Some parts of North America will witness a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. If you’ll be in the United States, Canada, or Mexico, read on to learn how to enjoy this stunning cosmic event.
What Is a Total Solar Eclipse?
The term “solar eclipse” refers to a phenomenon in which the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun. There are three types of solar eclipse: partial, annular, and total.
Partial solar eclipses occur when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are not perfectly lined up, making it appear that only part of the Sun is “missing.” During an annular eclipse, the Sun, Moon, and Earth are perfectly lined up, but the Moon is at its farthest point from Earth, making it appear somewhat small compared with the Sun. This produces what’s referred to as a “ring of fire,” like the one we saw in October 2023. When the Moon is closer to Earth and intersects our view of the Sun, it creates a total solar eclipse.
The most exhilarating part of a total solar eclipse is “totality,” or the moment the Moon blocks the Sun completely. Totality lasts only a few minutes; astronomers expect the eclipse on April 8 to involve only 4 minutes and 28 seconds of totality. Not everyone who gets to see this year’s eclipse will be able to witness totality—but we’ll talk more about that momentarily.
Total solar eclipses offer some unique opportunities that partial and annular eclipses don’t. One is the chance to admire the Sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere. On a typical day, the Sun’s corona is outshined by the Sun’s ultra-bright surface; during a total eclipse, you can spot the corona at the edges of the Moon’s silhouette. Additionally, totality is the only solar eclipse experience that can be perceived safely with the naked eye.
Who Will Be Able to Watch the Eclipse?
The solar eclipse on April 8 will be visible from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Other countries, like Greenland, Kiribati, French Polynesia, and the Cook Islands will see partial eclipses that cover most, but not all, of the Sun. Still more regions will experience partial eclipses in which most of the Sun is visible. You can use this handy chart to learn what the eclipse will look like in each affected country.
Only some parts of North America will get to experience totality. In the United States, totality will extend from Texas to Maine; in Canada, it’ll go from Ontario to Newfoundland; and from Mexico, it’ll run from Sinaloa to Coahuila. If your locale sits outside of these paths, you’ll still get to watch the eclipse—it’ll just be a partial eclipse in which most, but not all, of the Sun is blocked. This interactive map will help you figure out what your eclipse experience will look like.
After the April 8, 2024 eclipse, the next total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States will be on Aug. 23, 2044. If you’re from another part of the world, though—or you’re willing to travel—you’ll be able to see a total solar eclipse in Greenland, Iceland, Portugal, or Spain on Aug. 12, 2026. And on Aug. 2, 2027, another total solar eclipse will be visible from most of Africa, Europe, and some parts of Asia.
How Can I Watch the Eclipse Safely?
All solar eclipses require some form of eye protection, regardless of type. A common misconception is that solar eclipses are safe to view without safeguards because the Moon blocks some sunlight from reaching Earth. But this isn’t the case: The Sun is still beaming ultraviolet (UV) radiation onto Earth’s surface, and that radiation can quickly damage your retinas if you’re not wearing proper protection. And while regular sunglasses offer some protection against UV radiation on normal days, they are insufficient for eclipse viewing.
The good news is that it’s easy to acquire viewing devices that comply with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 12312-2 international standard. These often look like the disposable 3D glasses from the days of yore, or even a card with a heavily-tinted filter in the middle. While the ISO maintains a list of retail and wholesale sellers that offer compliant viewing devices, you can sometimes get a pair from your local university, observatory, or public library system.
If you can’t snag a specialized eclipse viewer, you can easily make your own pinhole viewer. Simply poke a small hole in a sheet of paper or cardboard with the tip of a pen, then hold that sheet of paper up to the sun. Don’t look through the hole—instead, look behind you or down by your feet. The light from the eclipse will have entered the pinhole and projected itself onto the nearest surface, enabling you to view the eclipse’s various phases indirectly.
Even if you plan on experiencing totality without eye protection, you’ll still want to keep one of these options on hand. Totality is bookended by roughly an hour of partial eclipse both before and after, and trying to look at any of these phases without protection can cause long-term eye damage.
If you’re interested in snapping a few photos to commemorate your experience, here’s the ultimate guide to photographing an eclipse, courtesy of our colleague Tony Hoffman over at PCMag.
