105-year-old Texas man prepares for his 13th total solar eclipse on April 8

By Mason Leib

Total solar eclipses are rare occurrences that many feel lucky to witness once, or even a handful of times, in the course of a lifetime.

But as the country prepares for the total solar eclipse, set to sweep the nation on Monday, April 8, 105-year-old LaVerne Biser will witness the astronomical event for the 13th time.

"That's a beautiful sight to see," said Biser in a video message to ABC News, ahead of the eclipse.

WFAA

Biser lives in Texas, one state that will be in the path of totality.

"If you're close to the path of totality, be sure to drive in there and see it," he said, offering advice to the millions of Americans who live along the path that will experience a total solar eclipse.

Biser first witnessed an eclipse with his wife in 1963 when he drove 2,000 miles from his home in Texas to an eclipse visible in Maine. Since then, he has spent the last six decades making arrangements and shifting travel plans, to view as many eclipses as possible.

Biser's eclipse travels have taken him across the country, where he's witnessed the astrological event 12 times, in locations ranging from Nebraska and New Mexico to North Dakota and beyond.

This year's eclipse will be the first total eclipse that Biser will view without his late wife who died last year, according to ABC affiliate WFAA.

"I miss her a lot," Biser told WFAA. "We were always together."

According to WFAA, Biser is an amateur astronomer who built a career as a mechanical engineer.

On April 8, 2024, a historic total solar eclipse will cast a shadow over parts of the United States, prompting a mass travel event to the path of totality -- from Texas, Biser's home state, to Maine and several states and cities in between.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth and, for a short time, completely blocks the face of the sun, according to NASA.