How many solar eclipses are there in 2024?

An April 8, 2024, solar eclipse will give tens of millions of skywatchers a chance to experience the celestial phenomenon – the last chance to do so from the U.S. until 2045, scientists say. 

With two years to go, here's what to know about the 2024 total solar eclipse.

When Is the Next American Solar Eclipse?

The next total solar eclipse visible from the U.S. and North America will occur on April 8, 2024, beginning around 10 a.m. in Mexico and ending in the late afternoon over Maine and eastern Canada.

The last total solar eclipse in the U.S. occurred Aug. 21, 2017, and it was seen by millions as it crossed the country from Oregon to South Carolina. Prior to that, the last total solar eclipse visible in the U.S. was in 1979.

2024 Eclipse Path

The 2024 total eclipse of the sun is expected to start in Mexico, make its way through the U.S. from Texas to Maine and on through the eastern tip of Canada. Those directly along the path of totality will have the best views, but everyone in the continental U.S. will see at least a partial solar eclipse.

The path crosses through 15 U.S. states, according to Astronomy.com: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

What Is a Solar Eclipse?

A total solar eclipse occurs when the sun, the moon and Earth are aligned. The moon, directly between the sun and Earth, casts a shadow on the planet, darkening the daytime sky. Those in the dark part of the moon’s shadow (the umbra) will experience a total eclipse, while those in the light part (the penumbra) will see a partial eclipse.

U.S. & World

What Is the Period of Totality?

The period of totality refers to the time during a total eclipse when the moon completely obscures the sun. The period of totality is usually brief, lasting just a few minutes. Astronomy.com says the maximum period of totality for the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse is four minutes and 28 seconds.

The longest period of totality for the 2017 solar eclipse was quite a bit shorter, just about two minutes and 40 seconds, according to NASA.

How to Safely Watch a Total Solar Eclipse

It is never safe to look directly into the sun, even if it's partially obscured. Anyone watching a partial eclipse must wear eclipse glasses at all times if facing the sun, or use an alternate indirect method, NASA says. This also applies during a total eclipse up until the period of totality, when the sun is totally blocked. During that short time, when the moon completely obscures the sun, it is safe to look directly at the star, NASA says, but timing is crucial. Learn more about eye safety during solar eclipses on NASA's website.

Enjoy the Solar Eclipses in the TX Hill Country!

Get Ready for two total Solar Eclipses Coming to the US in 2023 & 2024

IT'S NOT TOO EARLY TO START PLANNING FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSES

On October 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will begin over the Pacific Ocean and will reach the USA at Oregon. After passing through California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, the path of annular solar eclipse will bisect Texas.

In 2024, locations in Texas that fall within the path will experience totality for two minutes to nearly five minutes.

According to NationalEclipse.com, "The centerline of the eclipse enters Texas, and the U.S., as it crosses the Rio Grande River at the Mexico-U.S. border at approximately 12:10pm CDT, with totality beginning in that location at about 1:27pm CDT.

As it exits Mexico and enters the U.S., traveling through the Texas Hill Country, the eclipse will have already reached its "point of greatest duration," that singular spot along every total solar eclipse centerline where the duration of totality is longer than anywhere else. That point is also the duration of totality "tipping point," meaning that the duration gradually increases along the centerline up until that point and then starts to decrease on the other side. In other words, for the 2024 eclipse, the duration of totality is all downhill in the U.S., with the longest durations in Texas and the shortest in Maine. Therefore, the path of totality in Texas will be considered a prime viewing destination on April 8. And since the point of greatest duration in Mexico is only a little more than 300 miles to the south of where the path of totality enters the U.S., the duration of totality on the centerline will only be a few seconds short of the eclipse maximum of 4 minutes and 28 seconds even a couple of hundred miles north of the border.

If the longest durations of totality in the U.S. wasn't enough, Texas is also widely considered to have the best eclipse-day weather prospects in the country. More specifically, eclipse weather forecasting site eclipsophile.com points out that, in Texas, "the north [or west] side of the track has a notably sunnier April climate than the south [or east]." In general, the farther south you are for this eclipse, the better your weather odds. And you can't get any farther south along the path of totality in the U.S. than Texas."

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