Total solar eclipse
A total solar eclipse sweeps across North America, Mexico, and eastern Canada on the evening of April 8, 2024. A partial solar eclipse is visible over North and Central America.
Partial eclipse begins: at 15:42 UTC (11:42 a.m. EDT) on April 8.
Total eclipse begins: at 16:38 UTC (12:38 p.m. EDT) on April 8.
Greatest eclipse: at 18:17 UTC (2:17 p.m. EDT) on April 8.
Total eclipse ends: at 19:55 UTC (3:55 p.m. EDT) on April 8.
Partial eclipse ends: at 20:52 UTC (4:52 p.m. EDT) on April 8.
Note: The instant of greatest eclipse – when the axis of the moon’s shadow cone passes closest to Earth’s center – takes place at 18:17 UTC (2:17 p.m. EDT). It’s a relatively long total eclipse with a duration of totality lasting 4.47 minutes.
Remember that the number one rule for solar eclipse observing is to make sure you protect your eyes by using an appropriate filter. Purchase a pair of eclipse glasses from the EarthSky Store.
Moon, constellation, saros
Greatest eclipse takes place one day after the moon reaches perigee, its closest point to Earth for the month. During the April 8, 2024 eclipse, the sun is located in the direction of the constellation Aries.
This eclipse has a magnitude of 1.0566.
The Saros catalog describes the periodicity of eclipses. The eclipse belongs to Saros 139. It is number 30 of 71 eclipses in the series. All eclipses in this series occur at the moon’s ascending node. The moon moves southward with respect to the node with each succeeding eclipse in the series.
Cities where the eclipse is visible
Next eclipse and eclipse seasons
The total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, is preceded two weeks earlier by a penumbral lunar eclipse on March 24, 2024.
These eclipses all take place during a single eclipse season.
An eclipse season is an approximate 35-day period during which it’s inevitable for at least 2 (and possibly 3) eclipses to take place. The next eclipse season has two eclipses: October 2 and October 17, 2024.
Maps and data
Find maps and eclipse timings below. Remember to convert UTC to your time.
• Timeanddate.com to get the exact timing of the eclipse from your location.
• Orthographic Map: detailed global map of eclipse visibility.
• Google Map: interactive map of the eclipse path.
• Path Table: coordinates of the central line and path limits.
• Circumstances Table: eclipse times for hundreds of cities.
• Saros 139 Table: data for all eclipses in the Saros series.
• Additional Tables and Data.
Here is what a total solar eclipse looks like
Bottom line: A total solar eclipse will take place on Monday, April 8, 2024. The path sweeps across North America, Mexico, and eastern Canada.
Read more from EarthSky: Tides, and the pull of the moon and sun
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Fred Espenak
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