Total Solar Eclipse Coming to North America on April 8, 2024
What Will We See?
On Monday, April 8, 2024, skywatchers across most of North America will witness one of nature’s most wonderful events as our Sun appears to have bite taken out of it, while onlookers along a thin corridor across the continent get to witness day turn into night for a precious few minutes as the sun undergoes a total eclipse.
Tens of millions of people across Canada, United States and Mexico will have the perfect ring-side seat to a visually spectacular celestial event – watching the Moon’ dark silhouette take a giant bite out of the Sun.
Tens of millions of people across Canada, United States and Mexico will have the perfect ring-side seat to a visually spectacular celestial event – watching the Moon’ dark silhouette take a giant bite out of the Sun.
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Where And When Can We Watch the Total Eclipse?
Credit: Michael Zeiler, GreatAmericanEclipse.com
Credit: Canadian Space Agency
A total solar eclipse is set to take place on April 8, traversing a stretch of North America that includes regions of Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The path of totality, resembling a narrow arc when depicted on a map of North America, will commence its journey into the United States at 1:27 p.m. Central Daylight Time in Texas. From there, it will pass through portions of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Subsequently, the eclipse will cross into Canada, first entering southern Ontario, then proceeding through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. Finally, the eclipse will conclude its continental journey on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. Newfoundland Daylight Time.
| Location | Max. EclipseTotality (local time) | Totality (Darkness) duration |
| Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico | 11:07 a.m. MST | 4 minutes 20 seconds |
| Kerrville, Texas, U.S | 1:32 p.m. CDT | 4 minutes 25 seconds |
| Fredericksburg, Texas, U.S | 1:32 p.m CDT | 4 minutes 25 seconds |
| Dallas, Texas, U.S | 1:40 p.m. CDT | 3 minutes 52 seconds |
| Idabel, Oklahoma | U.S: 1:45 p.m CDT | 4 minutes 19 seconds |
| Russellville, Arkansas, U.S | 1:49 p.m. CDT | 4 minutes 12 seconds |
| Cape Girardeau, Missouri, U.S | 1:58 p.m. CDT | 4 minutes 7 seconds |
| Carbondale, Illinois, U.S | 1:59 p.m. CDT | 4 minutes 10 seconds |
| Bloomington, Indiana, U.S | 3:04 p.m. EDT | 4 minutes 3 seconds |
| Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S | 3:06 p.m. EDT | 3 minutes 51 seconds |
| Cleveland, Ohio, U.S | 3:13 p.m. EDT | 3 minutes 50 seconds |
| Erie, Pennsylvania | U.S: 3:16 p.m. EDT | 3 minutes 43 seconds |
| Rochester, New York, U.S | 3:20 p.m. EDT | 3 minutes 40 seconds |
| Montpelier, Vermont, U.S | 3:27 p.m. EDT | 1 minutes 42 seconds |
| Oakfield, Maine, U.S | 3:31 p.m. EDT | 3 minutes 23 seconds |
| Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada | 3:18 p.m. EDT | 3 minutes 31 seconds |
| Montreal, Quebec, Canada | 3:26 p.m. EDT | 1 minute 57 seconds |
| Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada | 4:34 p.m. ADT | 3 minutes 8 seconds |
| Tignish, Prince Edward Island, Canada | 4:35 p.m. ADT | 3 minutes 12 seconds |
| Catalina, Newfoundland, Canada | 5:13 p.m. NDT | 2 minutes 53 seconds |
What is a solar eclipse?
Sometimes when the Moon orbits Earth, it moves between the Sun and Earth. When this happens, the moon blocks the light of the sun from reaching Earth. This causes an eclipse of the Sun, or solar eclipse. During a solar eclipse, the Moon casts a shadow onto Earth. A partial solar eclipse happens when the Sun, Moon and Earth are not exactly lined up. The sun appears to have a dark shadow on only a small part of its surface.
Solar eclipses are amazing sights for adults and kids alike, and are a rare opportunity for teachers to take advantage of a rare natural phenomena and engage students in STEM education. From elementary grades, high schools to college level, lessons can span the spectrum from science, technology, geography, history, and English.
Where Can We See the Partial Eclipse?
| City | Percentage of sun covered | Time (local) |
| Mexico City | 74% | 12:14 p.m. CST |
| Tijuana | 54% | 11:11 a.m. PDT |
| Puebla | 70% | 12:15 p.m. CST |
| New York | 90% | 3:35 p.m. EDT |
| Los Angeles | 49% | 11:12 a.m. PDT |
| Chicago | 94% | 2:07 p.m. CDT |
| Houston | 94% | 1:40 p.m. CDT |
| Phoenix | 64% | 11:20 a.m. MST |
| Philadelphia | 88% | 3:23 p.m. EDT |
| San Antonio | 99.9% | 1:34 p.m. CDT |
| San Diego | 54% | 11:11 a.m. PDT |
| San Jose | 35% | 11:13: a.m. PDT |
| Toronto | 99.9% | 3:19 p.m. EDT |
| Calgary | 26% | 12:43 p.m. MDT |
How to Watch the Eclipse Safely
However if you want to see it safely you must take precautions not to damage your eyes in observing the partially eclipsed but still blindingly bright Sun.
NEVER directly look at the sun with your naked-eyes, with sunglasses, homemade filters, even if they are super dark, or look through any optical aid like cameras, binoculars or a telescope.
The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses”.
Shop for your eclipse-ready glasses!
Prepare for upcoming solar eclipses with Solar Eclipse Glasses from The Night Sky Guy and the Observation Deck. These glasses are manufactured in North America and have been verified by an accredited testing laboratory to meet the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard for such products.
Eclipse Glasses Buyers Safety Guide from the American Astronomical Society (AAS)
Credit: Canadian Space Agency
