If you missed April's total solar eclipse, you can see it in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

If you missed April’s total solar eclipse, you can see it in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

Back in April, North America experienced a rare celestial event: a total solar eclipse. Observers from Mexico to Maine witnessed an astonishing sight as the moon passed in front of the sun, making the middle of the day as dark as night.

Since I don’t live near this eclipse, I wasn’t able to see it in person, but I made up for it today. If you own a copy of Microsoft Simulator 2024, you can experience an amazing simulation of the April eclipse at any time.

Important note: I haven’t figured this out myself. Reddit user Junior72 is the pilot/astronomer responsible for this cool discovery. They went into MSFS 2024, set the date to April 8, and watched the simulated moon pass in front of the simulated sun as they flew around in a jet. So cool.

I wasn’t concerned about missing the eclipse again, so this morning I jumped in and tried it out for myself. The airport I chose was Dallas Love Field, directly in the path of the solar eclipse. I set the date for April 8th and set the clock to about 1:35 p.m., a few minutes before the total solar eclipse. In fact, when I looked up at the sky, I could only see a hint of sunlight as the moon passed in front of the sun. It’s a little hard to see in the photo below without magnification, but it’s there. (Please ignore my pilot’s terrible hair and face.)

A solar eclipse in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

(Image credit: Microsoft)

A few minutes later it became incredibly dark and the sun completely disappeared from the sky. Wait long enough and the sky will brighten as the moon continues its path. It’s really cool.

However, I think I like viewing the eclipse from space the most. With the Freecam I zoomed out until I could see most of North America. And there it is, the entire shadow of the moon smacks across Texas:

A solar eclipse in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

(Image credit: Microsoft)

A solar eclipse in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

(Image credit: Microsoft)

If you own Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, I highly recommend you try it out for yourself. Here you will find a guide to the path of the solar eclipse, which will tell you the times it will fly over different locations on April 8th. Get on the free flight, set the time and date and enjoy the show.

A solar eclipse in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

(Image credit: Microsoft)

If you missed April’s total solar eclipse, you can see it in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

ByAmelia Journalton

By Amelia Journalton

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