Elijah Williams
Eclipse watchers have waited more than six years since the last time an Total solar eclipse made its way across the United States, in 2017. After April 8th EventGet ready to wait a lot longer – your next chance won’t come soon enough.
Spectators in what is called “the path of totality“I saw the moon completely block the sun – an opportunity those in North America won’t have again for more than 20 years. The next total solar eclipses in North America are not expected until 2044 and 2045.
“A total solar eclipse is one of the most spectacular things anyone can see in their lifetime,” Virginia Tech astrophysicist Nahum Arav told CBS News. The eclipse “looks like a black hole in the sky,” said Arav, who observed the paths of totality eclipses in 1991 and 2017.
Will Powers/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Monday eclipse began around 11:07 a.m. PDT on the Pacific coast of Mexico and then moved to Texas. Eclipse visibility tracked across 15 states -Oklahoma, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, new York, Vermont, New Hampshire It is Mainebetween them – before heading north to Canada and then leaving North America.
Even with unstable weather in some states, millions of people from coast to coast saw a partial solar eclipse, in which the moon partially covers the sun. However, only those who were in the path of totality experienced the darkness of the total solar eclipse.
When will the next total solar eclipse be in the US after the 2024 eclipse?
Solar eclipses happen about twice a year, Arav said. “Eclipses happen uniformly across the Earth,” he told CBS News — but noted that the times they occur are not regular. That means eclipses can occur within just a few years, or every few decades, in North America.
Before the 2017 eclipse, the last total solar eclipse to cross North America it was in 1979. This was the first eclipse whose path of totality crossed the entire continent in 99 years.
Even though eclipses seem to occur randomly, scientists can pinpoint exactly when and where they will happen.
“There is no ambiguity as we know exactly where it will land,” Arav said.
There will be eight total solar eclipses visible in North America in the 21st century, Arav said, with one occurring every 12 years on average.
The next total solar eclipse to cross North America is predicted to occur on August 23, 2044, NASA said. However, the path of totality from this eclipse will only touch three states, according to The Planetary Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to the public interest in space.
This upcoming eclipse will be observed mainly in Canada, Arav said.
Path of totality for the 2044 total solar eclipse
The 2044 eclipse will begin in Greenland on August 23, 2044 and will continue its path across Canada.
The 2044 total solar eclipse will be short, appearing mainly in Canada. It will be visible in three US states: Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.
The path of totality will cross Williston and Dickinson, North Dakota, and Great Falls, Montana.
Path of totality for the 2045 total solar eclipse
The next solar eclipse that will cross a significant portion of the continental U.S. will be in 2045, Arav said. This year, a solar eclipse will darken the skies in parts of the USA, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname and Brazil.
In North America, the 2045 total eclipse will be visible in many states as it moves from coast to coast. The eclipse will begin in California and head east until it ends in Florida, similar to 2017, Arav said.
There will be numerous cities across the U.S. where eclipse watchers will be able to view the total eclipse, including Reno, Nevada; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Orlando, Florida.
Future solar eclipses in North America after 2045
Scientists have predicted that eight total solar eclipses will appear in North America in the 21st century.
“Natural phenomena are like a Swiss watch,” Arav said. “We know exactly when and where they will appear.”
Following the total solar eclipses of 2044 and 2045, the next total solar eclipses in North America will occur in 2078 and 2099.
May 11, 2078
This total solar eclipse in May 11, 2078will pass through the southern United States.
Cities include:
Atlanta, Georgia
New Orleans, Louisiana
Charlotte, North Carolina
Virginia Beach, Virginia
September 14, 2099
This total solar eclipse in September 14, 2099will cross a wide swath of the United States.
Cities include:
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Chicago, Illinois
Columbus, Ohio
Fargo, North Dakota
