The total solar eclipse typically happens once throughout one’s lifetime, creating an impactful event for everyone who crosses its path. April 8, 2024, people obtained the chance to witness this rare phenomenon as it crossed the United States. Schools let out early and families gathered in local parks to celebrate the unique experience. Amid the excitement, however, speculations arose regarding the true nature of the government’s actions, with conspiracy theorists suggesting hidden agendas or secret operations.
“When I heard about the eclipse I was excited because I was really young during the last one. The chance to experience a total solar eclipse again was super cool, and we got out [of school] early because of it. I watched it with my family and made sure we used glasses,” sophomore Becca Melocra said.
With the eclipse gaining increased attention, conspiracy theorists started gathering information on what the government or even aliens could plot behind humanity’s eyes. The conspiracists dug up information on the eclipse of 2017 to cross-reference the path, allegedly finding that the two paths create an “x” over a rural town in Illinois, supporting the conspiracy theories. In addition to its path, the eclipse also remained in the sky for an abnormally long period which, to theorists, meant the government staged the eclipse. The level of preparation compared to a typical solar eclipse seemed out of the ordinary; with the elongated eclipse time, the government must have controlled the moon.
Cobb County schools released early and several students missed the day completely because of the eclipse. When conspiracists found out about the cancellation of schools, it fueled their growing concerns about the true significance of the celestial event. Theories formed surrounding the cancellation of school and why a half-day seemed necessary, and the theorists took the day off and ran with it. According to their research and claims, the eclipse would mark the last day humans would roam the Earth. With the recent earthquake in New York paired with other recent earthquakes, theorists believed the events meant society could become endangered on the day of the eclipse.
Additionally, claims stating aliens reached contact with humans or planned their arrival on Earth at the same time as the eclipse sparked a worrisome discussion about the world ending. People took their theories to social media with alleged UFO sightings and claimed extraterrestrial creatures had arrived on Earth. Certain conspiracists believed the total darkness created the perfect sneak attack from the supposed aliens that recently landed on Earth.
“I saw Tiktoks about what the government was doing during the eclipse and laughed. Who really thinks that about a scientific event? The alien theory is even worse than the government,” sophomore Haven Zila said.
Because of the extra preparation the government and community took for this eclipse, additional theories formed. Conspiracy theorists assumed a worldwide blackout would occur the minute the moon moved in front of the sun. According to these theories, this event would trigger a global technology outage, similar to a government-planned apocalypse. The so-called tragedy would entail power outages and almost every piece of technology could stop working.
The supposed conspiracies failed to occur when eclipse day came. The day consisted of families enjoying the rare incident. Eclipse Day remained alien-free and all the power stayed on throughout the day, even though the theories say otherwise.
