The 2024 solar eclipse is Monday, April 8, 2024. Don’t miss this unique and phenomenal experience. It will be the last total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until 2044.
The last one occurred August 21, 2017. It crossed the country from Oregon to South Carolina, and millions of people viewed it successfully. Before that one, you have to go back to February 26, 1979. And it will be 20 years until the next one: August 23, 2044.
What to Expect. A solar eclipse occurs when the Sun, the Moon, and Earth are aligned, or in syzygy.
The Moon, directly between the Sun and Earth, casts a shadow on our planet. If you’re in the light part (the penumbra), you’ll see a partial eclipse.
A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. People viewing the eclipse from locations where you are in the dark part of the shadow (the umbra), when the Moon’s shadow completely covers the Sun – known as the path of totality – will experience a total solar eclipse. The sky will darken, as if it were dawn or dusk. Weather permitting, people along the path of totality will see the Sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, which is usually obscured by the bright face of the Sun.
Where can I see it? What is the path?
The solar eclipse will pass over the United States, following a path of totality across 13 states. It enters the United States in Texas at approximately 12:23 p.m. CDT, and will travel through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and leave Maine at approximately 4:40 pm EDT. Residents in certain areas of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse.
Depending on your viewing location, those in the path will witness a partial eclipse lasting as much as 2.5 hours, and peak or total eclipse depending on your location lasting only a few minutes between 2:27 p.m. to 3:35 p.m. Eastern time. That’s when, if you’re in the path, the sky will darken for several minutes, and the air will get colder.
Use the ZIP code locator below to find out when the eclipse begins and ends in your area — and what it will look like. (Can’t see it? Hit refresh.)
Use the map on NASA’s site to see NASA’s prediction of the solar eclipse’s path of totality. Keep in mind that this is a prediction, and predictions can vary, but they may only affect you if you’re on the very edge of the path.
Weather forecast
Check the weather! It may impact your viewing.
Safety
Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing.
Viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury.
When watching the partial phases of the solar eclipse directly with your eyes, which happens before and after totality, you must look through safe solar viewing glasses (“eclipse glasses”) or a safe handheld solar viewer at all times. You can also use an indirect viewing method, such as a pinhole projector.
How to find 2024 solar eclipse glasses
First of all, make sure the eclipse glasses you’re searching for are safe. According to NASA’s eclipse safety website, the agency does not recommend specific eyewear for eclipse viewing but does recommend glasses that come with an IOS compliance label, or standard, of 12312-2, on the packaging. The eyewear may also be labeled IOS 12312-2:2015. According to NASA, torn, scratched, or otherwise damaged eyewear should be discarded.
While local hardware and big box retailers may have eclipse eyewear on their shelves, buyer beware, especially if they claim to be endorsed by NASA. NASA does not make specific recommendations.
Here’s where to find eclipse glasses:
- The American Astronomical Society has a list of approved solar-eclipse glasses suppliers here.
- Check your local visitor center, town hall, or local library. Many are giving out free eclipse glasses along with some information and programs.
- Warby Parker, the eyewear company, is giving away eclipse eyewear at its stores , but does not have details about the availability of the free glasses at its locations..
- Check these retailers: The American Astronomical Society says some locations of these retailers may sell eclipse glasses: Walmart, Lowe’s, Menards, Kroger, Meijer and Staples.
- AMAZON – at this late date, Amazon provides best shot at getting delivery by Monday a.m.
Will the eclipse affect my pets? Will it affect other animals?
There are four things likely to happen to animal behavior during the April 8, 2024 eclipse, according to Erica Cartmill, professor of anthropology, animal behavior and cognitive science at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana:
- Animals won’t do anything unusual.
- Animals will do evening behaviors. For example, if a dog is used to a bedtime treat, he may go to the kitchen to wait for it.
- Animals will display signs of increased anxiety such as scratching, yawning, circling and pacing or if they are animals that typically flock together, they will start grouping.
- Animals display unexpected behavior.
When is the next solar eclipse after 2024?
Not for another 20 years. According to NASA, after the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, the next total solar eclipse that can be seen from the contiguous U.S. will be on Aug. 23, 2044. Here’s how we’re able to predict eclipses so far ahead of time.