FILE – Viewers use special glasses to watch from San Antonio, as the moon moves in front of the sun during an annular solar eclipse, or ring of fire, Oct. 14, 2023. The total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 may be weeks away but businesses are ready for the celestial event with oodles of special eclipse glasses for sale, along with T-shirts and other souvenirs. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Monday’s total solar eclipse might become one of the year’s most filmed and photographed events. As the moon passes in front of the sun, plunging a swath of North America into a few minutes of darkness, throngs will take pictures or videos of the moment. But powerful solar rays and drastic changes in lighting pose unique challenges in catching that perfect image. To find the best place to capture the eclipse, use online maps. To help plan your shot, there are smartphone apps that show how close you are to the path of totality, play a countdown to key moments and simulate how the eclipse will look in the sky.