Environment
Visualize the Path of the Eclipse With Live Traffic Data
On Google Maps, a mass migration in progress.
Solar Eclipse 2017 was supposed to be notable for being the first major cosmological event to be widely depicted on social media. But this notoriously difficult to photograph celestial phenomenon has also spawned some striking images on Google Maps. Once the eclipse began to wane, armchair cosmologists began heading home in droves, creating a remarkable traffic pattern that almost perfectly reflects the Path of Totality.
These screenshots were taken at approximately 3:30 p.m. EST, before rush hour revs up in most cities. Note how large metros like Charlotte, Atlanta, and Dallas remain traffic-free, compared to the ribbon of red passing through St. Louis, Nashville, and Greenville.