A Solar Eclipse Just Happened, And People Online Already Created These 36 Hilarious Memes About It
Time moves fast, but people on the internet move faster. Or at least it looks like that sometimes. Anytime something meaningful (or not even so meaningful) happens in the world, folks manage to comment on it, usually in a meme format, in no time.
Just like when, on April 8th, the solar eclipse happened, and the internet was flooded with many hilarious memes. So, we picked out some of the best ones for you to enjoy. (Just don't forget your eclipse glasses because some of these memes are quite bright!)
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If you were on any social media app on April 8th, 2024, you likely saw at least one post relating to the solar eclipse. Or, maybe you even were able to witness the total solar eclipse itself, the one that is being referred to as the Great North American Eclipse.
Basically, a total eclipse is when the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, extinguishing its light and causing a total solar eclipse. These kinds of eclipses aren’t so frequent, as they happen around once every 18 months.
Besides the total solar eclipse, there are several other types of solar eclipses:
- Annular Solar Eclipse: When the Moon is at/near its farthest point from Earth, so it’s smaller than the Sun and doesn’t cover it;
- Partial Solar Eclipse: When the Moon, the Earth, and the Sun aren’t perfectly lined up. Usually, it can be seen during a total or annular eclipse by people outside the area covered by the Moon’s inner shadow;
- Hybrid Solar Eclipse: Due to Earth's curved surface, sometimes, an eclipse can shift between annular and total as the Moon’s shadow moves across the globe.
Doesn’t it do this in rogue one? I feel like I remember a super badass shot of the Death Star eclipsing the sun for a planet at one point?
The Great North American Eclipse was visible from certain places in North America, from Mexico to Canada and crossing the contiguous United States. Even some places in European countries, like Svalbard (in Norway), Iceland, Ireland, the northwest of Spain and Portugal, and so on, were able to see it as a partial solar eclipse.
It lasted somewhere between around 3.5 and 4 minutes. The longest-ever total eclipse occurred in 743 B.C., and it lasted 7 minutes and 28 seconds. Almost double the time of this one! And more than double the time of the 2017 total solar eclipse, whose longest stretch was only 2 minutes and 32 seconds. Also, NASA says that this record should be broken in 2186 with a 7-minute, 29-second total solar eclipse.
For safe viewing of the Great North American Eclipse, people were advised to grab a pair of certified eclipse glasses or a solar viewer. Without them, a person risks getting permanent eye damage, known as solar retinopathy, which can’t be treated and, in some cases, even causes blindness.
I'm not a fan of Huckabee-Sanders, but she and a couple of other governors in the area declared a state of emergency to release funds to prepare for the huge crowds descending on their state for the Eclipse. It's a completely reasonable decision.
Another total solar eclipse in the contiguous US won’t be seen until August 22, 2044, while a total eclipse with a coast-to-coast path will only occur on August 12, 2045. Europeans won’t have to wait so long, as the next total eclipse there is “scheduled” to happen on August 12, 2026, and again on August 2, 2027.
So, while we wait for the next eclipse, let’s take a trip through these hilarious eclipse-related memes and upvote those that are the most amusing!
Did you watch the total solar eclipse on April 8th? Or maybe you even witnessed another solar eclipse? Share your stories with us in the comments!
You know how when you look at any lightbulb, you can see an afterimage for a while? Yesterday, I learned that a total eclipse (IMPORTANT: *TOTAL* eclipse) is so dim, it won't even create an afterimage visible with your eyes open. Those glasses are so dark, you can barely see anything at all during totality. I guess the government-perceived danger is that people will look at the sun as it exits totality? (The glasses were ABSOLUTELY necessary during the partially eclipsed phases... I got a split-second eyeful accidentally just before totality while trying to get a camera picture and having the glasses more on the camera than on my eyes. Certainly no more dangerous than having the sun pop out from behind something you're looking at during normal conditions, but also certainly something you want to avoid.)
Something tells me this applies to cell phone stores/manufacturers as well.
It looked so awesome, the way the sky darkened and the it got cold, just a ring of light in the sky
Well, that a helluva one of the telescope! Can I get one in my size?
The REAL reason the government wanted you to use those black-out glasses!
I drove about two hours there (and nine hours home!) to be in the path of totality and it was absolutely worth it.
My husband and I went to Hamilton Ontario (Canada) where our youngest son and his wife live. We saw it, even with the clouds. It was on and off until the total eclipse - no clouds! Then the clouds came back. Here's a picture for you. 2024-04-08...9639e7.jpg 
Thanks for the picture! It looks super cool
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In surprised no one used that one card from happy Little Dinosaurs that says "The sun isn't that bright," they said. You proved them wrong" and it has the t Rex with his eyes burning
Also when I watched it a cloud passed over it (I was in VA so it looked like a cheesecrescent) and we were all like "WHOA WHATS HAPPENING" and then someone looks to the side like "guys it was a cloud"
Load More Replies... I drove about two hours there (and nine hours home!) to be in the path of totality and it was absolutely worth it.
My husband and I went to Hamilton Ontario (Canada) where our youngest son and his wife live. We saw it, even with the clouds. It was on and off until the total eclipse - no clouds! Then the clouds came back. Here's a picture for you. 2024-04-08...9639e7.jpg
Thanks for the picture! It looks super cool
Load More Replies... In surprised no one used that one card from happy Little Dinosaurs that says "The sun isn't that bright," they said. You proved them wrong" and it has the t Rex with his eyes burning
Also when I watched it a cloud passed over it (I was in VA so it looked like a cheesecrescent) and we were all like "WHOA WHATS HAPPENING" and then someone looks to the side like "guys it was a cloud"
Load More Replies...