ABC News, National Geographic's 'Eclipse Across America' special

WTVD logo
Monday, April 8, 2024
ABC7 Eyewitness News

ABC News and National Geographic partnered to provide extensive, live coverage of the 2024 rare total solar eclipse.



On Monday, at least 32 million people across America found themselves in the path of a total solar eclipse, where the moon blocked the sun in what will be the last of its kind in the U.S. until 2044.



To celebrate this rare moment, ABC News and National Geographic aired "Eclipse Across America" live on ABC, ABC News Live, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Disney+, Hulu, and this station.



The coverage spanned 10 cities across North America -- from Mazatlán, Mexico, to Houlton, Maine -- with each being in 100% totality of the eclipse. "Eclipse Across America" was broadcast from the following locations experiencing the phenomenon firsthand:



  • Mazatlán, Mexico - with ABC News correspondent Matt Rivers

  • Del Rio, Texas - with ABC News national correspondent Mireya Villarreal and van Zeller


  • Dallas, Texas - with "GMA3" co-anchors DeMarco Morgan and ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton and a live check-in with Tafreshi at Frio Cave

  • Russellville, Arkansas - with ABC News foreign correspondent Maggie Rulli with hundreds of couples saying "I do" at the "Total Eclipse of the Heart" mass wedding

  • Carbondale, Illinois - with ABC News chief meteorologist Ginger Zee and Isler at Southern Illinois University

  • Indianapolis, Indiana - with "Good Morning America" weekend co-anchor Gio Benitez at the Indy 500 Speedway

  • Cleveland, Ohio - with "Good Morning America" weekend co-anchor Whit Johnson at the Great Lakes Science Center

  • Niagara Falls, New York - with ABC News meteorologist Rob Marciano and Mittermeier close to the Falls. ABC News multiplatform reporter Reena Roy will also be reporting live from this location

  • Burlington, Vermont - with Muir and Davis at ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain

  • Houlton, Maine - at one of the last communities in America to see the eclipse



The special was anchored by "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir and "ABC News Live Prime" anchor Linsey Davis.



Nat Geo talent Mariana van Zeller ("Trafficked") and Nat Geo Explorers photographer Cristina Mittermeier ("Photographer"), astrophotographer Babak Tafreshi, and astrophysicists Jedidah Isler and Ved Chirayath were on site to show viewers how to safely observe and photograph eclipses and break down the science and history behind them.



Science photojournalist Babak Tafreshi talks about the celestial phenomenon.


RELATED STORIES & VIDEOS




Disney is the parent company of ABC News, National Geographic, Disney+, Hulu and this station.



Copyright © 2024 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.