Fly over the 2024 total solar eclipse
This animation of the Moon’s shadow across North America simulates the view from a spacecraft 125 miles high chasing the shadow! On April 8, 2024, everyone inside the shadow will experience the breathtaking sight of the Sun’s corona during the total solar eclipse. Totality races from Mazatlan to Newfoundland.
These videos were created by Michael Zeiler. The 6500 frames for 2024 and 3000 frames for 2023 were composed in ArcGIS Pro and Adobe Illustrator with additional specialized Python and Javascript code. Eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak, and eclipse computations by Xavier Jubier. The Moon's shadow reflects the true shape of the Moon as influenced by the many craters and mountains on the lunar limb. Also, the shadow is shown correctly draped on Earth's topography which you can see in mountainous areas. We used detailed terrain data from the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to make these calculations. Because of the increasing angle as the shadow moves across North America, the speed of the Moon's shadow increases significantly, from about 1560 mph to nearly 5000 mph at Newfoundland.
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The dark oval represents where totality will be seen at that moment. The time of eclipse is given in the local time zone. The duration is the maximum at the center of the Moon's shadow. Places near the centerline receive the longest duration.
The sun will be near its 11-year cycle maximum so we can expect activity like these prominences and other dynamic coronal features.
The path narrows throughout North America because after the Moon's shadow meets the point of greatest eclipse near Nazas, Mexico, the distance from the Moon to the Earth becomes slightly longer. While the path is narrowing, the shadow is also intercepting the Earth's surface at an increasingly oblique angle. This oblique angle lengthens the shadow along the direction of the path. So this results in the shadow becoming narrower as the eclipse moves from Texas to Newfoundland while also elongating the shape of the shadow.
To see the full glory of a total solar eclipse, when daylight suddenly darkens and the beautiful corona of the Sun becomes visible, people must be inside the inner shadow of the Moon (called the umbra). Even if people are in the zone of 99% partial solar eclipse, they will experience 0% total solar eclipse. Being inside the path is essential to view totality.
2 Great American Eclipses
Experience nature’s greatest sight — a total eclipse of the Sun! On April 8, 2024, the shadow of the Moon will cross Mexico, the United States, and Canada. This spectacular total solar eclipse will amaze many millions of people. This is sure to be a record-setting astronomical event.
Before that, the US is lucky to have a celestial warm-up act - an annular solar eclipse from Oregon to Texas on October 14, 2023.
Before that, the US is lucky to have a celestial warm-up act - an annular solar eclipse from Oregon to Texas on October 14, 2023. The next two solar eclipses in North America will be the Annular Solar Eclipse on October 14, 2023 and the Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024! The Annular Solar Eclipse of 2023 will cross the US from Oregon to Texas and then will proceed to Central America and South America. The Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 will sweep across North America from Mazatlán to Newfoundland. A Total Solar Eclipse is truly spectacular; you will have the unique opportunity to stand in the shadow of the moon and witness the sun’s exquisite corona.
The Sun, Moon, and You
Solar eclipses are alignments of the Sun, the Moon, and You. You are an active participant in finding your best locations for the two eclipses. We provide the best eclipse maps and Field Guide to help you plan your adventure. Our maps are especially handy in the field if the weather forces you to relocate. You can find certified safe eclipse viewing glasses here.
The two types of central solar eclipses — annular and total — occur within 6 months of each other in North America! The 2023 annular eclipse will enhance public anticipation of the 2024 total solar eclipse. Both solar eclipses are worth making every effort to see; both are other-worldly and truly beautiful. Seeing the sun’s corona during the total eclipse is considered more dramatic than seeing the golden ring of the sun during the annular eclipse.
The passage of the total solar eclipse
Below, see the timing of the total solar eclipse, and how the duration of totality peaks in Mexico. The speed of the Moon’s shadow increases as totality reaches the Atlantic Ocean. The passage of the shadow is shown at 10-minute intervals in the slides below.
The total solar eclipse crosses five North American time zones from Mountain to Newfoundland time. The umbral shadow is on the North American continent, from first landfall at Mazatlán to last exit at Newfoundland, for one hour and 43 minutes.
The passage of the annular solar eclipse
Below see the timing of the annular solar eclipse, and how the duration of annularity peaks near the coast of Texas. The antumbral shadow reaches Oregon at 9:13 in the morning, Pacific time on October 14, 2023. The passage of the shadow is shown at 5 minute intervals on each slide below.
The path of the annular solar eclipse goes through an amazing constellation of national parks, especially in the Four Corners region.
Maps of the 2024 total solar eclipse
These maps show the durations of totality for cities inside the path of totality. The ovals depict the Moon’s shadow as it moves every 5 minutes. The width of the path of totality reaches 124 miles.
More detailed eclipse maps and information can be found on our 2024 eclipse webpage.
The impact of the 2 eclipses
31 million people in the US live inside the 2024 Path of Totality. That’s 2.5x as many as the 12 million people who lived inside the path of the 2017 total solar eclipse. In 2024, millions more will travel to visit the Path of Totality. These maps measure population impacts and estimate how many people might travel for the annular and total solar eclipses.
A remarkable fact is that over half the US population lives within 250 miles of the path of totality for the April 8, 2024 eclipse!
When is the next eclipse?
The first question after every eclipse is — when is the next one? These are the total and annular solar eclipses in the current decade. Noteworthy total eclipses are Spain in 2026, north Africa in 2027, Australia and New Zealand in 2028, and Africa and Australia in 2030. Our atlas of solar eclipses and solar eclipse globe cover all 21st-century eclipses. You can find certified safe eclipse glasses here.
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