When is the next total solar eclipse? It depends on how far you’re willing to travel
Apr 9, 2024, 1:56 PM | Updated: 2:11 pm
Tourists ride on camels next to the Pyramid of Khufu on the Great Pyramids of Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, on April 27, 2015. A total eclipse will cross over the pyramids in 2027.
(CNN) — Monday’s total solar eclipse, one of the most highly anticipated events of 2024, has come and gone. Millions of people were in the path of totality, where the moon completely blocks the face of the sun from view, and sky-gazers enjoyed stunning views, despite cloudy conditions in some locations.
If you missed out on a chance to view the eclipse for any reason, it’s going to be a bit of a wait for a shot at a similar experience in the same region. But if the fervor over this year’s eclipse was any indication, it’s never too early to plan for the next one.
An annular solar eclipse, in which the moon only blocks some of the sun’s light and creates a fantastic “ring of fire” effect, will be visible over Chile and Argentina in South America on October 2, according to NASA.
Provo family projected to sell half a million glasses for total solar eclipse
But the next total solar eclipse won’t occur until August 12, 2026, said Amir Caspi, a principal scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado. That eclipse will notably cross over Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia and a small portion of Portugal. And a partial eclipse will be visible in parts of Europe, Africa and North America.
Another total solar eclipse scientists are anticipating will cross over Egypt’s pyramids on August 2, 2027, with totality expected to last for more than six minutes, Caspi said.
The next solar eclipse in the US
The US won’t catch a glimpse of a total solar eclipse again until March 30, 2033, and even then the Russia-centric path includes only Alaska, with totality lasting 2 minutes and 37 seconds. A partial solar eclipse will shine over most of the country during that celestial event.
Much has been said about the fact that a total solar eclipse won’t be visible again from the contiguous US until August 22, 2044, but totality will only occur over North Dakota and Montana.
The next total solar eclipse with a coast-to-coast path spanning the Lower 48 states will occur on August 12, 2045. The path of totality will arc over California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, with a partial eclipse visible across other states.
If you can’t shake eclipse fever after Monday’s celestial event, it may be worth traveling to see another.
Eclipses around the world
Below are some other upcoming total solar eclipses traversing paths to inspire globe-trotters:
- July 22, 2028: Australia and New Zealand
- November 25, 2030: Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Australia
- March 20, 2034: Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China
- September 2, 2035: China, North and South Korea, Japan
- July 13, 2037: Australia and New Zealand
- December 26, 2038: Australia and New Zealand
- April 30, 2041: Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia
- April 20, 2042: Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines
- April 9, 2043: Russia
Additional reading:
- Utah program takes used solar eclipse glasses from around nation to donate
- Utahns travel east to experience the total solar eclipse
