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The 10 Best Group Travel Tour Companies for 2023

Caroline Morse Teel

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her adventures around the world on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

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For those truly epic, once-in-a-lifetime destinations, you want to leave your itinerary to the experts. Whether your dream is to see the Big Five on an African Safari, trek tall mountains, explore European cities, or something even wilder, a group tour is the easiest way to do it.

However, picking the wrong group tour company is the quickest way to ruin your trip. Make sure you choose a tour company that aligns with your goals and travel styles. Do you want an intimate group tour or do you prefer to make lots of new friends in a big group? Does the price line up with what you like (luxury vs. budget)? Is the itinerary going to all the places you want to see? 

We’ve done the research and found the very best group travel tour companies for 2023 for every type of traveler.

Best Overall Group Travel: Exodus Travels

With trips on every continent, Exodus Travels covers anywhere on this planet that you could possibly want to go, from popular destinations like the Amalfi Coast to well off-the-beaten path adventures like Tajikistan. This award-winning group travel company boasts thousands of repeat customers who sign up for trips year after year (97% of past participants would recommend Exodus Travels to a friend). 

These small group tours operate with only around 12-16 people, and always feature experienced local leaders who can give you a unique insight into your destination. Exodus Travels caters to any type of travel style, including trips broken down by type of activity (think walking, cycling, multi-adventure, winter, or cultural) as well as type of traveler (family, age group, etc.). There are curated collections (coastal, “away from it all”, European wilderness, and trips of a lifetime) to inspire you, as well as self-guided options for when you want all the benefits of a group tour planner without the actual group. Looking for that special safari? Exodus Travels just partners with the African Wildlife Foundation to create carefully curated luxury adventures that go above and beyond the standard safari. 

Exodus Travels tours work for almost any budget, with options that range from affordable to premium. 

Top Trip: Explore under-the-radar Europe by foot on Exodus Travels’ Lakes & Mountains of Slovenia walking tour .

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Best Adventure Group Travel: World Expeditions

World Expeditions has been taking adventurous travelers to remote locations all over the world ever since its first group trek through Nepal in 1975. Today, World Expeditions offers active itineraries on every continent. Intrepid travelers can opt for trips themed around mountaineering, rafting, cycling, hiking, and more. 

World Expeditions aims to leave communities and places where they operate tours better than they found them. Trips are created using the company’s Thoughtful Travel Charter as a guideline, which emphasizes respect for the environment, sustainability, having a positive impact on local communities, protecting wildlife, and more. 

World Expeditions’ trips are capped at just 16 people to provide a good experience for participants, and there are no single supplements for solo travelers willing to share a room with someone of the same gender. 

Top Trip: Summit Africa’s tallest mountain on a fully-supported trek up Kilimanjaro on World Expeditions’ eight day trip up the beautiful Lemosho Route . 

Best Budget Group Travel: G Adventures 

For travelers on a budget, G Adventures offers cheap group tours that make dream destinations accessible to nearly anyone. (Think: sailing the Galapagos for just $1,124 , criss-crossing India’s Golden Triangle for $559 , or spending 8 days in Bali for less than $800.)

G Adventures is one of the best tour companies for solo travelers as well, as most trips don’t have a single-supplement. You can choose to share a room with another G Adventures solo traveler, or pay extra to have your own space.

G Adventures keeps costs down by opting for cheaper hotels and local meals, and making certain activities optional (for an additional cost). Pick your travel style—options range from “basic” to more luxe tours run in partnership with National Geographic. Family tours, local living tours (featuring homestays), and wellness-focused tours are also available. 

Top Trip: G Adventures’ China Express trip is a great way to see the highlights of China if you’re short on both time and budget. 

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Best Educational Group Tours: EF Go Ahead Tours

When you really want to learn about a destination, consider a group trip with EF Go Ahead Tours . EF is the world’s largest private education company, and the Go Ahead Tours arm capitalizes on the company’s relationships with local educators, historians, and tour guides to create group trips that take you deep into a destination. 

These small group tours generally cap at 38 travelers, and feature unique educational experiences. For a bucket list trip, EF Go Ahead Tour’s special event tours are particularly enticing, as they offer behind-the-scenes access to tough-to-plan trips like Oktoberfest in Munich or Cherry Blossom season in Japan. 

Intimidated by solo travel? EF Go Ahead Tours is a great option for solo travelers, since it offers designated trips for solo travelers , where everyone is traveling alone, making it less intimidating.  

Top Trip: Bring the tastes of Italy home with you on EF Go Ahead Tours’ Food & Wine: Piedmont & Tuscany tour (operated in partnership with America’s Test Kitchen), where you’ll learn how to make local dishes. 

Best Responsible Group Travel: Intrepid Travel

Looking for a responsible group travel operator that focuses on bettering the communities and destinations they visit? Intrepid Travel is the world’s largest travel B Corporation, a certification for companies doing good. 

Intrepid Travel’s tours focus on sustainability, diversity, inclusion, and sustaining communities. The company has its own charity, The Intrepid Foundation , which has donated over 7 million dollars to over 130 community organizations. 

Intrepid Travel’s small group tours attract a wide range of travelers, but they are especially great for younger travelers, as they have a large number of trips designed for people aged 18-29 . (Other trips, including family-focused trips, are geared toward any age.)

Top Trip: Experience unforgettable wildlife encounters on Intrepid Travel’s Premium Uganda & Rwanda trip which includes time with the mountain gorillas of Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. 

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Best Private Group Travel: Kensington Tours

Whether your group consists of just two people or involves taking the entire extended family, Kensington Tours will take all the hassle of planning out of the equation. This private group operator creates personalized trips and itineraries tailored to your preferences, while their experts handle all the logistics and bookings. 

Plans are entirely flexible, and can even be changed while on the trip on a whim. Need some inspiration? Browse Kensington Tours’ travel ideas , to get some ideas for your next adventure. 

Top Trip: Sail around the stunning shores of Croatia and the Dalmation Islands on a private luxury catamaran on Kensington Tours’ fully customizable tour . 

Best Polar Group Travel: Chimu Adventures

Whether you’re headed north to the Artic or south to Antarctica, Chimu Adventures has the perfect polar group trip for you. Chimu Adventures has some of the most variety for polar trips, with options to fly, cruise, or a combination of both to get to your destination.

For an ultra-unique Antarctica trip, Chimu Adventures offers cruises departing from Australia or New Zealand (most Antarctica trips depart from Argentina). Can’t stay long? Book one of Chimu Adventures’ scenic flights to Antarctica , which fly as far as the south pole in one spectacular 16-hour day.

Chimu Adventures is one of the cheapest group trips to Antarctica, with rates starting under $5,000.

Top Trip: If you’re pressed for time (or simply don’t have the stomach for the Drake Passage), Chimu Adventures’ Antarctica Fly Cruise will get you to the ends of the earth quickly and smoothly.

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Best Group Tours for Solo Travelers: For the Love of Travel

Group tours can be a great way to meet new people, but they can sometimes skew on the older age range. If you’re between 25-39 and a solo traveler looking to meet new people, you’ll love For the Love of Travel . All participants on the trips are between 25-39, and according to the company, 80 percent are solo travelers—so you’ll make friends fast. Hoping to meet someone who will be more than just a friend on your next trip? Trips include a balanced number of “gal and guy spots” to ensure an even balance of genders within groups (and of course, non-binary genders are always welcome). 

For the Love of Travel offers weeklong (or longer) international trips as well as shorter weekender trips to nearby destinations like Mexico or Denver—perfect for people without a lot of vacation time.

Top Trip: Sleep in a glass igloo under the Northern Lights, go sledding with huskies, and warm up in traditional saunas on For the Love of Travel’s Lapland tour , already booking dates for 2024.

Best Biking Tours Group Travel: DuVine Cycling

Biking through the rolling hills of Italy or across the mountain roads of Chile sounds like a dream, but the logistics seem daunting (especially if you don’t want to haul all your own stuff from point-to-point). Enter: DuVine Cycling , a luxury small group tour company that specializes in bike trips. 

With trips across Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the United States, DuVine Cycling is a cyclist’s dream. Choose from all-biking trips or mix things up with a cycle and sail bike tour or a multi-sport adventure —no matter what, everything is included, from luxury boutique accommodations to top-quality name brand bikes. 

Top Trip: DuVine’s Holland Bike Tour promises “tulips, windmills, beer, and cheese”—what more could you need?

Best Luxury Group Travel: Abercrombie & Kent

Abercrombie & Kent has been delighting discerning travelers since 1962. Today, they take travelers on unforgettable adventures across over 100 different countries and all seven continents. Although Abercrombie & Kent’s trips are pricey, they encompass once-in-a-lifetime experiences like private jet tours around the world or luxury chartered cruises .

There are trips designed for solo travelers and families , and the small group journeys max out at around 14-18 guests.

Top Trip: Swim with whale sharks in the Philippines, feed proboscis monkeys in Malaysia, and photograph wild tigers in India on Abercrombie & Kent’s Wildlife Safari: Around the World by Private Jet trip , already booking dates into 2024.

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• World's Best

The Top 15 Tour Operators in 2021

Scott Bay is a magazine editor specializing in travel, architecture, and gear. He was previously an assistant editor at Travel + Leisure . His work has also appeared in Wired , Architectural Digest , Wallpaper , Robb Report , Saveur , Daily Beast , and more.

Note: If you’re looking for our most recent recommendations, check out the 2023 list of our favorite tour operators .

This year's World's Best Awards survey was open for voting January 11 through May 10, 2021, as destinations around the world were lifting COVID-19 restrictions. Survey rules have always allowed readers to reflect on their travel experiences over a three-year period. We hope that this year's honorees will inspire your own travels as you get back out into the world.

Linking up with the right tour operator can take an amazing trip and turn it into a trip of a lifetime . This might seem like magic, but their in-the-know expertise and long-standing relationships open the doors for the seemingly impossible — a private Jeep safari with a professional tracking team in the depths of Torres del Paine or one-on-one cooking classes from a chef that runs a Michelin-starred restaurant in the south of France. And if any group has traversed the world enough to discern the best tour operators out there, it's the readers of Travel + Leisure .

Every year for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Hotels were rated on their facilities, location, service, food, and overall value. Properties were classified as city or resort based on their locations and amenities.

The companies that made the list have the skills and connections to create itineraries that reflect their clients' personal interests. No. 3 VBT Bicycling Vacations curates two-wheeled trips all over the globe . One reader said, "Their staff make all the difference." No. 2 Mountain Lodges of Peru puts together highly personalized trekking adventures to Machu Picchu. As another reader exclaimed, "This is the way to visit Machu Picchu!"

But at the top of the list is Quasar Expeditions. Though primarily known for its cruises (the company won the small-ship ocean cruises category this year), it also operates a roster of dynamic safari-style excursions in South America. Read on to find out what sets it apart and which other companies join it on this year's list of the best tour operators in the world.

1. Quasar Expeditions

Quasar Expeditions is for adventurers. The highly specialized itineraries are designed to make guests feel like they're James Cook or Charles Darwin. "Quasar Expeditions' guides are the ultimate, passionate gatekeepers to the Galápagos Islands," one reader said. "Their enthusiasm and love of the islands and the wildlife encourages you to share in their passion and desire to conserve the natural beauty and habitat of the area while still allowing low-impact tourism." Another raved, "Excellent isn't a high enough rating to describe our experience with Quasar Expeditions. Extraordinary in every way!" And while Quasar is best known for its Galápagos trips, it gets high marks for its Patagonia itineraries, which takes guests into the best parts of Chile's Torres del Paine and Argentina's Los Glaciares — two of South America's most spectacular national parks.

Score: 99.58 More information: quasarex.com

2. Mountain Lodges of Peru

Score: 98.93 More information: mountainlodgesofperu.com

3. VBT Bicycling Vacations

Score: 98.70 More information: vbt.com

4. Classic Journeys

Score: 98.60 More information: classicjourneys.com

5. TCS World Travel

Score: 97.55 More information: tcsworldtravel.com

6. Black Tomato

Score: 97.25 More information: blacktomato.com/us

7. Inside Japan Tours

Score: 96.84 More information: insidejapantours.com

Score: 96.72 More information: tauck.com

9. Wilderness Travel

Score: 95.71 More information: wildernesstravel.com

10. Trek Travel

Score: 95.71 More information: trektravel.com

11. Geographic Expeditions

Score: 95.70 More information: geoex.com

12. Thomson Family Adventures

Score: 94.89 More information: familyadventures.com

13. Greaves

Score: 94.74 More information: greavesindia.com

14. DuVine Cycling + Adventure Co.

Score: 94.64 More information: duvine.com

15. Odysseys Unlimited

Score: 94.39 More information: odysseys-unlimited.com

See all of our readers' favorite hotels, cities, airlines, cruise lines, and more in the World's Best Awards for 2021 .

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In this challenging world market our endeavor is to deliver the services to the door step of customers to their full satisfaction. Our staff is inspired by a will to succeed in every field. Integrity, flexibility and a lasting commitment to the cause of customers is not just our vision but a daily reality.

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Best Luxury Travel Tour Companies

Search 488 Luxury Travel tour operators and travel companies, with 1,620 reviews.

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Luxury Travel Reviews & Ratings

Awesome trip.

Awesome trip! I would definitely go on this trip to New Zealand again. This company prepared me well for how to pack and specifically what to bring. Every aspect of ...

I enjoyed walking around Christchurch and learning the history of the city

There was such a perfect balance of adventurous activities and educational tours that I felt immersed in all that New Zealand has to offer. CharlieTheTraveler picked...

I was impressed

CharlieTheTraveler has a great price for the amount of amenities included for the New Zealand trip. I was impressed with the meals that were provided as they were au...

Trip was so much fun!

I never thought of New Zealand as a place I would want to visit. However, as I was exploring highly rated tours, I read the tour provided by CharlieTheTraveler and i...

It was perfect!

What can I say about my trip to New Zealand? It was perfect! There were so many interesting activities, all of which were included in the price. CharlieTheTraveler p...

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Trip planning.

7 great airline mileage programs for booking Star Alliance awards

Update : Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here .

With the growth of airline alliances and the proliferation of credit card points transfer partners, travelers enjoy more choices than ever for redeeming miles. Having a lot of options is generally a good thing when it comes to award travel. However, it can also make choosing a specific airline frequent-flyer program to focus on that much harder. That's even truer with an airline partnership like Star Alliance, which counts over two dozen members. But the more airlines there are, the more types of points and miles you can mine for excellent value. Here are seven of the best Star Alliance mileage programs for booking award travel and the benefits of using each.

Remember that, even if you don't fly Star Alliance carriers regularly, many are partners with transferable points programs like Amex Membership Rewards , Chase Ultimate Rewards , Citi ThankYou Rewards , Capital One Miles and Marriott Bonvoy .

For more information on how to search for award space with all three alliances, we have several guides available:

• The Best Websites for Searching Star Alliance Award Availability
• The Best Websites for Searching SkyTeam Award Availability
• The Best Websites for Searching Oneworld Alliance Availability

For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter .

Star Alliance Basics

First things first. Here are the current member airlines of the Star Alliance.

• Aegean Airlines
• Air New Zealand
• ANA (All Nippon Airways)
• Asiana Airlines
• Austrian Airlines
• Brussels Airlines
• Croatia Airlines
• Ethiopian Airlines
• Juneyao Air (connecting partner)
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Shenzhen Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• TAP Air Portugal
• Turkish Airlines

There are some general rules of thumb to follow when booking Star Alliance awards that can save you a lot of time and frustration.

1. Never trust a single website

Although it's getting rarer, both United.com and AirCanada.com sometimes display "phantom" award space so that it looks like there are seats available, but when you actually try to book, the system says there was an error and you're back to square one. Before you transfer credit card points to reserve an award, corroborate that the seats you want are actually available by checking the itinerary with a second Star Alliance airline's site or even just calling into your mileage program's customer service desk to confirm the space.

2. Award space doesn't always match up between carriers.

For instance, Singapore Airlines makes more business- and first-class awards available to members of its own KrisFlyer scheme than those of other airlines. Therefore, your best bet for locking in an award on a specific airline is usually to use that carrier's own mileage program.

3. Be flexible.

We cannot say this enough. When it comes to airline awards, you're going to have a lot more luck locking in seats if you can search over a range of dates and adjust your plans accordingly. Not only that, but some highly prized experiences, such as Lufthansa first class , are usually only available within a limited time frame in the weeks before you fly.

Now, on to the individual mileage programs you might want to use to book awards on Star Alliance airlines.

Related: Book this, not that: Star Alliance award flights

United Airlines MileagePlus

As the mileage program of one of the big three American legacy carriers – and one of the largest frequent-flyer programs in the world, for that matter – United MileagePlus is a top choice for many US flyers. That's not only because United has such a robust route network in North America as well as an extensive international map that includes many of the longest flights in the world , but also because United's website is an excellent tool for searching Star Alliance availability. Plus, MileagePlus is one of the travel transfer partners of the Chase Ultimate Rewards program.

Transfer partners: Chase Ultimate Rewards (at a 1:1 ratio) and Marriott Bonvoy ( at a 3:1.1 ratio ).

Credit cards to consider: If you want to rack up United miles in a hurry, your best bets are either one of the airline's own co-branded cards, like the United Explorer Card and the United Club Infinite Card, or one of the Ultimate Rewards-earning cards from Chase, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.

Booking awards: Unfortunately, the MileagePlus program is no longer the bargain it used to be when it comes to booking awards. Like Delta, United has removed its award charts with set values for redemptions. Instead, many tickets are now priced dynamically, and the airline continues to raise those prices periodically and with little notice, especially on partners . While that has made calculating the number of miles you need for a particular itinerary ahead of time much more difficult, it's still relatively easy to get a handle on figures by doing a few searches on United.com.

Related: Maximizing redemptions with United MileagePlus

Just enter the cities between which you wish to fly and the dates. The award search engine should pull up all your possible options. From there, you can search by month and cabin to help narrow down your results. If the routing or airlines you want are not on there, chances are, calling an agent won't help. Just a note of caution: the airline's search engine can be buggy when displaying award availability. You might see saver prices listed on the calendar only to find higher-priced awards loading when you pull up specific days, so always double-check.

One wild card is that United has something called the Excursionist Perk , which allows you to add a one-way flight to a round-trip award ticket without any additional miles. To do so, though, you'll need to perform some advanced, multi-city searches within the perk's parameters.

Pros: Powerful online award search engine; good transfer options from Chase; no carrier surcharges.

Cons: Constant award chart devaluations mean partner pricing can be prohibitively high.

Related: The best credit cards for United flyers

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada just re-acquired and totally revamped its Aeroplan mileage program. While many tickets now price out higher than before , there are still some great sweet spots .

Transfer partners: Aeroplan's three main transfer partners are American Express Membership Rewards , Capital One Miles , and Marriott Bonvoy, though Chase might join the fray later this year. The program has several other partners whose points you can convert into Aeroplan miles, often with big bonuses .

Credit cards to consider: If you want to stock up on Aeroplan miles fast, but you don't fly Air Canada, and you're a U.S. consumer, your best bets are probably American Express's Membership Rewards-earning cards like the The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, or the American Express® Gold Card. You could also consider either the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card or the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

Booking awards: As part of the recent changes, Aeroplan completely overhauled its award charts , so there are now 10, yes 10, of them, including those for Air Canada flights as well as partners. The program divvies the world into four regions and then also determines pricing based on flight distance. Sound complicated? It is. But there's an easy-to-use points predictor tool you can consult to price out your flights. While many premium-cabin flights on partners like SWISS and ANA are now pricing out higher because of the new distance-based formula, some routes are actually cheaper. One advantage is that you can now add a single stopover to a one-way ticket and two stopovers to a round-trip ticket, with each costing just 5,000 points. So you can really string out an award and see several destinations on a single redemption. Just note that stopovers aren't allowed in North America.

Related: The best ways to Maximize Air Canada's Aeroplan Program

Aeroplan's award search engine has improved recently. What's more, the program has removed most carrier-imposed fees on awards, so you won't get hit with a surprise surcharge of hundreds or even thousands of dollars on some tickets. That said, there's a new $39 CAD ($29 USD) partner booking fee, so budget for that.

To search for awards, log into the Air Canada site using your Aeroplan credentials and search for flights like you would normally, only make sure that the tab labeled "points" is highlighted.

That should pull up award availability on Star Alliance airlines in all available classes.

You'll probably find a mix of mileage that might not make a ton of sense due to Air Canada's dynamic pricing on its own flights – you might even find some business-class itineraries pricing out lower than premium-economy ones!

Pros: Good award search engine and availability display; a wide variety of transfer partners including Amex and Capital One.

Cons: Hard-to-predict mileage pricing; and higher redemption costs with some premium and long-haul flights than before.

Related: Pros and cons of the new Air Canada Aeroplan loyalty program

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Like many other frequent-flyer schemes, Singapore's KrisFlyer program has undergone devaluations lately, with some awards jumping tens of thousands of miles in price. On the positive side, the airline discontinued fuel surcharges on its own flights, and the Singapore Airlines site is (a bit) easier to search for Star Alliance awards these days.

Transfer partners: Here's where KrisFlyer really stands out from the crowd. The program is a transfer partner of all five major programs: Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One Miles and Marriott Bonvoy.

Credit cards to consider: Because of all those transfer partners, you've got tons of choices for stocking up your KrisFlyer account, including the Amex Platinum Card or Amex Gold Card; the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred; Citi's Prestige® Card or Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees); and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card or Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card.

The information for the Citi Prestige card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Booking awards: If you want to search for awards, go to Singapore's site and log in with your KrisFlyer number. Enter your origin, destination, and dates, then be sure the button for "Redeem Flights" is checked before you click "Book Flights." From there, you should be able to see results tabbed under Singapore Airlines/SilkAir/Scoot, Star Alliance Airlines and Other Partner Airlines.

A few things to note about booking awards using KrisFlyer: first, the airline's search engine displays results day by day (though it does show prices for a week at a time) rather than offering a full award availability calendar, so finding the itinerary you want might be a slog. Second, you can add a stopover on one-way awards and two on round-trips for $100 each, but you have to call in to do so. Finally, the airline rarely makes business-class awards on its own flights available to partner programs, and never for its incredible first-class suites . So if you want to book one of those experiences, you'll need to use KrisFlyer miles.

Pros: The most transfer partners and credit card choices; great availability on Singapore's own flights.

Cons: Recent devaluations; time-consuming to search availability over long periods of time.

Related: Ultimate guide to Singapore KrisFlyer

ANA Mileage Club

A favorite with points and miles fans thanks to both some great redemption values and its transfer partners, ANA Mileage Club continues to be one of the best frequent-flyer programs around.

Transfer partners: You can transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy to ANA. Just beware that both Amex and Marriott transfers can take several days to go through.

Credit cards to consider: As with Aeroplan, your best options are mostly with American Express, including the Amex Gold Card, the American Express® Green Card and the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express.

The information for the Amex Green and Amex EveryDay Preferred cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Booking awards: First, the positive. ANA Mileage Club has some of the best award pricing of any frequent-flyer program anywhere and its award surcharges are much lower than they used to be. A few sweet spots include round-trip business class between North America and Europe or South America for just 88,000 miles, from North America to most of Asia for 95,000-136,000 miles, and from North America to Africa for 104,000 miles. That said, there are nine award zones to contend with, and flights on ANA itself are subject to different prices. ANA also requires you to book round-trip awards, and building in stopovers can be complicated, so you might eventually have to call in to book your ticket.

ANA has long had one of the best search engines for viewing Star Alliance availability, including awards that don't always show up on other airlines' websites. However, the interface can be clunky and hard to decipher and seems .to go down for maintenance frequently.

To search for awards, go to the ANA site and log in using your Mileage Club credentials. Click on the "International" tab and then enter your search dates and cities. Instead of hitting "Search," click "Award Booking."

That should bring up the following page, on which you can enter the particulars of your trip, including the class of service you're searching for. Definitely click on "Compare seat availability +/- 3 days" to improve your odds.

That should pull up seat availability.

Click "Next" and you'll be taken to the flight options and from there, you can select an itinerary that will be priced out with miles and taxes/surcharges included.

Pros: Fantastic award redemption requirements; decent transfer options; one of the most comprehensive search engines for Star Alliance award availability.

Cons: Transfers can take several days; clunky web interface.

Related: Ultimate guide to ANA Mileage Club

Avianca Lifemiles

Lifemiles is the frequent-flyer program of South America-based carrier Avianca. Though perhaps not as well known as some other Star Alliance mileage programs, Lifemiles can be really useful, especially considering how cheaply the program sells miles periodically and that it sometimes offers discounts on award bookings. It might just be one of the top choices to book business- and first-class Star Alliance awards thanks to its relatively low pricing and no carrier-imposed charges, either.

Transfer partners: Lifemiles is a transfer partner of Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Credit cards to consider: Thanks to those partnerships, you might want to consider getting a card like the Citi Prestige® Card or Citi Premier® Card to earn ThankYou points that you can then transfer to Lifemiles. If you'd prefer to go the Marriott route, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, or the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless. With Amex, you need a product like The Platinum Card or the Amex Gold Card to earn transferable points, while miles earned with the Capital One Venture and Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card will also do the trick.

Booking awards: To search for awards, log into your account and then click "Fly." That should bring you to the search page, and if you've got a specific airline in mind, you can choose Avianca, Star Alliance, or individual carriers from the "Smart Search" dropdown.

That should pull up a calendar with dates that have saver award availability listed.

Click on the date you'd like, and you'll see the saver options listed for partner airlines.

Among the awards that are fantastic bargains are business class between North America and Europe for 63,000 miles each way, or first class for 87,000 miles. The program also has some great short-haul awards that are great for domestic economy hops on United, starting at 7,500 miles . One bright spot for folks who might not have enough miles or transferable points for the award they want: Lifemiles will let you redeem miles and cash to cover an award flight if you don't have enough miles. You do need at least 40% of the required miles in your account to take advantage of this option, though.

Pros: The ability to buy miles cheaply and price out awards combining both miles and cash based on your needs; no fuel surcharges even on premium tickets; relatively low redemption rates for many awards.

Cons: Quirky award search; spotty phone customer service.

Related: Everything you need to know about Avianca Lifemiles

Aegean Miles + Bonus

This Greek Star Alliance carrier has a few things going for it, including generous mileage earning rates on partners and some good values in its redemption chart.

Transfer partners: Marriott Bonvoy is Aegean's only transfer partner. The good news is that the program is lucrative for crediting partner flights, awarding up to 200-300% of miles flown for tickets in premium cabins on several partners, including Air Canada, Air China and Lufthansa.

Credit cards to consider: Your options are limited here, but the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless, Marriott Bonvoy Business and Marriott Bonvoy Bold are good choices.

Booking awards: The reason you might want to consider Miles + Bonus is that its award chart has some spectacular values…except for the fuel surcharges on some awards. Of particular note are round-trip business-class awards within North America (which includes the Caribbean) for just 42,000 miles. You can also book North America to Central or South America in business class for just 90,000 miles round-trip. Awards from North America to Europe are available for just 110,000 miles round-trip.

Before you try to book Star Alliance awards through the Aegean website, you need a Miles + Bonus account. Log in and then go to the Miles + Bonus tab and click "Spend Miles." From there, you should see an option for "Flights" down at the bottom of the page, which should take you to a booking page. Then enter your search criteria, including cities, dates, and class of service, and you should find results pulled up in calendar form.

Now for the one major pitfall: In order to see the specific options at that point, you'll need enough miles in your account to book the award. It's like looking at all the sweets in a candy shop through the window but not having any change in your pocket to purchase anything.

Pros: Some great award values; you can now search for Star Alliance awards directly on Aegean's site; good mileage earning rates and easy elite status requirements.

Cons: Limited transfer partners; need enough miles in your account even to see specific awards.

Related: Great Star Alliance awards by buying Aegean Miles with a 50% bonus

Lufthansa Miles & More

Miles & More is actually the mileage program of several airlines, including Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and SWISS, so it deserves some consideration if you're thinking of earning or redeeming miles on any of these carriers.

Transfer partners: You can transfer points in from Marriott Bonvoy at a 3:1 ratio with a 5,000-mile bonus for transferring 60,000 Marriott points at a time.

Credit cards to consider: As with many other airline programs whose only major transfer partner is Marriott, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless, Marriott Bonvoy Business and Marriott Bonvoy Bold Barclaycard are all good options. Barclays actually offers a Miles & More Premier World Mastercard in the US, too, which offers a 50,000-mile sign-up bonus after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days of account opening and paying the annual fee, 2x miles on airline partners purchases, two Lufthansa business class lounge vouchers annually and has an $89 annual fee.

Booking awards: Miles & More basics are laid out in this post, but the key things to keep in mind are that you can only have two stopovers and two open jaws on round-trip awards, that you can score deals like 30,000-mile economy awards between select cities in the U.S. and Europe, and that its award chart is not the best deal overall, but there are some interesting redemptions like North America to Hawaii for 40,000 miles round-trip in economy, domestic business- and first-class awards for 30,000/40,000 miles respectively, and business class to Central and Southeast Asia as well as Australia/New Zealand for 142,000 miles. The program does add fuel surcharges to some awards, so beware of high prices.

To search for awards, go to the Miles & More website and log in (you can get 500 bonus miles just for signing up). Then click on "Flights" under the "Spend Miles" tab and then "Book award flight." If you don't have any miles, the best you can hope to do is see the mileage calculator for flights you're interested in. However, if you have at least 7,000 miles (the minimum for an award), you can search for awards.

Pros: Lots of airline partners in Europe; a U.S. credit card option.

Cons: Not that many great redemption values; high taxes/fees on some tickets.

Related: Ultimate guide to redeeming Lufthansa Miles & More miles

Bottom Line

Your options not only for searching Star Alliance awards but for booking them are myriad. Which program you end up using will depend on what works best for your needs. Perhaps Singapore's many transfer partners and excellent award availability on its own metal are winning factors in its favor. ANA's redemption levels might sway some travelers, while the ease of using United's search engine and instant transfers from Chase are strong arguments in favor of MileagePlus.

Whichever program or programs you end up using, it's best to take all of your options into account. Have a strategy for transferring points or miles in place and nail down the availability of the awards you want before committing. By being prepared, you can snag some downright bargains, even on hard-to-get awards, and end up maximizing your points for your specific travel goals.

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The Best Places to Stargaze in the U.S.

By Katherine Gallardo

For millennia, humans have looked skyward to navigate their earthly and spiritual worlds—and to appreciate the sheer beauty of twinkling constellations overhead. 

And travelers are no strangers to chasing stars, journeying to the most remote places to find  magnificent night skies. Now, though, as a growing number of destinations work to keep their skies dark and celestial phenomena bright, travelers don’t have to venture too far for fantastic stargazing.

In 2021, the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) designated 37 new International Dark Sky Places, bringing the total to 196 worldwide—and a whopping 129 of them are located right here in the U.S, from the Arizona desert to North Carolina's seashore. Some are even right in cities and towns (these are usually categorized as Dark Sky Communities and Urban Night Sky Places by the IDA, whereas Dark Sky Sanctuaries, Reserves, and Parks are larger, more secluded areas). 

Read on for 11 of the best stargazing destinations in the U.S.—all IDA-designated dark sky places—that promise enough natural beauty to keep you busy during daylight hours, too. 

All listings featured in this story are independently selected by our editors. However, when you book something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Sedona, Arizona

There’s no need to forgo vibrant city life for a sky full of stars: Sedona has it all. This International Dark Sky Community offers visitors over 200 terracotta-tinted hiking trails , a thriving art scene, and panoramic views of its iconic red rock formations from just about everywhere in town. On select Saturday evenings, travelers can book a sunset ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad Starlight vintage train through the wild Arizona desert to view the night sky from an open-air car. Nearby is the Enchantment Resort , a 218-room property within the rust-hued walls of Boynton Canyon, where guests can stargaze with expert astronomers.

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota

Set on over one million acres of pristine, secluded forest in the heart of Minnesota’s Superior National Park , the Boundary Waters are a nature lover’s paradise. True to its name, this peaceful preserve is accessible primarily by canoe from scenic lakeshore campgrounds and log-trimmed resorts on its periphery, like the Clearwater Historic Lodge . The serene, mirror-like waters of the area’s 1,200 lakes reflect the luminous glow from the northern lights , creating a special experience for even the most seasoned night sky enthusiasts. Visit in March or September for the best chance of viewing the aurora.

Death Valley National Park, California

​​Sitting 282 feet below sea level—the lowest elevation on earth—the expansive salt flats of Death Valley in California provide an otherworldly backdrop for astronomy enthusiasts in search of novel stargazing experiences. Two photographer favorites, Zabriskie Point and Dante’s View—the latter perched 5,575 feet above the Badwater Basin—are prime viewing spots for golden sunrises and sunsets over the rugged badlands, and a shimmering Milky Way come nightfall. The park offers visitors several star-studded events, from ranger-led night sky programs to the annual springtime Death Valley Dark Sky Festival , produced in collaboration with NASA. Visit from October through April to avoid the park’s infamous blazing summer temperatures and enjoy the exceptionally clear skies created by the cooler air.

Big Bend National Park, Texas

The University of Texas' McDonald Observatory , located 45 minutes north of the arts community of Marfa , offers evening stargazing parties—a perfect pit stop before heading to Big Bend National Park to traverse its soaring limestone canyons. With some of the darkest skies in the country, astronomy lovers can witness showstoppers year-round: In summer the sky features the Milky Way at its brightest and the Perseid meteor shower peaking in August. The notable Hercules, Virgo, and Scorpius constellations become visible during warm summer months, while the celebrated Orion, Taurus, and Andromeda appear with the crisp, clear air of winter. Set on the outskirts of the park, the Willow House in Terlingua offers guests sweeping views of the Chisos Mountain Range and starry nights around the campfire.

Arati Menon

Hannah Towey

Maya Silver

Glacier National Park, Montana

With a color palette worthy of the finest gemstones, Montana’s Glacier National Park is a stunner. During the summer, drivers and cyclists flock to the 51-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road—a transmountain highway carved into the brim of the Rockies’ towering sheer cliffs—for spectacular vistas of snow-capped mountains, lush alpine meadows, and deep turquoise glacial lakes that only Big Sky Country can offer. Adventurous bikers who are up for a full moon ride along this scenic road will be rewarded with mountain peaks illuminated by a starry backdrop and lunar glow. A microscopic view of the planets is available at the park’s new Dusty Star Observatory , while a late-night hike to Lake McDonald offers a glimpse of the ever-elusive aurora borealis from September through April.

Zion National Park, Utah

Silhouettes of jagged rock formations illuminated by the soft light of the Milky Way make for picturesque night sky panoramas at Utah’s Zion National Park . The views at this park are so coveted that five million visitors took to the area’s soaring sandstone cliffs last year, proving that wide-open skies aren’t always a requirement for a first-class stargazing experience. Under Canvas , a luxury glamping spot on the brim of the park, offers a cozy, communal campfire with one-of-a-kind vistas of Zion in the distance—and an open sky to boot.

Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Utah

Boasting the darkest skies in Utah, Rainbow Bridge is the state’s singular International Dark Sky Sanctuary. A culturally significant site for Native Americans, the Navajo people call the bridge, formed of Navajo sandstone “nonnezoshe” meaning “rainbow turned to stone.” Travelers can reach the secluded monument by a scenic boat ride through Lake Powell’s striated sandstone canyons and turquoise waters, or a rigorous multi-day backcountry hike through Navajo Nation . Spring, summer, and autumn skies flaunt the galactic core of the Milky Way, with its center marked by the summertime presence of the bright Sagittarius constellation—the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. The Sunset Pavilion at Amangiri’s Camp Sarika offers the best of lookouts—a private, heated plunge pool and fire pit where guests can watch pink- and orange-hued sunsets give way to a sky full of celestial wonders.

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

Just four hours south of Denver , Great Sand Dunes offers visitors a chance to hike, sled, or sand board the golden, wind-sculpted slopes of the tallest dunes in North America. The park’s high elevation and clear skies showcase the hundreds of billions of stars of the Milky Way over billowy waves of sand, right at the foot of the majestic Sangre de Cristo mountains. For a taste of the Old West by day, a stay at the Zapata Ranch , a historic 1800s-era homestead operated by conservation-focused Ranchlands , allows guests to horseback ride alongside a herd of 2,000 North American plains bison.

Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina

A string of undeveloped barrier islands forming North Carolina’s southern Outer Banks , Cape Lookout National Seashore is a heavenly escape for beach purists seeking sun, sand, and stars. The only International Dark Sky Park gracing a U.S. coastline, this idyllic stretch of sand—with unpaved roads, rustic cabins, and herds of wild horses—offers visitors the rare opportunity to unplug from modern life. Overnight travelers to the islands can pitch a tent facing the Atlantic Ocean and sleep on the sand under a blanket of stars. Day trips to the islands are also available via ferry service .

Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida

Just a one-hour drive from the flashy city lights of Miami , Big Cypress has one of the darkest sky views in south Florida. In the company of alligators and stealthy panthers, visitors can look forward to cosmic delights like star clusters, massive nebulae, and distant galaxies. A ranger-led astronomy program offers constellation tours and close-up views of the cosmos through nifty telescopes throughout the winter season, while the nearby Fox Astronomical Observatory welcomes eager stargazers every Saturday evening from sunset to midnight, year-round. It’s best to visit October through March for starry skies and tolerable temperatures, or April through September to observe the Milky Way in the southern sky.

Headlands Park, Michigan

Crowning the northern tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, the dark skies above the Headlands give abundantly year-round: brilliant constellations, countless stars, planets visible with the naked eye, magical meteor showers, a sweeping Milky Way, and the prized northern lights are all part of the show. Slow summer days are perfect for sailing the deep blue waters of this Great Lakes region ; meanwhile horse-drawn carriage rides and savory lunches of locally caught whitefish at the charming Grand Hotel make for a leisurely day on Mackinac Island, a car-free haven accessible only by boat or ferry .

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Who you should travel with, based on your star sign

By Isabelle Kliger

How do you find someone you get along with, who shares your interests and idea of what constitutes a great holiday? Have you ever looked to your star sign ? Picking the right travel buddy can be a tricky business – but astrologer and avid traveller Susan Miller says the answers to many of these questions could lie here.

If that name sounds familiar, it's because the founder of AstrologyZone is the favoured astrologer of millions around the world; her horoscopes are read online by 11 million people each month. “I’m privileged to get to meet so many people around the world and hear their personal stories,” she says. But travel hasn't always been a part of Miller's life: having suffered from a debilitating, painful congenital condition for much of her childhood, she says she felt as though life began at 20. “I was desperate to see the world,” she says. “I travelled wherever I could and have continued to do so as part of my work."

So who should you bring along with you on your next trip? We asked her to weigh in on the best travel buddy for every star sign.

March 21 – April 19 You’re a born leader, a pioneer, and a discoverer, which means you like being active on holiday, and can often be found exploring a new city, hiking , or playing sports. Fiercely independent, you’re not a team player and are happiest spending quality time one-on-one. That’s why your ideal travel companion is a partner or close friend. As for zodiac compatibility, Aries and Leo are both high-energy, bold signs, and, while you’re more disposed to outdoor pursuits , Leo enjoys the finer things in life so, together, you’ll find a good balance.

April 20 – May 20 If you’re born under the sign of the bull, you’re very sensual and love pampering yourself. You relish the feel of the plush robes in the spa , the smell of lavish aromatherapy, and the pleasure of a massage. Plan a trip with plenty of luxury and not too much rushing around, like a relaxing, indulgent adult holiday at an exclusive resort with no kids or, failing that, an upscale hotel with babysitters. You’re well suited to travelling with Pisces, since Pisceans are very accommodating and happy to go with the flow.

May 21 – June 20 A social butterfly, you love travelling, learning, and experiencing new things. Often restless at home, you’ll want vacations that help you forget your normal life for a while. Once at your destination, take public transport so you can strike up conversations with locals. Gemini is the sign of siblings, so plan a trip with your brothers or sisters – or book yourself on a group tour to make new friends. You also enjoy traveling with Sagittarius, since you’re both intellectual, philosophical, and energetic. Plus, Gemini’s air makes Sagittarius’ fire shine brighter.

June 21 – July 22 The sign of family and children, Cancer is often happiest at home – but that doesn’t mean you have to stay there. Since Cancers also enjoy a great relationship with their parents, plan an extended family vacation with the kids in tow. The crab does not like to move around too much; so try to slow down on your next trip, savouring home cooking in small restaurants and meeting locals. You’ll most enjoy a holiday with Virgo, a highly organised earth sign that will joyfully map out the details of the trip.

July 23 – August 22 Spot a red carpet and a Leo will not be far from it. A fire sign, you relish glamour and excitement, and prefer staying in the best hotels and booking tables at Michelin-starred restaurants . Since you love to experience upscale culture, snag tickets to the opera or ballet or join an exclusive private members’ clubs with locations around the world where you can meet like-minded people. You’ll enjoy traveling with one of these fabulous new friends who shares your expensive tastes. Gemini is a good match for Leo, since you’re both passionate about seeing the world and experiencing everything a new place has to offer.

August 23 – September 22 Always well-organised, you should start planning where to go and what to see months in advance of a trip. Since you value your time on the ground, do plenty of research and read reviews of restaurants and destinations to maximise your trip. You form strong relationships with people at work and would enjoy traveling with a coworker you trust. Be mindful that Virgos sometimes have delicate digestive systems, so order light, well-prepared dishes of top-quality fresh fish and vegetables. You travel well with Pisces since you both enjoy similar cultural pursuits.

September 23 – October 22 Represented by balance, Libra rules marriage – so prioritise trips with your partner if you’re in a relationship. If you’re single, odds are you’re searching for a partner and are ideally suited to singles’ vacations or cruises where you could meet someone new. Libra is the most social sign of the zodiac, which means everyone wants to get to know you, and you love nightlife , so you won’t be solo for long. Gemini makes a great travel buddy for you, since you’re both social, friendly air signs who are curious and energetic.

October 23 – November 21 As the sexiest, most passionate sign of the zodiac, Scorpios prefer travelling with a romantic partner. This sign is not one for superficial small talk or rushing about. You value your own space so, when travelling with a friend, be sure to book your own room and make private time for meditating, reading, and unwinding. You’ll almost always prefer to be somewhere close to water , and are happy staying in one place and getting to know it thoroughly – much like Cancer, which is why you two do well when travelling together.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21 You could drop a Sagittarius by parachute anywhere in the world and the archer will find its way around. Travel is not just something you enjoy, it is a basic need, and nothing makes you happier than being on a long-distance, preferably foreign, trip. You’re well-suited to solo travel , as you are so gregarious, so adventurous, that you’ll make friends anywhere. (You’ll love trips that offer freedom, big skies, and wide panoramas.) You’ll also enjoy travelling with fellow fire sign Aries, as you two share a desire for an active, energetic schedule.

December 22 – January 19 You prize the past and are best suited for trips to the Colosseum in Rome or Knossos in Crete . The most ambitious zodiac sign, getting ahead at work is never far from your mind. If a work trip or conference is on the horizon, there’s no doubt you should be the first to sign up. Capricorn’s ruler Saturn connects you with older people, making you more accommodating to your parents' needs and happy to travel with older parents or relatives – even your in-laws. You travel well with Virgo, since you both prefer a cultural vacation over a beach trip.

January 20 – February 18 Aquarius’ ruler Uranus is the planet of innovation and science and teaches you to question rules and regulations. Since you stay abreast of current events and are often troubled by the imbalances in the world, you may travel to help those who have been marginalised, or to address environmental concerns . (Aquarius is the humanitarian sign, after all.) You’ll love trips centred on astronomy and travel that expands your knowledge of space and the universe. (Start planning for the next solar eclipse.) Like Sagittarius, you might like to travel alone, or with fellow air sign Gemini, who would be eager to experience the same aspects of a trip.

February 19 – March 20 The most spiritual zodiac sign, you enjoy visiting churches and religious landmarks, not only for the spiritual experience but also to admire their historic beauty. You keep your own schedule on vacation, so don’t worry if following a tour guide doesn't fit your style. When travelling, you’ll be happier if you don’t have too much planned. Pisceans often enjoy a strong bond with their mothers, making you ideally suited to a mother-son or mother-daughter vacation. You get on with a Taurus, who shares your desire to take the time to appreciate the beauty of a destination’s culture and nature.

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Jojo siwa’s bad girl rebrand is total cringe: opinion.

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A child star’s transition into adulthood is an age-old right of passage, and one only a handful have ever truly managed it successfully.

For every Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez, there’s been a Victoria Justice and a Haley Joel Osment; stars who have failed to evolve their brand and flourish into fully-fledged celebrities.

Now, it’s former Dance Moms star JoJo Siwa’s turn, and she’s going down the classic good girl gone bad route that worked so well for the likes of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera back in the early 2000s.

Sadly for Siwa, who still drives around Los Angeles in a car emblazoned with her face on the paintwork with the interior covered in colourful rainbow stickers, the attempted rebrand appears anything but genuine to audiences who don’t seem to be falling for it.

Siwa has amassed more than 30 million TikTok followers since she rose to fame on Dance Moms in her early teens.

She quickly made a name for herself and became one of the show’s biggest breakout stars, with millions of pre-teen girls falling head over heels for her child-friendly, unicorn-loving, rainbow-colored persona.

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She began to build her career around her signature high-ponytail with a bow, and quickly morphed into a Wiggles-style entertainer.

However, criticism soon began to follow her from all corners of the internet, with social media poking fun at the star for appearing to dress and act far younger than she actually was, with fake social media rumors even emerging of her being trapped in a contract that was forcing her to act such a way.

After years of channelling the spirit of Willy Wonka, Siwa has finally now decided to break out of her childlike fantasy realm and embrace who she truly is at heart; which, according to her new image, is a watered-down version of Miley Cyrus from the star’s now-iconic Can’t Be Tamed music video.

The sudden and intense shift from has collectively given social media whiplash, and it’s sparked a wave of commentary online as Siwa gears up to release her new single Karma on April 5.

But it all feels disengenious.

Sure, Britney and Christina were both child stars who “went bad” and received a wave of backlash for it.

But while their undeserved backlash was centred around how it was supposedly impacting their impressionable young fans, Siwa’s is instead rooted in ridicule.

Just two years ago, Siwa was angrily responding to critics telling her to “act her age” by rapping along to Doja Cat lyrics and hitting back in the comment section.

She was defiant that the character she had created, of which critics have previously labeled “creepy” and “unsettling”, was authentically and intrinsically her… and yet here we are today.

The shift is so sudden, so manufactured, and what’s more, it’s a double-edged sword for Siwa, who built her brand on sharing every single part of herself on social media.

As a result, it’s become far harder to have us fooled.

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The best time travel movie ever is not 'Back to the Future,' based on data. Find out the top 25.

Posted: March 23, 2024 | Last updated: March 23, 2024

Best time travel movies

Many films come with an escapism element, the ability to separate ourselves from our current timeline and reality to imagine an alternate time or place. It is a common feature in entertainment, which can serve as an outlet to explore our fears, dreams, and hopes for the future. Many movies take their characters on a journey to the past or future in hopes of teaching profound lessons, offering new perspectives, or simply presenting a challenge or a solution to a problem that they are facing in their current timeline. They expand the reach of what we think is possible in our current lives.

To celebrate these innovative and time-twisting tales, Stacker compiled data on the top time travel movies to come up with a Stacker score—a weighted index split evenly between IMDb and Metacritic scores. To qualify, the film had to involve some sort of time travel (be it literal, like "Back to the Future," or metaphysical, like "Donnie Darko"), have a Metascore, and have at least 5,000 votes. Ties were broken by Metascore and further ties were broken by IMDb votes. These films are some of the most memorable and culturally significant time-travel adventures in American cinema.

#25. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

- Director: Leonard Nimoy - Stacker score: 82.3 - Metascore: 71 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 119 minutes

The famous space travel franchise's fourth film takes well-known USS Enterprise crew members Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and others into an interesting mission. The crew, living in 2286, must travel back in time to 1986 to find humpback whales. The extinct animals are the only species that can understand messages from a foreign probe threatening Earth.

#24. Predestination (2014)

- Directors: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig - Stacker score: 82.3 - Metascore: 69 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 97 minutes

Ethan Hawke plays a time traveler who races against time to keep a foe from killing innocent people. The film spans through several points in the 1960s and 1970s, taking its protagonist on a twisty trip that brings up surprises until the last minutes. "Predestination" is based on "All You Zombies," a science-fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein, about paradoxes that happen due to time traveling.

#23. Pleasantville (1998)

- Director: Gary Ross - Stacker score: 83.4 - Metascore: 71 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 124 minutes

This comedic film takes brother and sister duo David (Tobey Maguire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon) on a strange trip. David's love for 1950s television leads to him meeting a man who is able to put him and his sister inside an ongoing program. Jennifer stirs up drama among the cookie-cutter people to the chagrin of David.

#22. Source Code (2011)

- Director: Duncan Jones - Stacker score: 85.1 - Metascore: 74 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 93 minutes

A military pilot (Jake Gyllenhaal) sees the last minutes of a man's life during a mission that takes him back to that point in time. He's supposed to deduce who the responsible party is in the train accident to bring him to justice. But, the pilot takes things to the next level, going against the clock to attempt to prevent things from going awry in the first place.

#21. Time Bandits (1981)

- Director: Terry Gilliam - Stacker score: 85.1 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 7.0 - Runtime: 110 minutes

Kevin (Craig Warnock) is a preteen history lover who meets dwarves in his room. The tiny beings work for a Supreme Being and are slipping through holes in time to take treasures. Kevin goes with them as they hop around and meet famous historical people while trying to stay two steps ahead of the Supreme Being.

#20. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

- Director: Doug Liman - Stacker score: 85.7 - Metascore: 71 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 113 minutes

Tom Cruise stars as William Cage, a military officer who dies and ends up in a time loop. He continues to relive his terrible (and deadly) final moments until he levels up his knowledge and skills. Cage slowly moves towards the initial mission to fight aliens threatening Earth. Emily Blunt stars opposite Cruise as a sergeant who understands what he is experiencing and works with him.

#19. Evil Dead II (1987)

- Director: Sam Raimi - Stacker score: 85.7 - Metascore: 72 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 84 minutes

Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) continues his battle against demons as his girlfriend Linda (Denise Bixler) becomes possessed by an evil spirit. He realizes that he may be stuck in this remote cabin in the woods and must fight foes who arise from a mysterious audiotape. Towards the end of the film, Ash and his car travel through a portal and end up in 1300 A.D. for a bizarre ending that no one could predict.

#18. Groundhog Day (1993)

- Director: Harold Ramis - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 72 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 101 minutes

What would you do if you had to live the same day over and over again? This is what happens to Phil Connors (Bill Murray), a TV weatherman covering Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney who ends up in a time loop. He begins to realize some things about himself, and others, while stuck in this seemingly endless day. The film's popularity led to the term "groundhog day" becoming synonymous with being stuck in a time loop.

#17. Run Lola Run (1998)

- Director: Tom Tykwer - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 77 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 80 minutes

Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), a Berlin criminal, brings stolen goods to his boss and loses money he owes him. The boss gives him 20 minutes to conjure the funds, leading Manni to enlist his girlfriend Lola (Franka Potente) to come up with the money in a race against the clock, which keeps running through that same period as she makes choices.

#16. Superman (1978)

- Director: Richard Donner - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 143 minutes

Based on the iconic DC Comics character, this film follows Kal-El's (Christopher Reeve) journey from his home planet, Krypton, to becoming Superman, an all-American hero. He goes from being adopted by Midwestern farmers to discovering his powers and fighting an evil force while working undercover as a reporter. At one point, Superman flies around the world so quickly that the Earth spins another way, making time go back so he can undo events with tragic consequences. 

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#15. 12 Monkeys (1995)

- Director: Terry Gilliam - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 74 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 129 minutes

Bruce Willis plays James Cole, an incarcerated man living in the 2030s. Humans live underground after an apocalyptic event nearly kills everyone. He's given a chance to travel back to the '90s and gather information about a plague that will have big future consequences. The goal is to find out more information about the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, who may have been responsible for this earth-shattering event. But things don't go as expected, a classic trope in time travel tales.

#14. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

- Director: Bryan Singer - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 132 minutes

Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman, goes back in time to 1973 to gather past X-Men to change a moment in time to help save them from the Sentinels. The latter group is a killing collective eradicating anyone who possesses a mutant gene. The film gained an Oscar nomination for its visual effects.

#13. Palm Springs (2020)

- Director: Max Barbakow - Stacker score: 89.7 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 90 minutes

Two strangers meet at a wedding in Palm Springs and end up stuck in a time loop. They relive the same day over and over again with weird circumstances taking over while they eventually fall in love with each other. The pair have to find a way to get out of this wedding day circle so they can resume their lives once again.

#12. Midnight in Paris (2011)

- Director: Woody Allen - Stacker score: 90.3 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 94 minutes

Writer Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) is on vacation in Paris when he decides to traverse around the city. Gil runs into a strange collective who take him back in time every night at midnight. He meets iconic people from yesteryear and starts to reevaluate his life, and romance with his fiancée.

#11. Looper (2012)

- Director: Rian Johnson - Stacker score: 90.3 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 113 minutes

In this film, time travel is a commodity that only certain people can afford. People like Joe, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, capitalize on it by using their hitman skills to complete jobs for a crime group. Set in 2044, Joe goes back several times in the past before his employer aims to stop his loop by sending future Joe (Bruce Willis) to kill his younger self. "Looper" is written and directed by Rian Johnson of "Star Wars" and "Knives Out" fame.

#10. Planet of the Apes (1968)

- Director: Franklin J. Schaffner - Stacker score: 90.9 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 112 minutes

A group of astronauts crash onto a planet in the far future where apes have the upper hand over humans. The primates can walk, talk, and have a complex social system that includes enslaving humans. The group finds themselves having to switch roles and become the "lesser" species. "Planet of the Apes" sparked a film franchise years later and was inducted into the Library of Congress' Film Registry in 2001.

#9. Interstellar (2014)

- Director: Christopher Nolan - Stacker score: 91.4 - Metascore: 74 - IMDb user rating: 8.6 - Runtime: 169 minutes

Set in 2067, this film shows Earth on the brink of destruction from storms and farming woes. Professor Brand, played by Michael Caine, plans to save the planet by sending people into a wormhole to another place. A few researchers test this travel plan and end up in different places and times to see where people can possibly inhabit.

#8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

- Director: James Cameron - Stacker score: 91.4 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 8.5 - Runtime: 137 minutes

Linda Hamilton returns as Sarah Connor, who aims to protect her young son John (Edward Furlong) from yet another (and more dangerous) Terminator. The cyborg intends to kill John, thereby preventing him from his future role in a resistance movement. Sarah, John, and T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) work together to keep John, and the future resistance, alive.

#7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

- Director: Alfonso Cuarón - Stacker score: 92 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 142 minutes

Titular hero Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) continues his studies at the magical Hogwarts School. He realizes Sirius Black, an escaped prisoner, wants to kill him. Harry and his friends Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) must work together to defend the school while Harry realizes his true connection to Black.

#6. Star Trek (2009)

- Director: J.J. Abrams - Stacker score: 92 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 127 minutes

A modern take on the classic space traveling series, this film goes back in time to show James T. Kirk, Spock, and Uhura's (Zoe Saldana) journeys in their younger days. Kirk, portrayed by Chris Pine, inadvertently makes his way onto the USS Enterprise and rises to power while they fight dangerous threats. Spock's (Zachary Quinto) future self makes an appearance to aid him in making a sage decision.

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#5. Avengers: Endgame (2019)

- Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo - Stacker score: 92.6 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 8.4 - Runtime: 181 minutes

Five years after Thanos eliminated half of the living beings across the universe, the remaining Avengers band together to bring everyone back. The film includes the Quantum Realm, where time does not pass as it does on Earth and time travel is possible. Things end with a battle royale between the purple genocidal titan and all the super beings on Earth. The film marked the penultimate offering from the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Three of its release/storytelling schedule.

#4. The Terminator (1984)

- Director: James Cameron - Stacker score: 93.7 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 107 minutes

The current year is 2029. A killer cyborg known as a "Terminator" goes back to 1984 to hunt Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). The killing machine (Arnold Schwarzenegger) stays on Connor's tracks as she uncovers the truth about her role in affecting humanity's future. Sarah must protect her family and stay alive so her son can fulfill a specific role.

#3. Donnie Darko (2001)

- Director: Richard Kelly - Stacker score: 96 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 113 minutes

In 1988, the title character (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a teenager dealing with sleepwalking episodes. He goes outside one night to encounter a massive, scary rabbit who tells him that the world will end in 28 days. Donnie, unsure of what is real or not, starts to go into a dark direction as time seems to go into flux for him, taking him into a different timeline.

#2. Back to the Future (1985)

- Director: Robert Zemeckis - Stacker score: 98.3 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 8.5 - Runtime: 116 minutes

Michael Fox stars as Marty McFly, a teenager in 1985 who is friends with a strange scientist (Christopher Lloyd) named Doc. The latter's latest experiment goes wrong, throwing him back into 1955. He must find a young Doc and try to help him figure out how to get back to his correct timeline. Meanwhile, Marty also encounters his parents as their younger selves. The film has become a sci-fi classic, spawning its own franchise.

#1. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

- Director: Frank Capra - Stacker score: 100 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 8.6 - Runtime: 130 minutes

George Bailey is a man who is in over his head with family and general life problems. He considers dying by suicide but his family's prayers reach the heavens. His life is shown in flashbacks and an angel comes down to show him how much he matters to those closest to him. The now-iconic Christmas film was shot during the summer—in a heat wave, no less.

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Screen Rant

Voyager is why star trek is replacing discovery’s spore drive.

Starfleet is abandoning the spore drive in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, having found a better form of warp travel thanks to the USS Voyager.

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 1, "Red Directive"

• Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 bids farewell to the spore drive, as USS Voyager's pathway drive takes over in the 32nd century.
• Commander Stamets reveals Starfleet's decision to halt spore drive development, making Discovery unique in the Star Trek franchise.
• The USS Voyager-J's pathway drive paves the way for safer and sustainable warp travel in Star Trek's future.

The 32nd century's version of the USS Voyager is the reason that Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is abandoning Starfleet's revolutionary spore drive technology. Since they arrived in the 32nd century in season 3, the USS Discovery crew's one-of-a-kind spore drive has represented a potential replacement for dilithium-reliant warp travel in Star Trek 's future . However, various obstacles, most notably rogue Risan scientist Dr. Ruon Tarka (Shawn Doyle) and his theft of the only working prototype have prevented the spore drive from being rolled out.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 1 , "Red Directive", Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) reveals that Starfleet has shuttered further development on the spore drive . Starfleet's decision means that the USS Discovery will remain one-of-a-kind, making season 5 the last outing for Starfleet's spore drive. Instead of taking Discovery's spore drive further, Starfleet are instead forging ahead with the new pathway drive, first trialed by the USS Voyager-J in Star Trek: Discovery season 4 .

Star Trek Is Ditching Discovery's Spore Drive - And That's Good!

Uss voyager is why star trek is quitting discovery’s spore drive, voyager has a history of scientific advancement in starfleet..

In Star Trek: Discovery 's season 4 premiere, "Kobayashi Maru", it was revealed that the USS Voyager-J had been newly fitted with a protoype pathway drive . Federation President Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal) was looking for the right captain to command the ship and test out this new technology. Now, Discovery 's season 5 premiere, "Red Directive" reveals that those tests were successful, leading to the pathway drive being the new standard for future Starfleet ships. The rollout is still in the early stages, however, as Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) states that his ship, the USS Antares, doesn't have a pathway drive fitted.

Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) was under consideration to command the USS Voyager-J, but President Rillak didn't believe that she was ready.

It feels appropriate that the USS Voyager is responsible for replacing Star Trek: Discovery 's spore drive, given its namesake's impact on warp travel centuries earlier . Star Trek: Prodigy revealed that, after returning to the Alpha Quadrant, much of the technology the USS Voyager encountered in the Delta Quadrant was adapted by Starfleet. For example, the USS Dauntless, commanded by Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) had a quantum slipstream drive fitted, first encountered in Star Trek: Voyager 's season 4 finale, "Hope and Fear".

10 Ways USS Voyager Changed In Star Trek’s Delta Quadrant

When will we see star trek: discovery's pathway drive in action.

As the USS Discovery is in the middle of a vitally important mission to find the Progenitors' technology to create life, it doesn't seem like there will be much time for a refit. Therefore, it's unlikely that Discovery will be using the pathway drive at any point in Star Trek: Discovery season 5. It's certainly possible that Captain Burnham could receive assistance from a starship like the USS Voyager-J at some later point in Discovery season 5, but it's also possible that the pathway drive was just a tease of things to come in the now- canceled Star Trek: Discovery season 6 .

As it will focus on a batch of new recruits, the Starfleet Academy show feels like an ideal way to reveal more about the pathway drive.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will pick up the baton in the 32nd century, however, making it the most likely candidate for a pathway drive demonstration . As it will focus on a batch of new recruits, the Starfleet Academy show feels like an ideal way to reveal more about the pathway drive. As the cadets learn how a pathway drive works, and how it differs from a more traditional warp drive, so too will Star Trek fans who tune into the YA-oriented show. Starfleet Academy leading the way with a new warp drive replacement would be a fitting way to continue the legacy of Star Trek: Discovery and its spore drive.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is looking to begin production in late summer 2024.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

After being closed for over a hundred years, Starfleet Academy is reopening its doors to those who wish to pursue a career as Starfleet Officers. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will follow a new group of cadets as they come of age, and build friendships, rivalries, and romantic relationships while being threatened by a new adversary that could destroy the Academy and the Federation itself.

Why Star Trek Keeping Standard Warp Travel Is Best

The specifics of how the pathway drive works are still a mystery in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, but it's presumably rooted in traditional warp travel. The spore drive was an incredibly complicated method of travel that required specific calculations and a willing host to navigate the mycelial network . In "Red Directive", Stamets states that, with more time, he could have worked out the issues with navigation, but never got the chance. The grisly fate of the USS Glenn in Discovery season 1 revealed that the slightest miscalculation in spore drive navigation could have devastating consequences for the crew.

Presumably, the pathway drive is a means to achieve warp travel while using less dilithium, to reduce the Federation's reliance on it following the scarcity caused by the Burn. This is therefore a less risky proposition, which will be why Starfleet are now rolling it out following the USS Voyager-J's successful trial. While it may be disappointing for Stamets in Star Trek: Discovery , the pathway drive's potential to make warp travel safer and more sustainable should be something to celebrate.

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 is streaming on Netflix.

Star Trek: Discovery

*Availability in US

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Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

Star Trek Voyager

The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they've never faced before.

Star Trek: Prodigy

Star Trek: Prodigy is the first TV series in the Star Trek franchise marketed toward children, and one of the few animated series in the franchise. The story follows a group of young aliens who find a stolen Starfleet ship and use it to escape from the Tars Lamora prison colony where they are all held captive. Working together with the help of a holographic Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the new crew of the USS Protostar must find their way back to the Alpha Quadrant to warn the Federation of the deadly threat that is pursuing them.

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2024 Masters tee times, pairings: Complete schedule on TV, groups for Round 1 on Thursday at Augusta National

A number of star-studded groups will be featured throughout the first round at augusta national.

The 2024 Masters tee times feature some eye-catching pairings as play begins at Augusta National on Thursday. Of course, the tournament kicks off with the Honorary Starters as Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson hit tee shots at 10:10 a.m. ET. This was pushed back after Augusta National announced Thursday morning that Round 1 of the 2024 Masters will begin at 10:30 a.m. due to weather. 

Heavy rain and thunderstorms were forecasted  through noon, but play is officially underway after Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson served as Honorary Starters  hitting their ceremonial tee shots .

Erik van Rooyen and Jake Knapp kicked off the competition at 10:30 a.m. with the Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa and Tommy Fleetwood bringing up the rear six hours later at 4:30 p.m. In between, there were a number of star-studded groupings, including one which features arguably the two biggest storylines of the tournament.

Be sure to check out a complete 2024 Masters TV schedule and coverage guide , and if you are unable to watch live, our 2024 Masters live leaderboard updates should keep you satisfied until you can get to a TV or pull up a live stream.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler opened his first two rounds alongside Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele at 1:12 p.m., and this grouping followed that of the reigning champion, Jon Rahm, who drew the reigning U.S. Amateur champion Nick Dunlap and Matt Fitzpatrick at 1 p.m.

Other notable groupings to go off early Thursday included Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris at 12:48 p.m., plus Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland and Cameron Smith at 1:24 p.m..

More stars will trickle onto the golf course as the day progresses with the afternoon wave highlighted by Tiger Woods at 3:54 p.m. The 15-time major champion aims to make his 24th consecutive cut at the Masters; he will be next to Max Homa and Jason Day in a comfortable grouping the first two days. Also featured in the afternoon are Brooks Koepka, Tom Kim and Brian Harman along with Ludvig Aberg, Jordan Spieth and Sahith Theegala minutes later.

Check out 2024 Masters picks and expert predictions from our CBS Sports staff along with Kyle Porter's 1-89 ranking of the entire Masters field .

Watch all four rounds of the 2024 Masters starting Thursday with  Masters Live  as we follow the best golfers in the world through Augusta National with  Featured Groups , check in at the famed  Amen Corner  and see leaders round the turn on  holes 15 & 16 . Watch live on  CBSSports.com , the  CBS Sports app  and  Paramount+ .

All times Eastern

2024 Masters tee times, Thursday pairings

• 10:30 a.m. — Erik van Rooyen, Jake Knapp
• 10:42 a.m. — Jose Maria Olazabal, Taylor Moore, Santiago de la Fuente
• 10:54 a.m. — Danny Willett, Austin Eckroat, Stephan Jaeger
• 11:06 a.m. — Charl Schwartzel, Luke List, Christo Lamprecht
• 11:18 a.m. — Gary Woodland, Thorbjorn Olesen, Bryson DeChambeau
• 11:30 a.m. — Zach Johnson, Corey Conners, Jasper Stubbs
• 11:42 a.m. — Sergio Garcia, Chris Kirk, Ryan Fox
• 11:54 a.m. — Lucas Glover, Byeong Hun An, Harris English
• 12:06 p.m. — Phil Mickelson, Sepp Straka, Tony Finau
• 12:18 p.m. — Nick Taylor, Joaquin Niemann, Russell Henley
• 12:36 p.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Min Woo Lee, Rickie Fowler
• 12:48 p.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Will Zalatoris, Justin Thomas
• 1 p.m. — Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Nick Dunlap 
• 1:12 p.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele
• 1:24 p.m. — Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Smith
• 1:36 p.m. — Lee Hodges, Adrian Meronk, Grayson Murray
• 1:48 p.m. — Camilo Villegas, Denny McCarthy, Cameron Davis
• 2 p.m. — Mike Weir, Ryo Hisatsune, Neal Shipley
• 2:12 p.m. — Vijay Singh, Si Woo Kim, Emiliano Grillo
• 2:24 p.m. — Fred Couples, Adam Hadwin, Stewart Hagestad
• 2:42 p.m. — Justin Rose, Eric Cole, Peter Malnati
• 2:54 p.m. — Akshay Bhatia, J.T. Poston, Shane Lowry
• 3:06 p.m. — Bubba Watson, Nicolai Hojgaard, Adam Schenk
• 3:18 p.m. — Patrick Reed, Sungjae Im, Kurt Kitayama
• 3:30 p.m. — Keegan Bradley, Matthieu Pavon, Tyrrell Hatton
• 3:42 p.m. — Adam Scott, Sam Burns, Cameron Young
• 3:54 p.m. — Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Max Homa
• 4:06 p.m. — Brian Harman, Brooks Koepka, Tom Kim
• 4:18 p.m. — Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg, Sahith Theegala
• 4:30 p.m. — Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood

2024 Masters tee times, Friday pairings

• 8 a.m. — Lee Hodges, Adrian Meronk, Grayson Murray
• 8:12 a.m. — Camilo Villegas, Denny McCarthy, Cameron Davis
• 8:24 a.m. — Mike Weir, Ryo Hisatsune, Neal Shipley
• 8:36 a.m. — Vijay Singh, Si Woo Kim, Emiliano Grillo
• 8:48 a.m. — Fred Couples, Adam Hadwin, Stewart Hagestad
• 9 a.m. — Justin Rose, Eric Cole, Peter Malnati
• 9:12 a.m. — Akshay Bhatia, J.T. Poston, Shane Lowry
• 9:24 a.m. — Bubba Watson, Nicolai Hojgaard, Adam Schenk
• 9:36 a.m. — Patrick Reed, Sungjae Im, Kurt Kitayama
• 9:48 a.m. — Keegan Bradley, Matthieu Pavon, Tyrrell Hatton
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Total solar eclipse 2024: Watch video and see photos of the sky spectacle

EAGLE PASS, Texas − In a moment of cosmic alignment that was precisely predicted yet undeniably mysterious , the moon crept across the face of the sun as seen from Earth, casting its shadow onto the United States on Monday.

And then it was over: A total eclipse of the sun has come and gone.  

The partial shadow crossed into the U.S. in Texas just after noon local time, and a bit more than an hour later, the minutes of “totality” began. The total eclipse of the sun then traced a path from southern Texas to northern Maine, where it exited into Canada and the ocean beyond.

The rare event was an astronomical experience like no other. Monday's eclipse was unusually accessible to millions of people. It was widely anticipated not only for its remarkable period of darkness, but for its rare timing: No total solar eclipse would be visible from the contiguous United States again until 2044. While millions of Americans may have seen today’s eclipse, a small group in Texas was among the very first.

Edge of eclipse shadow began in south Texas

Alejandra Martinez, a seventh-grade science teacher from the south Texas border city of Eagle Pass, peered up at the gray, gauzy sky, anxiously awaiting the solar eclipse’s entrance into the USA.

Sitting with a telescope under a camping canopy in a corner of the county airport, Martinez, 42, and two other science enthusiasts had been recruited by NASA to participate in an effort called Citizen CATE 2024, where more than 30 teams perched in the eclipse’s path will record the shadowy trek across the country. 

In this spot, less than five miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, she and her team would be among the first people in the U.S. to witness the phenomenon. Eagle Pass sits near the very beginning of the eclipse’s track from southwest to northeast across the country. It also sits very near dead-center of it, where the period of “totality” will be the longest. That total shadow was still more than an hour away when the edge of the shadow began to darken the sky.

Martinez, dressed in a “This Totality Rocks” T-shirt and eclipse-themed skirt, watched as the penumbra crept across the airfield, about 10 minutes past noon local time. She put on her eclipse glasses and peered up at the sky. The gauzy clouds parted. “There it is! There it is!” she yelled. “First contact. It’s begun!”

Clouds came and went as the shadow grew for the next hour. As totality approached Eagle Pass, the sky shaded a dull gray then a heavy brown and the temperature dropped a few degrees. Only a sliver of the sun remained.

A few seconds before 1:27 p.m. CT, the crowd counted down, “3..2..1…” The sun was gone, completely covered by the moon. Darkness spread over the small airport grounds. “Oh my god,” Martinez said, a hand covering her heart. “This is so cool!”

How to tell if you have eye damage from looking at a partial eclipse?

For those who took a chance and looked at the sun without protective eyewear during the eclipse, concerns may arise if their vision starts to seem impaired. Have they suffered eclipse blindness?

Looking directly at the sun even briefly without the proper safety glasses can result in eye damage, either temporary or permanent. The body's natural squinting reaction in normal circumstances prevents people from staring directly at the sun, but that reflex may not be activated during partial eclipses, even though a partly shielded sun can still burn the retina.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology says pain won't be an indication of damaged eyes because the retina lacks pain nerves. Worrisome signs are instead blurry vision, headaches, light sensitivity, blind spots in the central vision, distorted vision and changes in color perception. Anyone experiencing those symptoms should see an ophthalmologist, the AAO says.

What was the timeline of the 2024 solar eclipse?

The total eclipse began in Mexico at about 11:07 a.m. PDT, Monday before crossing into Texas at 1:27 p.m. CDT. It ended in Maine at 3:35 p.m. EDT. Even those who weren't in the path of totality could see a percentage of the eclipse.

To find out exactly when the eclipse occurred in your area, you can search by  USA TODAY's database by ZIP code  for a viewing guide.

Students in Washington get hands-on learning

Dozens of students spilled out of Ida B. Wells Middle School in Washington, D.C., gripping cardboard solar eclipse glasses and chatting with excitement. “Why is the sun shaped as a moon?” one student asked after looking toward the sun. “Why is it not getting dark?’’ asked another.

Teacher Troy Mangum, who the students called “Mr. Mango,’’ slowly explained the science behind the experience as he cautioned others to put on their glasses. Students at the school in northwest D.C. had had lessons about the eclipse leading up the day’s teaching outside the classroom.

“Anytime we can get hands on or dynamic learning … it’s invaluable,’’ said Mangum, a social emotional learning coach. “We talked about it so much. It’s nice to see them get excited about qeeky Mr. Mango type of stuff.”

Skylar Cruel, 12, had come outside with her science class. “I just really wanted to see it,’’ she said. “You get to see it turn from light to dark.”

Steps away at Whittier Elementary School, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), younger students put on their glasses and tilted their heads up toward the sun behind their school.

Michael Haile joined his daughter, Markan Worku, 9, a student at Whittier, and brought along his 5-year-old son, Keab. He called it a memorable experience for his children. Markan, who had been learning about solar eclipses in her third-grade class, simply said, “This is cool!’’ 

− Deborah Berry

In Michigan, a bonding experience for a mother and her three kids

In Michigan, eclipse enthusiasts packed a watch party along the Detroit Riverwalk near Cullen Plaza. They sat on the grass, on benches and berms. For Janelle Ikonen of Waterford, it was a chance to bond with her three children − Hannah, 9; Elim, 12; and Isaac, 14 − whom she took out of school for the day.

“I wanted to experience a unique event with them,” said Ikonen, 47. “It’s one of my big deals to me, to experience things with my kids. … I hope they’ll remember spending time with me.”

In Grand Rapids, where 94% coverage of the sun was expected, viewers gathered on the city's “Blue Bridge,” which offered a view of the eclipse over the Grand River. With no cloud cover over the city, visitors had an unobstructed scene. The Grand Rapids Public Museum set up a series of solar telescopes.

Jill and Wes Johnson, 50 and 14, were among those awaiting max coverage. They’d considered traveling from Grand Rapids to a place with total coverage, but decided 94% coverage was worthwhile enough to stay home.

“I think people are excited to see something unique,” Jill Johnson said.

− Georgea Kovanis and Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press

US women's soccer team takes in eclipse ahead of title game

COLUMBUS, Ohio − The U.S. women’s national soccer team took a break from SheBelieves Cup preparation to watch the eclipse. 

Several team members, including World Cup veterans Crystal Dunn, Alyssa Naeher, Naomi Girma and Trinity Rodman, coaches and staff members donned eclipse glasses and went outside their hotel to see the rare event.

As the sky darkened and the moon moved in front of the sun, someone yelled, “Come on, keep going!” Columbus is just outside the path of totality, so all but a sliver of the sun wound up being covered. 

The USWNT is in Columbus for the final of the SheBelieves Cup on Tuesday night against Canada.

− Nancy Armour

Witnessing the first total eclipse from a cruise ship

Passengers aboard Holland America's Koningsdam cruise ship eagerly gathered on the top decks at 10 a.m. local time to watch the spectacle of a solar eclipse.

Positioned off the coast of Mazatlan, Mexico − the first city in North America to witness the total eclipse − the ship provided an ideal vantage point for viewing the celestial event. Accompanied by an astronomer, the captain meticulously adjusted the ship's position to ensure the best possible view.

Dan Fueller, an experienced eclipse observer who had previously seen similar phenomena from ships in 1991 and 1998, emphasized the advantages of viewing the eclipse from a cruise ship. He noted the flexibility of the ship's mobility allowed for optimal positioning along the eclipse's path, ensuring unobstructed views.

"You're on a cruise ship and (the best view) is a little bit farther to the west or a little bit farther to the east − along the path, there's a clear sky − the ship can move. If you're on land and there's not a road there, you better have a tank."

− Joshuan Rivera

Partial eclipse 'like a little Pac-Man taking a bite out of the sun'

In Parthenon, Arkansas, the eclipse began near the Buffalo National River. Five friends traveled from Florida to be on a rock outcropping to witness the celestial event.

“Yes! I see it!” Angie Printiss exclaimed.

“Oh ya! You can see it,” said Kate Estes. “It’s like a little Pac-Man taking a bite out of the sun.”

At 20 minutes before totality, the sky got noticeably darker. The shadow of crescent sun shapes played off the limestone rocks.

“It looks like water − like fish scales,” Estes said. “That is so weird, when the trees move you can really see it.”

− Jennifer Portman

New Englanders travel for better view of the eclipse

Crowds ballooned into the thousands midday Monday in the center of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, as the nearly cloudless sky and warm sun boosted temperatures to an unseasonably 60 degrees.

Jim and Kim Cooper drove over from New Hampton, New Hampshire, their first time doing more than just passing through the town locals call St. Jays. Their son had proposed to his girlfriend in Tennessee during the 2017 eclipse and then had an eclipse-themed wedding, but the Coopers had never seen a total eclipse for themselves, so they decided to come to the closest place where they could be assured of a good view.

Jeffrey Breau had seen that 2017 eclipse for himself and was so impressed that he convinced family members to join him this time. Breau’s girlfriend, Nell Hawley, came up with him from Cambridge, Massachusetts, while his brother Alex and his girlfriend Diana Ventura drove up from New York City. The Breau brothers' father, Walter, joined them in taking in their first eclipse.

“I would have been OK watching it in the yard,” Walter said, though he would only have seen a partial eclipse from there. “That’s what you think now,” Jeffrey said quickly. “Talk to me in two hours.”

− Karen Weintraub

Kids bring homemade eclipse viewers to National Mall

Lucas and Lucy Porto Banco didn’t need to buy fancy eclipse glasses – the 7- and 10-year-old siblings made their own eclipse viewers from two cardboard shoe boxes left over from a couple of their mom’s recent shoe purchases.With the help of a YouTube tutorial video, they made two holes in each box with a whittling knife and taped tin foil over. Then they used dry spaghetti to poke holes in the tin foil for the sun’s light to pass through and project onto the dark inside of the box.The kids put together the viewer in little more than five minutes, Lucy said. “Maybe 15, with covering all the gaps in the shoe box,” she said.Even with his own eclipse-viewing creation, Lucas said he may still take advantage of his eclipse glasses. “I’m going to do both,” he said.

− Cybele Mayes-Osterman

What is an 'umbra?' − and other eclipse words

Astronomers and eclipse enthusiasts used a bunch of specialized words Monday as the nation experienced its first solar eclipse since 2017 and the last one for until 2044. Here are a few of those terms and what they mean, according to the American Astronomical Society .

Baily's Beads – This refers to the beaded appearance of the moon's edge as the eclipse nears totality. Shafts of sunlight shine through deep valleys on the moon's surface, which causes the effect known to observers as Bailey's Beads.

Umbra – The darkest part of the moon’s shadow, within which the entirety of the sun's bright face is blocked. An observer standing in the umbra sees a total solar eclipse.

Penumbra: The lighter part of the moon's shadow, making up its outer portion, where light can reach.

Corona – The sun’s upper atmosphere, visible as a pearly glow around the eclipsed sun during totality.

Totality – The maximum phase of a total solar eclipse, during which the moon’s disk completely covers the sun's bright face. It can last from a fraction of a second to a maximum of 7 minutes, 31 seconds, depending on viewing location and other factors.

− Dale Denwalt, The Oklahoman

A last-minute search for glasses for 'a perfect spot'

Patsy Faoro walked toward a half dozen people gathered at the gate of Turner Farm Park in Great Falls, Virginia. The people were awaiting the opening of an eclipse viewing event complete with telescopes and educational presentations.

Faoro, who lives near the park in this upscale Northern Virginia neighborhood, just wanted glasses to safely view the eclipse.

She visited CVS, Safeway and a 7/11 convenience store, all of which had advertised the availability of glasses to view the eclipse. None of the retailers had any glasses remaining when Faoro checked this morning.

“We have this great big open space that’s a perfect spot,” said Faoro, who viewed her first eclipse in the 1970s. “We just need some glasses.”

− Ken Alltucker

Indianapolis Motor Speedway event draws tens of thousands

Tory Patrick, 41, is hoping to give her four children a once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity. Patrick and her family traveled 160 miles to Indianapolis Motor Speedway from their home in Granger, Indiana. They were expected to have 97% totality at home, but it’s not the same as total coverage, she said.

“They will be getting the full experience that they can’t read about in textbooks,” Patrick said.

Patrick and her sister Cally Gannon, 39, from Cincinnati, met in Indianapolis to view the eclipse from the speedway. They camped outside IMS over the weekend ahead of the event and on Sunday afternoon saw a double rainbow over the speedway’s iconic pagoda. An estimated 50,000 tickets were sold for the day’s festivities, presented in partnership with NASA and Purdue University.

Elsewhere in the stands, Ryan Harper, 30, knows today is special.

“We’re right in totality,” he said. “This sometimes doesn’t happen in people’s lifetimes.

— Sarah Bowman and Jade Thomas

Family travels from Baltimore to Rochester, N.Y., to view the eclipse

When Maze Pelham of Baltimore was a fifth-grader, he watched news of the 2017 solar eclipse and vowed to witness the next notable solar eclipse. That eclipse, and that day, has come. And this is why he and his parents, Janice and Sonney Pelham, left Maryland around 1 a.m. on Monday and drove nearly seven hours to Rochester, New York.

“I said to myself I would go to the next one,” Maze Pelham said while seated with his parents on lawn chairs at downtown Rochester’s Parcel 5 park, where he and hundreds of others are awaiting a view of the full eclipse. “It’s a promise I made to myself.”

– Democrat and Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network

In Brooklyn: Eclipses glasses, check. Lawn chair, check.

Ralph Emerson held a pair of paper sunglasses in his hands while riding the subway to Brooklyn's sprawling Prospect Park on Monday. He exited the train with a folded lawn chair strapped across his shoulder, and said he felt energized and full of anticipation.

"This is special," Emerson, 61, said. "I haven't woken up with this much excitement since the Super Bowl."

Walking to the park's botanic garden, Emerson said appreciating natural phenomena makes it easier to manage the stresses that come with living in a big city. Also like a big sports game, the eclipse will draw lots of people together to experience something much larger than themselves, in community, he said.

"A lot of times it's tragedies that bring us together, but sometimes things like this do," he said.

− Claire Thornton

Texas Eclipse Festival cut short by weather

The Texas Eclipse Festival was canceled Monday in Burnet County, 50 miles northwest of Austin, because of weather concerns. The festival, which included bands and other events, began Sunday and was supposed to wrap up Tuesday.

"We regret to inform you of the severe weather forecast, including risks of high winds, tornadic activity, large hail, and thunderstorms for later today, including during the eclipse, Tuesday, and Wednesday," festival organizers said on their website. "Your safety is our top priority."

Festivalgoers were urged to leave early for safety and to beat traffic. Guests, however, were allowed to stay "provided they pack and are prepared to depart after totality."

Traffic jams, collisions mar eclipse watchers' travel

Traffic crashes and road delays were reported across the nation as Americans flocked to prime locations to gaze up at the rare solar eclipse . Local roads and highways in states including Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Vermont and New Hampshire were overwhelmed with eclipse chasers, many of whom were from out of state. The most intense bottlenecks appeared to be in the path of totality , where spectators will be able to view the full eclipse.

In Oklahoma, a crash around 7:30 a.m. local time narrowed eastbound lanes on I-40, a major transcontinental highway that runs from California to North Carolina. The crash occurred not far from several state parks that were hosting eclipse events, and it's also within driving distance of the full eclipse path, which includes parts of southeastern Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Multiple crashes were reported on an interstate in Waco, Texas, a city in the path of totality, where several festivities and eclipse viewing events were scheduled. The crashes all occurred on I-35, which runs from southern Texas to Minnesota.

"Expect major traffic delays in this area," the Texas Department of Transportation said in a statement .

− Christopher Cann

Airport draws a crowd of jets for eclipse

EAGLE PASS, Texas − Maverick County International Airport in Eagle Pass, Texas, usually sees maybe three private planes a day. By 10 a.m. CT on Monday, more than 10 planes crowded the tarmac, including Cessnas, Pipers and at least one corporate jet − all there to catch an early glimpse of the total solar eclipse. Eagle Pass will be one of the first American cities to witness the phenomenon. Some watchers, like Brandon Beck, 43, flew in Sunday night from San Diego and spent the night in a sleeping bag on the tarmac next to his friend’s Mooney single-prop piston four-seater.“We’re so lucky to be on a planet where the sun is the perfect size and perfect distance to create that effect,” he said. “It’s obligatory. We have to see it.”

First the Cherry Blossoms, then the eclipse

WASHINGTON − The Cherry Blossoms brought Ali and Aurore Youssouf to the city all the way from Paris, but the pair were delighted to learn that their trip would overlap with the eclipse. The day is extra special for Aurore Youssouf, 43, who has never seen an eclipse before. On Monday morning, the couple arrived by chance at the National Mall early enough to snag a few pairs of free eclipse glasses distributed by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for the occasion.“We didn’t even know. We just ended up here and found out that they were giving away some glasses,” said Ali Youssouf, 46.

Awaiting eclipse − and hail − in Texas

KERRVILLE, Texas − Forecasts called for considerable cloudiness, rain and possible hail, but retired NASA engineer Jeff Stone stayed positive as he and his wife prepared to host more than a dozen people for a watch party at their hilltop home in Texas Hill Country. Stone, an eclipse enthusiast who had met family in Missouri to watch the solar eclipse of 2017, said he recently reviewed video footage of that event and said current conditions weren’t that much different than they were back then.

“I’m outside and seeing patches of blue among scattered clouds, so we’re remaining hopeful,” he said.

About 150 miles to the northeast in Gatesville, lead pastor Eric Moffett of Coryell Community Church said a similar forecast did little to deter an expected gathering of about 800 visitors for the church’s family-oriented “Eclipse at the Crosses” event. Many, if not most, were from out of town or even out of country − Canada, Wales, France, Italy. Many locals were staying home to avoid the crowd, he said.

“It’s partly cloudy, but the sun is shining on me right now,” he said. “We are praying that it stays that way.”

− Marc Ramirez

What is the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse?

A  total solar eclipse  occurs when the moon comes in between the Earth and the sun, blocking its light from reaching our planet, leading to a period of darkness lasting several minutes. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon and the sun are on exact opposite sides of Earth. The Earth blocks the sunlight that normally reaches the moon. Instead of that sunlight hitting the moon’s surface, Earth's shadow falls on it.

A lunar eclipse can last for a few hours, while a solar eclipse lasts only a few minutes. Solar eclipses also rarely occur, while lunar eclipses are comparatively more frequent. While at least two partial lunar eclipses happen every year, total lunar eclipses are still rare, NASA says. Another major difference: No special glasses or gizmos are needed to view the a lunar eclipse, and people can directly stare at the moon.

− Saman Shafiq

Solar eclipse, lunar eclipse: What is the difference?

Can you drive during the solar eclipse?

The  2024 solar eclipse  will shroud much of the United States in darkness on Monday, leaving many people to wonder: Is it safe to drive during the solar eclipse?

It is safe to drive during an eclipse as long as you don't look up at the sky. AAA is telling drivers to be focused on the road if they are operating a car during the total solar eclipse. But the automobile insurance company is advising Americans who want to safely view the total eclipse to "find a safe place to park (not on the side of a road or highway) away from other traffic and then wear your eclipse glasses," said Aixa Diaz, a spokeswoman from AAA.

"Pack your patience, whether traveling a great distance or locally," Diaz said. "People will be out and about to catch a glimpse of the eclipse."

A similar scenario  played out in 2017 during the nation's last total solar eclipse : Congestion in some areas lasted for up to 13 hours after totality,  according to Transportation Research News , a National Research Council publication. An analysis of traffic patterns from that year suggests the worst of the traffic – on interstates and rural back roads alike – will kick off after the eclipse ends and everyone tries to leave all at once.

− Kayla Jimenez

When will the next solar eclipse happen?

It will be 20 years before there's a chance to  witness a total solar eclipse  in the United States again. According to NASA, after Monday's total solar  eclipse , the next one viewable from the contiguous U.S. will be on Aug. 23, 2044.

Unfortunately, the 2044 total  solar eclipse  won't have the broad reach across the U.S. as the 2024 eclipse. The path of totality during the 2044 eclipse will only touch three states, according to the Planetary Society, a nonprofit involved in research, public outreach and political space advocacy. The eclipse will begin in Greenland, sweep through Canada and end around sunset in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.

But another eclipse scheduledfor Saturday, Aug. 12, 2045, will trace a path of totality over California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

− Mary Walrath-Holdridge, Gabe Hauari and Eric Lagatta

Eclipse and pets: It's not the sky that's the problem

An  eclipse  itself isn't dangerous for domestic animals such as dogs and cats, but experts say it's probably best to not bring pets to  experience the April 2024 total solar eclipse . Experts' biggest concern is not what’s happening in the sky but on the ground as crowds of excited and  eager people gather , said Dr. Rena Carlson, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Dogs especially will take their cues from their owners rather than  the celestial event.

“Rather than the effects of the eclipse, I would be more worried about the excitement and all of the people,” Carlson said.

− Elizabeth Weise

A guide to the solar eclipse for kids

Here's an easy-to read, illustrated guide to help kids understand what the  April 8 total solar eclipse  means, where it will be visible and how you can watch it safely. It also shows them how an ordinary kitchen colander can easily be used to view a solar eclipse − the colander's holes can project crescent images of the sun onto the ground. There are even pages that can be downloaded and colored.

Trump's eclipse experience lit up internet in 2017

Seven years ago, when the last  total solar eclipse  crossed over North America, a photo of then-President Donald Trump  seemingly gazing at the sun with his naked eyes set the internet ablaze . During the afternoon of Aug. 21, 2017, Trump, who was president at the time, was joined by then first lady Melania Trump and their son Barron  to watch the rare phenomenon from the Truman Balcony  at the White House. Photos taken by members of the media captured all three donning eclipse glasses while looking at the eclipse.

But at one point during the viewing, the former president was captured in photos and videos without proper eye protection, seemingly gazing directly at the sun. Looking at an eclipse before or after the brief phase of totality without proper eyewear  can lead to eye damage .

− Natalie Neysa Alund

When is the next total solar eclipse? What to know about the next eclipse's path, timing

How to make a solar eclipse viewer

People who didn't manage to get their  hands on glasses  are not completely down and out. There are other safe ways to view the eclipse , say experts, and a lot of them only require a little bit of craftiness and items you can find lying around the house.

Steps to make the cereal box eclipse viewer (And here is a video aid) :

• Get an empty, clean cereal box.
• Cut a white piece of cardboard that will fit snuggly in the bottom of the box, or secure it permanently by gluing it in place.
• Cut the top of the cereal box, removing both ends and leaving the center intact.
• Put a piece of tape across the center of the top to securely hold it closed.
• Tape a piece of heavy-duty foil or double a single layer for additional strength, covering one of the openings at the top of the cereal box. The other opening will remain open for viewing.
• Using a small nail (approximately 3mm in diameter) push a hole in the foil.
• Cover the entire box with construction paper, leaving the single-viewing opening and the foil uncovered.

The finished box should be held with the pin-hole side facing the sun. It may take a little practice pointing the box. With your back facing the sun, look through the viewing opening. A small image of the sun, about ½ cm in diameter, can be seen projected on the white paper inside the box.

− Mary Walrath-Holdrid

What is the path of the solar eclipse called?

Those in the direct line of the eclipse will be treated to an incredible sight as the moon completely blots out the sun's disk, ushering in uncharacteristic darkness and revealing the sun's elusive outermost layer called the corona. That moment is called "totality" and this year the path of totality crosses through 13 U.S. states.

The last total solar eclipse to cut through North America was in August 2017.

How to look at eclipse without glasses

A total solar eclipse offers skygazers the rare opportunity to witness the eclipse with the naked eye. However,  solar eclipse glasses  are still needed until totality is reached. 

Certified solar eclipse  glasses are crucial for spectators to avoid the sun's retina-damaging rays. But when the moon moves completely in front of the sun and blocks its light, you'll know it's  safe to remove the glasses  for a short period of time.

How fast does an eclipse shadow travel?

According to a post from the  National Weather Service  in Indianapolis on X, an eclipse shadow travels at speeds from 1,100 to 5,000 mph. Near the equator, it travels at around 1,100 mph and increases in speed as it approaches the poles.

The eclipse party is over? Time to recycle those glasses!

Astronomers Without Borders , or AWB, a non-profit organization running its second nationwide  eclipse glasses recycling drive . Her business will join over 300 schools, museums, city governments, commercial businesses, community organizations and local libraries that will collect and ship an estimated  millions of glasses  to be repurposed for use by underserved communities around the world in  future solar eclipses .

AWB launched its first run of the program after the last solar eclipse in 2017 when volunteer centers across the country collected millions of the glass. After vetting them for reuse, more than  half a million glasses were distributed to Africa, Asia and South America.

People can visit  AWB's website  to find their nearest participating collection center and learn more about recycling the glasses, said Andrew Fazekas, the organization's communication manager.  

"We figure there's probably going to be tens of millions of glasses out there at the very least," he said. "And most of them are probably very gently used."

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The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time.

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Best Resorts Near Electrostal History and Art Museum, Elektrostal, Russia

Resorts near electrostal history and art museum, property types, distance from, traveller rating, hotel class.

• Best Value Properties ranked using exclusive Tripadvisor data, including traveller ratings, confirmed availability from our partners, prices, booking popularity and location, as well as personal user preferences and recently viewed hotels.
• Traveller Ranked Highest rated hotels on Tripadvisor, based on traveller reviews.
• Distance from Electrostal History and Art Museum See properties located closest to the place of interest first with confirmed availability for your dates from our partners.