No, the ‘Map of Nope meme’ has nothing to do with Jordan Peele’s sci-fi film. But it tells you everything you need to know about the total lunar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
The meme has gone viral among eclipse chasers for brushing off a major misconception about the path of totality and who exactly can enjoy the celestial phenomenon to its fullest.
The ‘Map of Nope’ meme explained
The viral map uses humor to explain – who can see the total eclipse and who can’t.
On April 8, parts of North America will experience totality, when the moon will block the sun completely for a few minutes.
However, the rare occurrence can be enjoyed fully, only if you are in the path of totality, which the Map of Nope depicts.
The meme is the map of North America with a diagonal line running through it, highlighting all the regions where you can witness the total solar eclipse.
It also shows words such as Nope and Nada scattered all around in regions from where you can’t see the celestial phenomenon, even if it shows “99% of full total eclipse.”
Lucky are those who reside in the regions marked on the strip with overlay text that reads: “Fantastico, OMG and Not Bad Eh?”, as they can see the total solar eclipse with the naked eye.
Who won’t be able to see the total solar eclipse?
Anybody living outside the strip will not be able to see the eclipse at all and that’s the point the hilarious meme tried to drive home.
Explaining the significance of the map of Nope, Michael Zeiler, co-founder of GreatAmerican.Eclipse.com told Forbes: “The point of the map is that a 99 percent partial solar eclipse equals zero percent total solar eclipse.”
“A common misconception is that if someone is close to the path of totality, even in the zone of 99% partial solar eclipse, then that person doesn’t need to travel and will see most of the eclipse phenomena,” he explained further.
Therefore, the path highlighted on the map is the only place you can experience a total solar eclipse in its full effects.
The American regions under the path include Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
Around 31 million people live in the totality path that stretches 115 miles.
