On Monday, April 8, the 2024 total solar eclipse will cross the sky over North America.
Although all of North America and Central America will experience at least a partial solar eclipse, it will pass within a path about 185 kilometers (115 miles) wide across 15 U.S. states. Mexico and Canada will also witness totality as the moon completely covers the disk of the sun.
You can watch the total solar eclipse live on Space.com. You can also follow all eclipse-related actions through our total solar eclipse 2024 live updates blogging.
Don't doubt the 2024 total solar eclipse
There are three main types of solar eclipses. A total solar eclipse like the one on April 8 occurs when the moon is relatively close to Earth, blocking the entire disk of the sun.
Because the moon's orbit around our planet is an ellipse, it is sometimes further away and therefore appears smaller. During a solar eclipse, the moon is only a dark part of the sun's disk at these times, with the sun appearing as a glowing ring of fire. These events are called annular solar eclipses, and the last one seen over the US occurred on October 14, 2023.
Finally, a partial solar eclipse is an event that occurs when the Earth, Moon, and Sun are not perfectly aligned, causing the moon's disk to cover only part of our star, making it appear as if the Sun has taken a bite out of it. . Partial eclipses also occur in the initial and final phases of total and annular eclipses.
On April 8, 2024, the moon will be in its new moon phase and will appear relatively large, meaning it will be able to cover 100% of the solar disk as seen from the narrow path of totality. The portion of the Sun's diameter covered by the Moon is known as the magnitude of a solar eclipse. On April 8, 2024, this value will be 1.0566, slightly more than total coverage, according to EclipseWise.com.
NASA has released an interactive map of the total solar eclipse that space enthusiasts can use to track it as it moves across the globe. However, location won't be the only factor affecting the appearance of Monday's total solar eclipse. The solar eclipse goes through five different phases, with each of these phases occurring at different times and in different locations.
What are the stages of the annular solar eclipse?
Phase 1: First contact
(Image credit: Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
In the initial phase of the solar eclipse, the moon begins to pass in front of the sun, triggering a partial solar eclipse. During this phase, the moon's darkened lunar disk will make the sun appear as if a bite has been taken out of its illuminated surface. This "bite" will get bigger and bigger as the whole thing gets closer.
During the first phase of the total solar eclipse, some spectators may see fast-moving, long, dark bands called "shadow bands" on the sides of buildings or on the ground. Bailey's beads, caused by light streaming through the valleys on the moon's horizon, may also be visible on the moon's edges during this first phase. These phenomena repeat during the second partial solar eclipse that occurs after totality.
On April 8, this phase of the partial solar eclipse will be visible for the first time near Pu'uali'i, Hawaii, at 6:27 a.m. local time (12:27 p.m. EDT, 1627 GMT).
Phase 2: Second contact
The first contact will last between 70 and 80 minutes, and its end will be marked by a single bright spot, or 'diamond ring', appearing on the edge of the moon. This marks the second phase of contact and heralds the approaching totality.
On April 8, the total solar eclipse will make landfall in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico at 9:51 a.m. local time (12:51 p.m. EDT, 4:51 p.m. GMT).
Phase 3: Totality
(Image credit: Khalis Surry/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Phase 3 and the midpoint of the total solar eclipse is totality. At this point the moon completely covers the solar disk. During the totality of the Sun's outer atmosphere, the corona can become visible as white streamers on the edge of the Moon. This area is usually blurred by bright light from the sun's surface, the photosphere. The Sun's inner atmosphere, the chromosphere, may be visible as a wispy aura around the edge of the Moon.
The whole thing can also make stars and planets visible in the darkened sky that are normally not visible from America during the day.
On April 8, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico will be the first location to experience totality at 11:07 a.m. local time (2:07 p.m. EDT, 1807 GMT). The first location to experience totality in the US will be near Florentino Ramos Colonia, Texas, at 1:27 PM local time (2:27 PM EDT, 1827 GMT).
The duration of the event depends on the path from which the eclipse is viewed. In Mexico, totality will last 40 minutes and 43 seconds. Skywatchers in the US will collectively experience totality for 67 minutes and 58 seconds. Spectators in Canada will experience the total solar eclipse for 34 minutes and 4 seconds.
Phase 4: Third contact
In the fourth phase of the total solar eclipse, the third contact, the moon begins to move away from the disk of the sun, ending totality and beginning the second partial solar eclipse. The brightening appears on the far side of the moon, just as it did during the second contact period.
At this time, skywatchers will have another chance to spot Baily's Beads along the edge of the moon and shadow bands on the buildings and ground around them, with this phase mirroring the second phase of contact.
The total solar eclipse ends on the Atlantic coast at 5:16 PM local time (3:46 PM EDT, 1946 GMT).
Phase 5: Fourth contact
The fifth and final phase of the total solar eclipse. The moon is moving away from the sun's disk, meaning that at fourth contact the moon is no longer even partially eclipsing the sun. At this point, the 2024 total solar eclipse will be over.
On April 8, the partial solar eclipse phase ends at 6:18 PM local time (4:48 PM EDT, 2048 GMT) on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.
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If you plan to watch any of these stages, the most important thing to consider is how to watch them safely. Looking at the sun without adequate protection at any time is harmful to the eyes, so eclipse watchers should take precautions on Monday.
Sunglasses, no matter how dark, cannot protect the eyes from the sun's influence, so specialized eclipse glasses made from safe sun filter materials are needed. If skywatchers want to view the event with a telescope, special filters are needed to make this a safe viewing experience.
Our guide on how to observe the sun safely tells you everything you need to know about safe solar observations.
After the 2024 total solar eclipse, skywatchers in the US will next have the chance to see a total solar eclipse on March 30, 2033. The entirety of this eclipse, which will last 2 minutes and 37 seconds, will be visible in Alaska. After this, a total solar eclipse will be visible from the US states of Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota, but also from much of Canada, on August 23, 2044.
Less than a year later, on August 12, 2045, another total solar eclipse will sweep across the US, visible from California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, but also from the Caribbean and South America.
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