, its isolation, but mainly how there could ever have been a time when India and Antarctica were part of the same landmass”. The narrator, Tishani Doshi, makes important remarks about the place, its inhabitants, and their activities. She also geographically explains to her readers why it is crucial to visit Antarctica to gain a better perspective on the Earth’s past, present and future. She seems to be an imaginative person, fully dedicated to her mission. Her fear of the frigid unknown is greater than her courage when she walks over the ocean on a metre-thick slab of ice with 180 metres of saltwater beneath her feet.

This exciting piece of literature possesses in abundance both scientific facts about the history of our planet and the human thirst for discovery and exploration. Despite the arduous journey, the central character could make good use of her time on Antarctica capturing the alien surroundings through her writing. The landmass was once the centre of the earth and now lies in complete seclusion from the rest of the world. The author has positively managed to transfer our minds to this landscape and learn about the history of the earth.

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• Goofs (at around 1h 18 mins) When Trevor tries to ignite the magnesium with a flare, he claims that it's "...too wet...". Magnesium burns in water, producing magnesium oxide and hydrogen - in fact, pouring water on burning magnesium intensifies the fire; the most effective way to douse a magnesium fire is to cover it with sand or dry dirt.

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NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Supplementary Book: Vistas Chapter 3 - Journey to the End of the Earth

Get a free PDF of NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Supplementary Book: Vistas Chapter 3 Journey to the End of the Earth, from the provided links. These PDFs can be easily downloaded by the students. Our experts have uniquely formulated these questions to help the students gain competence. NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English is one of the best study materials designed for CBSE students. The solutions to this exercise come with detailed explanations structured by our expert teachers that further make learning and understanding concepts an easy task.

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NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Supplementary Book: Vistas Chapter 3 Journey to the End of the Earth

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Reading with Insight

1. ‘The world’s geological history is trapped in Antarctica.’ How is the study of this region useful to us?

The world’s geological history is indeed trapped in Antarctica. The study of the region of Antarctica gives us an insight into the world’s geological history. This is because the current world is battling with the growing population, and the extreme burning of fossil fuels has formed a blanket of carbon dioxide around the earth, which is the main cause of global warming.  Antarctica is a crucial element in the debate on climate change because it is relatively ‘pristine’. It is because 650 million years ago, Gondwana land existed in the southern part of the earth where Antarctica is currently situated. It contained a rich variety of flora and fauna. For 500 million years, Gondwana flourished, and later the landmass was forced to separate into countries, shaping the globe much as we know it today. All secrets are embedded in the layers of the ice in the form of 500-million-year-old carbon records. Hence, to study the earth’s past, Antarctica is the best place.

2. What are Geoff Green’s reasons for including high school students in the Students on Ice expedition?

Geoff Green took the high school students to one end of the world to give them a chance to develop respect and knowledge for the earth. He included high school students in the ice expedition because with students on the ice expedition, he offered future policymakers to experience how difficult it would have been for the earth to sustain life by raising its warmth. At a young age, when the process of good values develops in their life, it will also assist them in knowing more about their planet.

3. ‘Take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves.’ What is the relevance of this statement in the context of the Antarctic environment?

‘Take care of the small things, and the big things will take care of themselves.’ is a relevant statement to the Antarctic environment. A small environmental change can give rise to dramatic developments. Because of the small biodiversity and simple ecosystem, Antarctica is the best place to study the small changes in the environment that have big consequences. For example, consider the microscopic phytoplankton — these grasses of the sea feed and support the entire Southern Ocean’s food chain. These single-celled plants use the sun’s energy to absorb carbon dioxide and manufacture organic compounds, and this important process is called photosynthesis. Scientists caution that more depletion in the ozone layer will affect the activities of phytoplankton, which in turn affect the marine life’s food chain. From this example of the phytoplankton, there is a great metaphor for existence: take care of the small things, and the big things will fall into place.

4. Why is Antarctica the place to go to, to understand the earth’s present, past and future?

Antarctica is the best place to understand the earth’s present, past, and future because it holds in its ice cores, half a million-year-old carbon records trapped in its layers of ice. Antarctica gives an idea of how the earth would have been like millions of years ago and how it formed into different masses of earth. Antarctica has a vibrant diversity of flora and fauna as a rich heritage of the past. Therefore, Antarctica is a place to understand the earth’s present, past and future.

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The Eclipse Chaser

As millions of americans prepare to see a total solar eclipse, a retired astrophysicist known as “mr. eclipse,” discusses the celestial phenomenon..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

Can you hear — Fred, can you hear me?

[DISTORTED SPEECH]:

The internet is a little wonky.

OK. Well, [DISTORTED SPEECH]: Arizona. So the internet speed here isn’t really fast.

I think we’re going to call — yeah, I think we’re going to call you back on a — for the first time in a really long time — a landline.

[PHONE RINGING]

Hey, Fred, it’s Michael Barbaro.

You can hear me OK?

I can hear you.

Perfect. So, Fred, where exactly am I reaching you?

I’m in Portal, Arizona, in a little community called Arizona Sky Village. And it’s a very rural community. So our internet and phone lines are not very good. And the nearest grocery store is 60 miles away.

Wow. And why would you choose to live in such a remote place with such bad internet?

Because the sky is dark. It’s like the sky was a hundred years ago before cities encroached on all of the country. I guess you’d call it an astronomy development. Mainly, amateur astronomers who have built homes here far from city lights for the express purpose of studying the sky.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

So it’s literally a community where once the sun goes down, it’s pitch black. And some, perhaps all of you, are stargazing?

Yes, exactly.

Well, I think I’m beginning to understand why you might have the nickname that you do. Can you just tell our listeners what that nickname is?

My nickname is Mr. Eclipse.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Michael Barbaro. This is “The Daily.” Today’s total solar eclipse will be watched by millions of people across North America, none of them as closely as Fred Espenak, a longtime NASA scientist who’s devoted his entire life to studying, chasing, and popularizing the wonder that is an eclipse.

It’s Monday, April 8.

Fred, help me understand how you become Mr. Eclipse, how you go from being Fred to this seemingly very hard-earned nickname of Mr. Eclipse.

Well, I was visiting my grandparents at their summer home. And it was a partial eclipse of the sun back in the early 1960s. And I was a 10 - or 12-year-old kid. I got my parents to get me a small telescope. And I watched some of the partial phases. And it was really interesting.

And I started reading about eclipses. And I found out that as interesting as a partial eclipse is, a total eclipse is far more interesting. The moon is only 1/400 the diameter of the sun. It’s tiny compared to the sun. But it’s 400 times closer to the Earth. So it’s just this incredible coincidence that the moon and sun appear to be the same size in the sky. And once in a while, the moon passes directly between the Earth and the sun. And you’re plunged into this very strange midday twilight.

But they’re limited to a very small geographic areas to see a total eclipse. And this little book I was studying had a map of the world, showing upcoming paths of total solar eclipses. And I realized that one was passing through North America about 600 miles from where I lived. And that eclipse was in 1970.

And I was reading about this in 1963, 1964. And I made a promise to myself that I was going to get to that eclipse in 1970 to see it because I thought it was a one chance in a lifetime to see a total eclipse of the sun.

So just to be very clear, you see a partial eclipse, and you immediately think to yourself, that was fine. But I need the real thing. I need a full eclipse. And you happen to find out, around this time, that a real eclipse is coming but in seven years.

Right. I mean, there were other eclipses between that time and seven years in the future. But they were in other parts of the world. And I couldn’t buy an airplane ticket and fly to Europe or Australia.

And by 1970, I’d been waiting for this. And by this point, I had just gotten a driver’s license. And I convinced my parents to let me drive the car 600 miles to get down into the path of totality to see this great event.

Wow. Wait, from where to where?

From Staten Island, New York, down to a little town in North Carolina.

How did you convince your parents to let you do that? I mean, that’s —

Well, I had seven years to work on it.

[LAUGHS]: Right.

And I was just a nerdy kid. I didn’t get into trouble. I was interested in science. I was out in the woods, studying frogs and wildlife and stuff. So this was just a natural progression of the type of things I would normally do.

Right. OK. So I wonder if you can describe this journey you end up taking from Staten Island. How does the trip unfold as you’re headed on this 600 mile?

So, I think, on March 6, 1970, it was a Friday. My friend and I left to drive to the eclipse path. We probably got on the road probably at 5:00 AM because it was going to be a very long day.

And we’ve got a detailed map in the car, which I’ve plotted the eclipse path on. And we’re just trying to get far enough south to get into the path of the eclipse, which for us is easternmost Virginia or Eastern North Carolina. And I drive and drive and drive all day long. Very long day.

We get down to North Carolina right about maybe 6:00 PM. And we just see this little town in North Carolina that we’re driving through. And it happens to have a convenient motel right in the center of the path. And that was good enough. Got a room available. And we check in. And that’s where we’re going to watch the eclipse from.

And the next morning was eclipse day. It was a bright, crisp, sunny morning. There weren’t any clouds at all in the sky. And I was amazed that outside the back of the motel, in this grassy field, there were dozens and dozens of people with telescopes out there, specifically there for the eclipse that morning.

We were really excited about this. We set up our — my telescope. And we had another camera set up to watch it. And we walked around and marveled at some of the other people and their telescopes and discussed the eclipse with them. And the eclipse started probably around noon or 1:00 in the afternoon.

Describe the actual event itself, the eclipse. How did it begin?

Well, all solar eclipses begin as a partial eclipse. And the sun is gradually covered by the moon as the moon takes larger and larger pieces out of the sun, as it slowly crawls across the sun’s surface. And you don’t really notice much going on with a naked eye.

It’s really only in the last 10 minutes or so that you start to notice changes in the environment because now enough of the sun has been covered, upwards of maybe 90 percent of the sun. And you start to notice the temperature falling. There’s a chill in the air.

Also, since so much of the sun is covered, the daylight starts to take on an anemic quality. It’s weak. The sun is still too bright to look at. But the surroundings, the environment is not as bright as it was a half hour earlier.

You start to notice animals reacting to the dwindling sunlight. They start acting like it’s sunset. And they start performing some of their evening rituals, like birds roosting, perhaps calling their evening songs. And plants start closing up and the dropping sunlight. And then the dropping temperatures.

And there’s an acceleration now of all these effects. The temperature drop, the drop in the sunlight, it starts happening faster and faster and getting darker and darker. And maybe about a minute before the total eclipse began, we noticed strange patterns on the ground beneath us, on the grassy field that we were on — these ripples racing across the field. And these are something called shadow bands.

They look a lot like the rippling patterns that you would see on the bottom of a swimming pool, bands of light and dark, and moving very quickly across the ground. The sky is — it’s a dark blue. And it’s getting darker rapidly in this dwindling sunlight. And you go from daylight to twilight in just 10 or 20 seconds. It’s almost like someone has the hand on the rheostat and turns the house lights down in the theater.

You just see the light just go right down.

And the sky gets dark enough that the corona, the outer atmosphere of the sun, starts emerging from the background sky. This ring or halo of gas that surrounds the sun, and it’s visible around the moon, which is in silhouette against the sun. And along one edge of the moon is this bright bead of sunlight because that’s the last remaining piece of the sun before it becomes total.

And this is the diamond ring effect because you’ve got the ring of the corona and this dazzling jewel along one edge of it. You only get to see this for 10 or 15 seconds — it’s very fleeting — before the moon completely covers the sun’s disk. And totality begins. Suddenly, you’re in this twilight of the moon’s shadow.

And you look around the horizon. And you’re seeing the colors of sunrise or sunset 360 degrees around the horizon because you’re looking out the edge of the moon’s shadow. And looking back up into the sky, the sun is gone now. And you see this black disk of the moon in silhouette surrounded by the sun’s corona.

Maybe this says more about my nature than anything else, but what you’re describing, a little bit, feels like the end of the world.

Well, I think, when you see this all transpire, you can easily understand how people thought this was the end of the world because it seems far outside of the realms of nature. It seems supernatural. So you can see how people panicked that didn’t understand what was going on.

That was not your reaction?

No. I think it’s a sense of belonging — belonging to this incredible universe, both belonging and a humbleness that how minuscule we are. And yet we’re a part of this fantastic cosmic wheel of motion in the solar system. You almost get a three-dimensional sense of the motions of the Earth and the moon around the sun when you see this clockwork displayed right in front of you, this mechanics of the eclipse taking place.

It almost lifts you up off the planet, and you can look back down at the solar system and see how it’s all put together. And you’ve only got to, in that case — in that particular eclipse, it was only 2 and 1/2 minutes to look at this.

Wow. It’s kind of a clock in your head, saying, you don’t have much of this.

You don’t have much of it. And it almost seems like time stops.

And at the same time, all of a sudden, the eclipse is over. Those 2 minutes just raced by. And it’s over. All of a sudden, the diamond ring forms again on the opposite side of the moon, as the sun starts to become uncovered at the end of totality. And the diamond ring appears. It grows incredibly bright in just a few seconds. And you can’t look at it anymore. It’s too bright. You’ve got to put your filters back on and cover your telescope with a solar filter so it doesn’t get damaged. And you’re trembling because of this event.

Everybody was cheering and shouting and yelling. I mean, you would have thought you were at a sports game, and the home team just scored a touchdown. Just everybody screaming at the top of their lungs. And I immediately started thinking that this can’t be a once in a lifetime experience. I’ve got to see this again.

We’ll be right back.

OK. So, Fred, it’s the early 1970s. And you are not Mr. Eclipse yet. You’re just a kid who felt something very big when you watched an eclipse. So how did you end up becoming the premier authority that you now are on eclipses?

Well, after that 1970 eclipse, I started looking into upcoming solar eclipses so I could get a chance to see the sun’s corona again. And the next total eclipse was in Eastern Canada in July of 1972. And I started thinking about that eclipse. And by then, I was going to be in college.

And I started planning because that one was still something I could drive to. It was 1,200 miles instead of 600 miles.

So the summer of 1972 rolls around. And I drove up to the eclipse in Quebec to see totality and was unfortunately clouded out of the eclipse. I saw some of the partial phases. But clouds moved in and obscured the sun for that view of the sun’s corona.

You were robbed.

I was robbed. And I realized, well, I’ve got to expand my outlook on what’s an acceptable distance to travel to see a total eclipse because the next total eclipse then, in 1973, was through the Sahara Desert in Northern Africa. So I traveled to the Sahara desert for the eclipse, where we had decent weather, not perfect but decent weather. And we got to see totality there.

You saw totality in the desert?

In the desert. In the Sahara Desert. After that, it was just trying to get to every total eclipse I possibly could get to.

At this point, you’re clearly starting to become an eclipse chaser. And I don’t even know if such a thing existed at that moment.

Yeah. I don’t know if it was called that then, but certainly, yeah.

And if you’ll permit me a question that might seem maybe dopey to someone in your field, after you’ve seen one or two or three of these, do they start to blend in together and become a little bit the same?

Not at all. Each one is distinctly different. The sun itself is dramatically different. The sun’s corona is different at each eclipse because the corona is a product of the sun’s magnetic field. And that magnetic field is changing every day. So the details, the fine structure in the sun’s corona is always different. So every eclipse is dramatically different. The appearance of the sun’s corona.

Right. If you look at one Renoir, it’s not the same as the next one. You’re describing the corona of each eclipse as its own work of art, basically.

Exactly. Yeah.

So as you’re chasing these eclipses around the world, what is the place of an eclipse in your day-to-day academic studies and, soon enough, your professional work?

So I went to grad school at University of Toledo and did some work at Kitt Peak National Observatory, learning the ins and outs of photometric photometry — that is, measuring the brightness of stars. And eventually, this led to a job opening at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

And I got interested in the idea of predicting eclipses and started studying the mathematics of how to do this. And I took it over unofficially and started publishing these technical maps and details. And we published about a dozen books through NASA on upcoming eclipses. People would just write me a letter and say they wanted a copy of the eclipse bulletin for such and such an eclipse. And I would stuff it in an envelope and mail it to them.

So you take it upon yourself to make sure that everyone is going to know when the next eclipse is coming?

And no doubt, during this period, you keep going to each and every eclipse. And I wonder which of them stand out to you.

Well, I’ve seen total eclipses from Australia, from Africa, from the Altiplanos in Bolivia, from the ice sheet on the coast of Antarctica, and even from Northern China, on the edge of the Gobi Desert. But one of the most notable eclipses for me was I traveled to India to see a 41-second eclipse, which was very short. And besides seeing a great eclipse in India, I also met my future wife there. She was on the same trip.

I have to hear that story.

Well, she had been trying to see a total eclipse for about 25 years.

She tried to see the 1970 eclipse. But her friends who were going to drive down from Pennsylvania down to North Carolina talked her out of it at the 11th hour.

They talked her out of seeing the same eclipse that was your first total eclipse that was so important to you?

Yes. And they talked her out of it because from Pennsylvania, they were going to have maybe a 90 percent eclipse. They didn’t know any better. They thought that was good enough. And she regretted that decision.

So then she said, OK, well, I’ve got to get to the next total eclipse, which was in Quebec in 1972, the same one that was my second eclipse. And we were probably within five miles of each other in Quebec. And we were both clouded out. Then she was married. She was raising kids. She got busy with domestic life for 20 years. She became a widow.

So now, 1995, there’s this 41-second eclipse in India that is very difficult to get to. It’s halfway around the world. But she’s still itching to see a total eclipse. And we joined the same expedition, a travel group, of 30 eclipse chasers and end up in India for the eclipse. And we have fantastic weather. It’s perfect.

She was in tears after totality. She had been waiting so long to see it. And we struck up a friendship on that trip. By the time the 1998 eclipse was taking place in the Caribbean, at that point, we were together. That was our first eclipse to observe as a couple. I think our wedding cake had a big eclipse on the top of the cake.

[LAUGHS]: Perfect.

We made a music CD for the wedding that we played during the reception. And of course, all the music on the CD had sun and moon themes to it.

Nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the heart

Of course, we had “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” It was a must-have.

Had to. Had to.

It strikes me, Fred, that eclipses are such an organizing principle in your life. Your life seems to literally orbit around them. When you were a kid, you started planning for them years in advance. This work becomes central to your career. It’s how you meet your wife.

And you said, when I asked you, about each eclipse that they’re all different. And obviously, you’re different at each eclipse because time has passed. Your life has changed. And it just feels like your life is being lived in a kind of ongoing conversation with this phenomenon of the sun and the moon overlapping.

Well, the eclipses are like benchmarks that I can use to figure out what else was going on in my life during these times, because I remember the dates of every single eclipse I’ve been to. And if I see a photograph of the solar corona shot during any particular eclipse, I know what eclipse that was. I can recognize the pattern of the corona like a fingerprint.

That’s amazing.

And I the year of the eclipse. It reminds me of when Pat and I got married and between which eclipse we were getting married and had to plan our wedding so it didn’t interfere with any kind of eclipse trips.

And they just serve as benchmarks or markers for the rest of my life of when various eclipses take place. So they’re easy for marking the passage of time.

So we are, of course, talking to you a few days before this year’s eclipse, which I cannot fathom you missing. So where are you planning to watch this total eclipse?

Pat and I are leaving for Mazatlán, Mexico, actually tomorrow. And we’ve got about 80 people joining us down in Mazatlán for this eclipse in our tour group.

And for you, of course, this year’s eclipse is just the latest in a very long line of eclipses. But I think, for the rest of us — and here, I’m thinking about myself — this is really going to be my first total eclipse, at least that I can remember. And for my two little kids, it’s absolutely going to be their first.

And given the hard-earned wisdom that you’ve accumulated in all your decades of chasing eclipses around the world, I wonder if you can give us just a little bit of advice for how to best live inside this very brief window of a total solar eclipse, to make sure, not to be cliche, but that we make it count.

Well, I think one mistake that people tend to make is getting preoccupied with recording everything in their lives, what they had for lunch, what they had for dinner. And seeing the eclipse is something that you want to witness firsthand. Try to be present in seeing the eclipse in the moment of it. So don’t get preoccupied with recording every instant of it.

Sit back and try to take in the entire experience because those several minutes pass by so rapidly. But you’ll replay them in your mind over and over and over again. And you don’t want technology getting between you and that experience. And remember to take your eclipse glasses off when totality begins. Note how dark it gets during totality.

Take the glasses off because?

Well, the glasses protect your eyes from the sun’s bright disk. But when totality begins, the sun’s bright disk is gone. So if you use your solar eclipse glasses to try to look at the corona, you won’t see anything. You’ll just see blackness. You’ve got to remove the eclipse glasses in order to see the corona. And it’s completely safe.

And it’s an incredible sight to behold. But during totality, you just want to look around without the glasses on. And take in the sights. Take in the horizon, 360 degrees, surrounding you with these twilight colors and sunset colors.

You’ll easily be able to see Jupiter and Venus shining on either side of the sun during totality. And look at the details in the sun’s corona, fine, wispy textures, and any possible red prominences hugging against the moon’s disk during totality.

And let’s say it’s now the moment of totality, and you, Mr. Eclipse, can whisper one thing into someone’s ear as they’re watching. What would you say to them?

Enjoy. Just take it all in.

Well, Fred, thank you very much. We really appreciate it.

No, thank you. I hope everybody has some clear sky.

After today, the next total solar eclipse to be visible from the continental United States will occur 20 years from now, in 2044. In other words, you might as well watch today’s.

Here’s what else you need to know today. Israel has fired two officers in connection with the deadly airstrike on aid workers from the World Central Kitchen who were killed last week while delivering food to civilians in Gaza. In a report released on Friday, Israel blamed their deaths on a string of errors made by the military. The airstrike, Israel said, was based on insufficient and incorrect evidence that a passenger traveling with the workers was armed.

Meanwhile, Israel said it withdrew a division of ground troops from Southern Gaza on Sunday, leaving no soldiers actively patrolling the area. The move raises questions about Israel’s strategy as the war drags into its sixth month. In particular, it casts doubt on Israel’s plans to invade Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, an invasion that the United States has asked Israel not to carry out for fear of large-scale civilian casualties.

Today’s episode was produced by Alex Stern and Sydney Harper, with help from Will Reid and Jessica Cheung. It was edited by Devon Taylor; fact-checked by Susan Lee; contains original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Elisheba Ittoop, and Corey Schreppel; and sound design by Elisheba Ittoop and Dan Powell. It was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Anthony Wallace.

[THEME MUSIC]

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Michael Barbaro. See you tomorrow.

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Today, millions of Americans will have the opportunity to see a rare total solar eclipse.

Fred Espenak, a retired astrophysicist known as Mr. Eclipse, was so blown away by an eclipse he saw as a teenager that he dedicated his life to traveling the world and seeing as many as he could.

Mr. Espenak discusses the eclipses that have punctuated and defined the most important moments in his life, and explains why these celestial phenomena are such a wonder to experience.

On today’s episode

Fred Espenak, a.k.a. “Mr. Eclipse,” a former NASA astrophysicist and lifelong eclipse chaser.

Background reading

A total solar eclipse is coming. Here’s what you need to know.

Millions of people making plans to be in the path of the solar eclipse on Monday are expecting an awe-inspiring. What is that feeling?

The eclipse that ended a war and shook the gods forever.

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

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Corey Schreppel leads the technical team that supports all Times audio shows, including “The Daily,” “Hard Fork,” “The Run-Up,” and “Modern Love.” More about Corey Schreppel

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Total solar eclipse 2024: Where, when, and how to watch

People in North America will be able to witness a total solar eclipse on April 8 as the moon completely blocks the sun.

Millions of people across North America will get the chance to experience a very special natural event on Monday when a total solar eclipse will be visible from parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada.

The total eclipse – which occurs when the moon completely blocks out the sun – will darken skies for a few minutes “as if it were dawn or dusk”, the US’s NASA space agency explains.

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It will be visible from a 185km-wide (115 mile-wide) band that stretches from the western coast of Mexico, through the US, and up to Canada’s easternmost province of Newfoundland and Labrador – what’s known as the “path of totality”.

“Weather permitting, people along the path of totality will see the sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, which is usually obscured by the bright face of the sun,” NASA says on its website.

The path of totality is really “where it’s at” on Monday, said Anthony Aveni, professor emeritus at Colgate University in New York and author of the book, In the Shadow of the Moon: The Science, Magic, and Mystery of Solar Eclipses.

“It’s that precious three minutes or so … of totality when you see a whole range of phenomena that you just don’t see in everyday life,” he told Al Jazeera. “It takes your breath away and you stop what you’re doing and gawk at nature.”

So how often do total solar eclipses occur? How long does it typically last? Where and how can you watch safely? Here’s everything you need to know.

Where will the total eclipse be visible from, and at what time?

Monday’s total eclipse will be visible from parts of Mexico, the US and Canada.

It will enter continental North America in Mazatlan, in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa, at 11:07am local time (18:07 GMT). It will exit the continent on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16pm local time (19:46 GMT).

In the US, the eclipse will enter the state of Texas at 1:27pm local time (18:27 GMT) and exit in Maine at 3:35pm local time (19:35 GMT).

It will last only a few minutes, and the exact time it will be visible depends on where you are within the path of totality.

For example, in Erie, Pennsylvania, totality starts at 3:16pm local time (19:16 GMT) and ends at 3:20pm (19:20 GMT).

It will reach Buffalo, New York, a few minutes later: there, totality starts at 3:18pm local time (19:18 GMT) and ends at 3:22pm (19:22 GMT).

A partial eclipse also will be visible for about two hours on Monday, before and after totality.

What happens during a total solar eclipse?

While the Earth and moon both orbit the sun, the moon also circles the Earth each month.

During a total solar eclipse, the moon passes directly between the sun and the Earth, completely blocking the sun’s light on one side, and casting a shadow on a small area of Earth on its other side.

The dark inner part – the “umbra” – of this shadow creates a narrow track or “path” as the moon orbits the Earth. Areas on this path, and especially on its centreline, which fall directly under the shadow, are the ones from where the total eclipse will be visible.

This track is about 160km (100 miles) wide and 16,000km (10,000 miles) long.

“If it was a lunar eclipse, it would last for a few hours and people around the world could see it. But the difference is that total eclipses only happen over a specific path of that new moon,” said Khady Adama Ndao, a NASA eclipse ambassador.

This eclipse only occurs during a new moon. And the moon’s position in its orbit, relative to the sun and Earth, as well as the angles of all three at a specific time, are what create a total eclipse.

While the moon will be close enough to Earth so as to look as though it entirely covers the sun during an eclipse, in reality the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun. It’s the increased distance between the moon and the sun at the time of a total eclipse that makes the moon look like it is big enough to cover the sun.

Meanwhile, people who are close to the path of totality, but not directly in it, may see what’s known as a partial eclipse on Monday. That’s when only a part of the sun is obscured by the moon.

Areas from which a partial eclipse will be visible fall under faint parts of the moon’s wider shadow, called the “penumbra”.

What does a total eclipse look like?

As the moon moves past the sun during an eclipse, it will slowly obscure the sun – creating a dark sky – before reaching the moment of “totality”. That’s when almost the entirety of the sun will be covered, leaving only a faint circle of the sun’s light or the corona.

After a few minutes, people in the path of totality will see a partial eclipse again as the moon moves away. The sun will become fully visible again.

What else happens during the moment of totality?

There is a drop in temperature and animals also start to behave as if it’s nighttime.

The chirping patterns of birds may change, while nocturnal animals such as bats and owls may start to wake up and look for prey.

Stars and celestial objects hanging in the dark sky may also become more visible.

If a person were to stand on the moon or a space station orbiting Earth, they would also be able to see a dark shadow passing over the Earth.

How long will the total solar eclipse last on April 8?

A total solar eclipse can last between two to three hours, from the moment the moon first begins to cover the sun, until the time the moon crosses past the sun and stops obscuring it.

However, the period of totality in most places this year will last only between three and a half to four minutes.

Areas on and very close to the centreline will experience the longest period of totality while totality will last for shorter periods of time in areas farther from the centreline.

The longest period of totality on Monday – 4 minutes and 28 seconds – will occur near Torreon, Mexico. That’s because the area is closest to the point at which the shadow’s path is perpendicular to the Earth’s surface and near the central line of the umbral shadow.

In the past, totality in some places has lasted for as little as a few seconds, and as long as seven and a half minutes.

The durations of the eclipse and the period of totality differ due to a combination of factors, such as the curvature of the Earth and angle at which the moon’s shadow strikes.

Mobile applications such as “Totality” track eclipse start and end times, as well as totality durations for different cities on the total eclipse’s path.

What are some of the cultural and historical beliefs around total solar eclipses?

Total solar eclipses have captivated people for thousands of years. But in ancient civilisations, the phenomenon was often viewed as a bad omen.

In ancient China, for example, people believed that solar eclipses happened because “a celestial dragon” was eating the sun, according to NASA . As a result, people made loud noises during eclipses “to frighten the dragon away”.

The Inca people of South America believed solar eclipses were a sign of the sun god Inti’s anger.

And in ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), a solar eclipse was thought to signal that the ruler was in grave danger – leading decision-makers to put a system in place known as the “substitute king”.

In order to prevent the real Assyrian king, for example, from being harmed, a substitute would be dressed up and ultimately offered as a sacrifice “for the evil fate that was destined for the true king”, explained Sarah Graff , a curator in the Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

According to Aveni at Colgate University, there is a tendency to view people in the past as being less intelligent or more superstitious about eclipses than people today. “But in every case, it’s an occasion to have a conversation,” he told Al Jazeera.

For instance, people made noise in the ancient Andean world during an eclipse “to alert the sun not to believe what the moon is whispering in his ear, which is that we people that live down here on Earth do bad things at night”, Aveni said. “This becomes an occasion to have a discussion about lying – that’s really what it’s about.”

Can you watch a total solar eclipse without glasses?

Experts stress that safety is critical.

During the brief time in which the moon completely blocks out the sun, people can view the total eclipse with their naked eye.

But during the partial eclipse before and after totality, you should use specially designed, protective solar glasses or a handheld solar viewing device.

“If people look without the proper protection, they run the risk of injuring their eyes,” said B Ralph Chou , president of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

“And if they get an injury, depending on how often and how long they look at the sun without the protection, they do have a substantial risk of developing a permanent loss of vision.”

This risk is due to a number of factors such as the intensity and radiation of the sun’s light, as well as the absence of pain receptors in the eye, which makes it easier to stare for too long.

Compared with a regular day, pupils may also be less dilated during an eclipse, making the bright light that enters more dangerous. “It’s like being in the dark, when all of a sudden, someone just flashes a flashlight in front of your eyes”, Ndao, the NASA eclipse ambassador, said.

How are people preparing?

Cities and towns across the path of totality have been distributing eclipse glasses to residents in the weeks leading up to Monday’s event. Museums, science centres and other institutions are holding viewing parties.

Schools in the US and Canada have announced closures on Monday to allow students to participate in eclipse-watching events. The closures also aim to avoid safety issues, as schools have raised concerns that the total eclipse coincides with school dismissal times.

Groups of people are also flying in private planes to watch the totality, said Barbara Gruber, assistant director of education and public outreach at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in the US.

While this is permitted, the US Federal Aviation Authority has put out safety advisories about flying during totality.

Are you guaranteed to see the total eclipse if you’re in the path of totality?

Unfortunately not. Weather conditions will play an important factor in what hopeful eclipse-watchers will be able to see on Monday.

In other words, if it’s cloudy, that could ruin the visibility.

If you’re not in North America, several institutions will be hosting live coverage of the total eclipse, including NASA .

How often does a total solar eclipse happen?

While Monday may be the last time the US sees an eclipse for at least another nine years, a total solar eclipse generally occurs every 18 months.

Many total eclipses are only visible at sea and may not be seen by anyone at all, according to Ndao.

Additionally, once a particular area experiences a total eclipse, it may not see the return of the phenomenon for hundreds of years.

“On average a single location will experience a total solar eclipse about every 350 years, but averages can be misleading and some lucky places will get an eclipse in just a few years”, Gruber told Al Jazeera.

When is the next total solar eclipse?

The next total solar eclipse will take place on August 12, 2026, over Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. Almost exactly a year later, on August 2, 2027, one will be visible from northern Africa, Gibraltar, and the Saudi peninsula.

In the US, the next total eclipse will occur in 2033 but will only be visible from Alaska.

Western Canada, Montana and North Dakota will witness a total eclipse in 2044 and, the following year, people in the US will be able to see a total eclipse from coast to coast, according to NRAO.

Experts say a day will come, however, when total eclipses will stop occurring altogether – but not for quite a while.

As the universe expands with the moon moving further away from the Earth each year, and the sun gets bigger, the moon will eventually become too small in the sky to block the whole sun.

That day is still a distant reality though. A NASA study in 2017 estimated that total eclipses would end in 563 million years.