Incredible map shows how solar eclipse hysteria has spread across the US leaving huge strip where Airbnbs are completely SOLD OUT - but have they wasted their money?

A map of Airbnb bookings across the US has revealed just how much solar-eclipse hysteria has swept across the country.

The image shows Airbnb occupancy rates across the nation for April 8 when the moon completely blocks the face of the sun in one of the biggest astronomical events of the decade.

Blue dots represent low occupancy, about 10%, and orange dots marking maximum occupancy - 100%.

The map shows a large swathe of orange stretching rom Maine to Texas, following the solar eclipse's 100-mile-wide path of totality

More than 20 million people in the US trekked to another location to observe the previous eclipse, which happened in 2017.

Experts estimate that millions of more Americans will travel for this upcoming solar eclipse, which will happen on Monday, with totality beginning in Dallas, Texas, about 1:40 pm and lasting until 1:44 pm CDT.

A new map of Airbnb bookings reveal just how desperate people are to find suitable lodgings in which to watch the eclipse - with orange dots showing 100% occupancy rates and blue dots showing just 10% occupancy rates

The high bookings follow the solar eclipse's path of totality on April 8

This widespread surge in interest in the eclipse has benefited Airbnb, who looks set to cash in on the solar craze.

The app, which offers short and long-term accommodations, reported in late February that they had registered a '1,000% increase in searches for stays along the solar eclipse path of totality in the US.'

They further noted that 'Airbnb listings outnumber hotels by more than 15 times along the path of totality across North America, offering more amenities and in more communities across the path of totality.'

In order to accommodate the deluge of sky-gazers, more than a 1,000 new Airbnb hosts 'plan to welcome guests for the first time to help meet demand.'

Within the path of totality, the cities that will receive the most visitors are Austin and Indianapolis followed by Cleveland, Dallas, and Montreal.

Most of the travelers will hail from New York City or Mexico City.

The eclipse– which briefly turns the outdoors dark in daytime – will be visible for an estimated 32 million people along a narrow strip of North and Central America.

It will mark the first total solar eclipse visible anywhere in the world since December 2021, and the first seen from the US since August 2017.

Dr. Greg Brown, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: 'For observers in North America, this is your best chance to see a total solar eclipse this decade.

'Nothing quite compares to the day-turned-night that comes from a total eclipse.'

This Camper/RV in Pelham, Canada, usually goes for $129 a night, and is booked for Monday's eclipse. Many tourists are flocking to sites like this one, where their views will be free from light pollution

On April 8, the total solar eclipse will be visible along a 'path of totality', starting in Mexico and moving through Texas where it will travel up to New England and finish in Canada.

In any one location along the path of totality, people will see a partial eclipse followed by the total eclipse, and then a partial eclipse again.

Whatever your location along the path of totality, the total eclipse should be visible for about four minutes.

According to Dr. Brown, a total solar eclipse happens when the moon and the sun line up 'perfectly'.

He told MailOnline: 'It's only when it perfectly lines up, so that the centre of the sun and the centre of the moon pass in front of one another – that's when you get a total solar eclipse.'

Where the total solar eclipse is visible is known as the point of totality – but this is only the very centre of the moon's constantly-moving shadow.

Elsewhere in the moon's shadow, further away from the centre, a partial solar eclipse will be visible on April 8 instead.

'The partial solar eclipse is because the moon's centre is slightly above or slightly below the sun's centre, from our point of view,' said Dr Brown.

On April 8, because the moon will be at the closest point to Earth in its orbit (known as 'perigee'), it will appear bigger – big enough to block out the whole of the moon.

Some users are dropping huge sums of money for the right accommodation. This listing in Fairfield, Illinois, which has already been booked for the eclipse, will cost $11,412 for a single night when all the fees are added

Airbnb said new data revealed that during the last eclipse, 10% of guests decided to book with Airbnb for this first time, inspired to try the app so that they could watch the solar phenomenon.

Some of the listings come equipped with 'telescopes and observatories designed to elevate any solar eclipse experience to stellar heights.'

In Fairfield, Illinois, an entire house is being listed for the price of $10,000 a night, which when combined with other fees, actually comes out to a total of $11,412 per night.

The property, four miles north of a dead-end road, boasts 25 open acres, four bedrooms, and two bathrooms.

Other tourists are splurging for lavish glamping sites, like this one in Clarksville, Arkansas, which says on its profile that 'the entire venue will be dedicated to the Solar Eclipse!' Like many other places, the Clarksville Airbnb has already been booked. 

But now, newly developing weather patterns and extensive cloud coverage are threatening to wreck many travelers' viewing experiences.

Parts of Texas, including Dallas, are facing an increased risk of view-obscuring thunderstorms. 

And apart from inauspicious weather, there will also be an increase in traffic to contend with.

During the solar eclipse in 2017, there was a significant increase in traffic risks, according to CNN. 

Some places are taking drastic measures to ensure the safety of their residents as their cities prepare to be overwhelmed by tourists.

In Canada's Niagara region, which falls along the top of the eclipse's path, officials declared a state of emergency to try to prepare for an influx of a millions tourists. 

Niagara Falls sits in the path of totality and will likely experience 100 percent coverage for around 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati estimates around one million tourists will flock to witness the spectacle - 14 times more visitors in a single day than the city normally sees in a year. 

The state of emergency 'strengthens the tools the region has at its disposal to safeguard the health and safety of residents and visitors and protect our critical infrastructure in any scenario that might arise,' according to the official announcement.

This listing in Tupper Lake, New York, has already been reserved for the eclipse on Monday for the price of $1,093. In 2017, 10% of the Airbnb guests were first-time users, inspired to try the app so that they could watch the eclipse

This glamping site in Clarksville, Arkansas, has already been booked for Monday's eclipse. Located near Horsehead Lake, the site will cost visitors $330 a night. For this upcoming eclipse, more than 1,000 new hosts are joining the app to offer up their properties to the influx of visitors

Some Airbnb listings, like this booked one in Austin, Texas, offer users telescopes, observatories, and other amenities to heighten their eclipse-viewing experience

But tourists appear to be undaunted. The next solar eclipse of this magnitude won't occur again until 2079, making Monday's event a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many.

Depending on where you are in the path of totality, the eclipse could last as long as four minutes.

It is vitally important to watch the eclipse through a pair of ISO 12312-2 certified- eclipse glasses, as our eyes are extremely sensitive to light and can be severely injured when exposed to direct sunlight.

While the sky grows dark during a solar eclipse, observers along the path of totality will see the sun's corona, or outer atmosphere, which appears as a bright ring of light and can cause eye damage.