SCORESBY SOUND, Greenland ‪—‬ There's no feeling more exhilarating than waking up inside the imminent path of a total solar eclipse to see a clear blue sky. It was Wednesday, Aug. 12, and after over two years of planning, I was in the farthest reaches of eastern Greenland's beautiful Scoresby Sound (or Scoresbysund) fjord system aboard the Aurora Expeditions cruise ship the Sylvia Earle. We were creeping toward Ukattip Kungersiva, also known as Harefjord, in the icy depths of Ofjord.

Up on the observation deck, I scanned the sky for even a slight cloud. There was not a trace. I addressed the planet directly: "Are you kidding me?!" I smiled with utter joy, as it had been 1,210 days since my last clear view of the sun's corona — an eternity for an avid eclipse chaser like me. Clouds had thwarted my previous eclipse chase in Texas for the 2024 total solar eclipse, which was followed by almost two-and-a-half years without a total solar eclipse.

Today, 117 eclipse chasers on the expedition were depending on the decisions made by a few of us on the ship — the ship's captain, the expedition leader (and noted Arctic adventurer) Greg Mortimer and I. We had taken a risk to position the ship in a glorious location — the confluence of four fjord channels, with icebergs passing below ice-capped mountains — and, it seemed, in good weather ‪—‬ and we were also almost bang on the centerline of the path, where the sun would be blocked by the moon for 2 minutes, 16 seconds. That was just two seconds off the maximum possible totality anywhere on Earth. We were asking Mother Nature for everything on offer, but there were zero guarantees, aside from the moon's dark shadow enveloping us and cutting the light.

The day before, we'd surveyed the aptly named Sol Glacier, a wall of ice on the shores of Scoresby Sund. The sound of thousands of tons of ice calving into the sea will stay with me forever, but I had the prospect of something else even more dramatic on my mind. We had to decide where to put the cruise ship for the total solar eclipse the next day. I looked at the latest cloud forecast and sighed; it showed a blue hole of sky far away on Greenland's Blosseville Coast, back the way we'd come from Iceland. Could we make it in time?

Yes, if we left soon. But watching an eclipse far out at sea could bring its own problems. The swell would make the ship unsteady, and mist and clouds were likely. Our first choice, the centerline of the path of totality down narrow Ofjord, had looked cloudy on forecasts all week, though the chances of clear skies had improved slightly today. I headed to the bridge — the ship’s command center — just as the latest forecast was updated. It was good news.

"We're seeing a trend for Ofjord to clear," said Mortimer, who, in addition to being expedition leader, is a mountaineer who's used to shooting for the summit when conditions allowed. To disappear down the channels of Scoresby was a risk; due to narwhals, the speed limit was just 3 knots (about 3.5 mph, or 5.6 km/h) — and there was no escape route. We decided to take the chance.

Being on a cruise ship that could change position paid off in spades. We had hugged the northern side of the fjord to prevent any rising clouds from blocking totality; as it neared, two other cruise ships joined us. The temperature dropped like a stone; three eclipse chasers watching from the ship's open-air hot tubs suddenly appeared to be the most sensible of all.

At precisely 5:33 p.m. on Aug. 12, I watched the sun's bright face finally disappear behind the moon's silhouette as both hung over the reddish rocks of Røde Fjord to the south. The light in Ukattip Kungersiva dissolved as a diamond ring appeared around the moon. As it faded, a luminous reddish-pink prominence — a loop of gas and magnetic fields protruding from the sun's chromosphere — took its place. It was quite possibly the s crispest, clearest and most beautiful totality to witness. The 117 guests stood in reverence throughout as they experienced something unique and impossibly precious.

Each totality is different, but this Arctic eclipse taught me much for the next one on Aug. 2, 2027. For that event, nicknamed the "eclipse of the century," I'll be on the centerline again ‪—‬ but this time, for 6 minutes, 20 seconds. I will witness it from a river cruise ship in Egypt at noon, with the eclipsed sun at 82 degrees — almost directly overhead. So it will be a literal pain in the neck, but worth it.

Should we lie down on the deck? We'll prop up binoculars with our eye sockets and spend six minutes with an all-sky corona. A few lucky observers will get to float in the on-deck pool. It will be scorching hot, but during totality, it will cool considerably. Repositioning likely won't be necessary, as there will be a less-than-1% chance of clouds.

Totality isn't just something you see; it's a landscape you briefly inhabit. In 2027, that landscape — the dark Nile busy with ships and traffic — will last the longest of any total solar eclipse for another 87 years. This time, there will be no risk but plenty of reward.

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The first photos from yesterday's total solar eclipse are here, and they're spectacular.

Captured Wednesday (Aug. 12) by NASA scientists during a special eclipse livestream from Spain, the images show the moon completely blocking the visible surface of the sun, plunging the daytime sky into twilight for roughly 90 seconds and allowing our star's elusive corona (its wispy outer atmosphere) to shine through.

In this incredible image taken with a solar-filtered telescope, the moon appears as a black circle, cloaking the sun. The white spikes of light encircling the moon are the corona, a mysterious part of the sun that is rarely visible to the naked eye. (Why is it so mysterious? For one thing, the corona is millions of degrees hotter than the sun's surface, and scientists aren't sure why.)

On the left side of the image, a bright-pink blob shoots off of the solar surface. This is not a solar flare, but a prominence — a towering structure of plasma held in place above the sun by powerful magnetic fields. Prominences often measure many times taller than Earth is wide, making them clearly visible from 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) away.

Another image, taken just before totality, shows "Baily's Beads" shining in the small gap between the sun and the moon. This effect occurs when the last vestiges of sunlight shine through the uneven mountains on the moon, creating a bright and bumpy spectacle.

Yesterday's eclipse followed a narrow path of totality — the path of the moon's dark inner shadow cast on Earth — from near the North Pole to Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. Viewers outside the path of totality were treated to a partial eclipse of up to 90% coverage in Europe and a much humbler 10% to 25% coverage in the northeastern U.S. and Canada.

Here's how you guys watched the eclipse around the world:

The sky show will keep going tonight as the Perseid meteor shower continues to grace our skies after peaking yesterday. The skies will still be especially dark after last night's new moon, so you'll be able to see these shooting stars in all their splendor. More eclipses are also on the way, with the first coming in just two weeks.

As is always the case, today's solar eclipse will be paired with a lunar eclipse. Two weeks from now, on Aug. 27-28, a deep partial lunar eclipse will be visible across most of North and South America starting around midnight EDT. Almost completely engulfed in Earth's shadow, the moon will take on a faint reddish hue.

Then, next year, the longest total solar eclipse of the century will be visible from southern Spain and northern Africa. Mark your calendars for Aug. 2, 2027. This is one solar spectacle you won't want to miss.

For space fans and skywatchers, Wednesday, Aug. 12 is destined to be a date for the history books. Viewers in North America — including Alaska, eastern Canada and parts of the northeastern U.S. — will be able to see a partial solar eclipse during the daytime.

Across the pond, a total solar eclipse will be visible from eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. (If you're planning to see this rare event in person, it's important to wear certified solar eclipse glasses during the partial phases of the eclipse ‪—‬ which means throughout the entire eclipse for everyone in North America. We have some solar eclipse gear suggestions that can help you watch this skywatching event from anywhere.)

Once the sun goes down, the night sky will offer its own treat: the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks overnight on Aug. 12-13. Thanks to a new moon, stargazers will have an even better chance of catching these lights streaking across the night sky, with the best hours to watch occurring from midnight to 2 a.m. local time. According to The Planetary Society, observers in dark-sky areas can hope to catch between 50 and 75 meteors per hour. The dark skies also make it a great night to try observing the Milky Way or the six planets that will appear together before dawn.

In a Live Science poll, we asked our readers whether they would be observing today's solar eclipse or tonight's Perseid meteor shower.

More than 240 readers responded to the poll, which was published Aug. 10. At the time of writing, the results showed that 51% of respondents will be watching both events, with 21% interested only in the Perseid meteor shower. About 20% of readers noted that they're not in a great place to watch the solar eclipse, with one commenter noting, "I'm in Georgia, not a viewing area, but I'll be looking online!" (Space agencies NASA and ESA will both be offering live streams of the eclipse from Spain, starting around 1 p.m. EDT).

What was perhaps the most surprising is that 2% of readers admitted they will not be watching either event but will instead stay inside and “scroll on Instagram.”

But some of those who are planning on witnessing these rare phenomena are making it an experience to remember. One commenter mentioned, "My brother is heading to Spain for the eclipse, meeting with a group of surfers, they'll surf into the eclipse."

Will you be enjoying today's skywatching events? Let us know in the comments below.

Though the spectacular sight of a total solar eclipse feels like a rare experience, on a planetary scale, the average time between two such events is just 18 months, with some occurring much closer together. Now, thanks to centuries of studying the orbit of the sun and moon, we are able to correctly predict when and where the next eclipse will be far into the future. But for thousands of years of human culture, the lunar crossing of the sun remained as mysterious in cause as it did in location.

In his book "Solar Eclipses" (Reaktion books, 2026), writer and historian of astronomy William Sheehan goes back to ancient times to discover what impact this awe-inspiring celestial dance between the sun and the moon had on ancient civilizations, and how over time we began to understand the science choreographing it.

This excerpt from the book goes as far back as ancient Greece, where we learn of the "immoral, foul-mouthed and violent" soldier and poet Archilochus, who gave us the first written account of a total solar eclipse.

Today, with the ability to predict the paths of eclipses to extremely high accuracy, to make quite successful long-range (ten days or more) weather forecasts, ease of travel and for many, plus a significant amount of discretionary income that never existed in previous times, seeing eclipses has become a passion for thousands of global eclipse-chasers. People seek out a connection with the larger universe that includes a huge rush of adrenaline and life-transforming emotions that have been described as "spiritual" in nature. Of course, eclipses have occurred since time immemorial, but until recent times people have experienced them on a somewhat haphazard basis. This is emphatically the case with total solar eclipses, which, despite being the most stunning, are rare from any given place and could hardly be expected (before eclipse prediction and travel became more convenient) to be seen in a human lifetime.

The reason for this is that the central (umbral) shadow of the Moon that creates the totality zone is so narrow —– only 200 kilometres (124 miles.) on average —– so that it mostly falls on uninhabited portions of Earth's surface. From any one location, totality might not occur at all during a person's lifetime. The 30 June 1954 total eclipse, for instance, was the last visible from Minneapolis until that of 14 September 2099; the 22 July 2028 eclipse visible from Sydney will be the last visible from there until 3 June 2858 (!) and so on.

The actual width of the direct path of the shadow (known as the antumbra at annular and umbra at total eclipses) can vary from 0 kilometres to more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles). It reaches the latter figure if it strikes Earth obliquely as it did, for example, during the annular eclipse of 12 September 489 B.C.E. (which occurred, incidentally, a year to the day after the usually accepted date of the Battle of Marathon, in which the Greeks defeated the Persians); the antumbral width was then 1,132 kilometres (703 miles).

Even to be aware of the partial phases of a solar eclipse is difficult unless the eclipse is very deep — marked changes in the intensity of sunlight occur only minutes before totality. And in general, people working in fields or hunting and fishing have little incentive to stare at the Sun. Thus, for untold ages, partial solar eclipses must largely have been simply missed. Lunar eclipses, on the other hand, are much more frequent from any one location, since a total lunar eclipse is visible anywhere within the night hemisphere of Earth. Lunar eclipses are also highly impressive, involving as they do the Moon's light being encroached upon and swallowed in shadow as well as the colour of the Moon turning to blood red.

That having been said, even without being able to make specific predictions, people from earliest times certainly took a keen interest in the vast pageant taking place overhead — Sun, Moon and stars, as well as clouds and other meteorological phenomena. The universe seems replete with powers more than human, powers mysterious and largely beyond our ken. The sense of this underlies the origin of religion, which in the first instance may have consisted in the apprehension of "something, indicated by terms such as the holy, the numinous, or the sacred … transcendent and irreducible." Our first response to the strange universe around us is deep, primal, pre-verbal.

Until the second century B.C.E. (and then first in Babylonia after millennia of recording celestial phenomena and their associated omens), it was impossible to predict with any accuracy when a total solar eclipse would occur. The best one could do was to suggest that on such and such a date it was somewhat probable that an eclipse might occur, though whether partial or total — or no eclipse at all — could not be determined. Thus any supposed prediction of an eclipse would have been a matter of sheer luck. No one yet had a clear idea of what caused an eclipse. Moreover, at a time when the Sun and Moon were regarded as gods, who could possibly know the minds of deities, or set limits to their arbitrary sway?

Even in modern times, an eclipse, for which the circumstances have been predicted fully and in detail, elicits an overpowering emotional response. What kind of response would a completely unexpected event have elicited?

We are lucky to have one very vivid first-hand account from an eyewitness of such an event. He was the Greek soldier and poet Archilochus, who lived on the island of Paros during the seventh century B.C.E., a century or so after Homer and Hesiod. Much of what we know about him (or think we know) is based on what he recorded in his poems. Thus without his poems, "we would never have found out that his mother Enipo was a slave … nor that he was an adulterer, that he was licentious and violent, and, most disgraceful of all, that he threw away his shield [during a battle]."

For all that, Archilochus' poems don't show him in a very flattering light. He appears to have been immoral, foul-mouthed and violent. It was said that after his engagement to one Neobule was broken off by her father, he wrote a series of songs so scurrilous (only fragments remain) that Neobule herself, the father and her younger sister all hanged themselves for shame. Throwing away his shield was even worse, by the standards of the time, than his lewd remarks towards women — it was the ultimate faux pas for a member of the warrior class of seventh century B.C.E.. He justified doing so on the grounds, already a cliché at the time, that it allowed him to fight another day. And so he did, being killed in a battle between Paros and Naxos by a Naxian warrior named Calondas, at the age of 35.

All very interesting, but the only reason that Archilochus is mentioned here is because he is something of a hero to eclipse watchers, because of a chance event that occurred on 6 April 648 B.C.E.. On that date (as determined from modern eclipse calculations) a total eclipse occurred; the Moon, like a shield thrown away in battle, covered the Sun. The path of totality began in the Atlantic off the western coast of Africa, ran just south of the boot of Italy, crossed Greece and the Black Sea, then veered north across Siberia. We can’t be exactly sure of Archilochus' location; it might well have been in Paros itself, which was exactly on the centre line (where the duration was some five minutes). Nevertheless, we do know exactly what he thought and how he felt:

Nothing is surprising anymore, nothing is deniable on oath;

No longer will anything seem impossible or marvellous, since

Zeus, father of the Olympians, has turned midday into night,

veiling the radiance of the sun, and turning mankind slack

with fear.

Hereafter all things become credible, they are to be expected,

There is no longer any reason for amazement, even if you see

The wild beasts changing places with dolphins,

making the oceans their pasture, and taking joy

in the sonorous murmur of the sounding sea,

while the dolphins, for their part, think better of the wooded

mountain.

(Translated by Michael Armstrong)

Archilochus achieved immortality with this poem: he became the first person we know of by name to have seen a total eclipse of the Sun, and to have recorded his stunned reaction.

Excerpted from "Solar Eclipses" (Reaktion books, 2026) by William Sheehan.

The eclipse has begun! Today (Aug. 12), the new moon swoops in front of the sun, casting its dark shadow across a stretch of Earth from Iceland and Greenland to northern Spain. Viewers in the path of the shadow, known as the path of totality, will see a stunning total solar eclipse.

Meanwhile, millions of skywatchers in North America and Europe will be treated to a partial eclipse, with the moon covering more than 90% of the sun's visible surface in some areas.

NASA is live-streaming the entire event from Iceland and Spain. Their stream begins at 1:15 p.m. EDT, and you can watch it right here:

Want an alternate view? ESA is also streaming the eclipse from the Astrophysical Observatory of Javalambre in Teruel, Spain. CNN will also stream totality from Spain, starting at 1 p.m. EDT Wednesday.

Want to know more about the Aug. 12 eclipse? Live Science has all the details below.

Where is the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse visible?

The path of totality for the Aug. 12 eclipse runs in a perplexing arc from far northern Siberia near the North Pole down to Greenland, western Iceland and, finally, southern Spain. Prime locations to catch the total phase of the eclipse include Scoresby Sund, Greenland; Reykjavik, Iceland; and León, Spain.

Here's when totality will occur in various locations, and for how long:

• Scoresby Sund, Greenland: 4:35 p.m. WGST (up to 2 minutes, 17 seconds)
• Reykjavik, Iceland: 5:48 p.m. GMT (60 seconds)
• León, Spain: 8:28 p.m. CEST (1 minute, 45 seconds)
• Soria, Spain: 8:29 p.m. CEST (1 minute, 43 seconds)
• S'Arenal, Mallorca, Spain: 8:31 p.m. CEST (1 minute, 36 seconds)

Totality is the only time when it's safe to view the eclipse without a pair of certified solar eclipse glasses, which you can still buy online. Protective eyewear must be worn at all times during the partial phases of the eclipse — meaning everyone outside the path of totality must wear their glasses at all times while viewing.

You can also use a pair of binoculars or a telescope with a solar filter to enjoy the partial phases safely.

Where is the Aug. 12 partial eclipse visible?

Skywatchers in North America won't have the best view of this eclipse, but some cities in the Northeast will have a chance to bust out their eclipse glasses and see the moon blocking part of the sun in the afternoon.

Here are the best places to catch the partial eclipse from North America:

• Iqaluit, Nunavut: 1:24 p.m. EDT (61% eclipse)
• St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: 3:00 p.m. NDT (53%)
• Fairbanks, Alaska: 8:27 a.m. AKDT (37%)
• Anchorage, Alaska: 8:21 a.m. AKDT (28%)
• Quebec City: 1:46 p.m. EDT (24%)
• Bangor, Maine: 1:53 p.m. EDT (23%)
• Montreal: 1:45 p.m. EDT (18%)
• Boston: 1:55 p.m. EDT (16%)
• New York: 1:54 p.m. EDT (9%)

Viewers in Europe will experience a much more complete eclipse, with the sky dimming somewhat and the air feeling a bit cooler than normal. However, eclipse glasses must still be worn at all times, even in places seeing a 99% eclipse. These are the best spots to see the partial eclipse in Europe:

• Madrid: 8:32 p.m. CEST (99.9%)
• Lisbon, Portugal: 7:36 p.m. WEST (94%)
• Dublin, Ireland: 7:10 p.m. BST (94%)
• Cardiff, Wales: 7:13 p.m. BST (93%)
• Belfast, Northern Ireland: 7:08 p.m. BST (93%)
• Paris: 8:17 p.m. CEST (92%)
• London: 7:13 p.m. BST (91%)
• Edinburgh, Scotland: 7:05 p.m. BST (91% eclipse)

Where to stream the Aug. 12 eclipse online

Many news networks and space agencies will be livestreaming the eclipse, including CNN, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). For viewers in North America, this will be the best way to experience the eclipse without having to leave home.

NASA will stream the eclipse with views of totality from Iceland and Spain starting at 1:15 pm EDT. You can watch it on the agency's website, YouTube page or by clicking the video at the top of this page.

When is the next eclipse?

If you don't have a prime spot for the Aug. 12 eclipse, you'll get another opportunity soon; more skywatching spectacles are just around the corner. As is always the case, this solar eclipse will be paired with a lunar eclipse. Two weeks later, on Aug. 27-28, a deep partial lunar eclipse will be visible across most of North and South America, starting around midnight EDT.

Then, next year, the longest total solar eclipse of the century will be visible from southern Spain and northern Africa. Mark your calendars for Aug. 2, 2027.

Editor's note: This article was updated on Aug. 12 at 1:15 p.m. EDT

See how much you know about the sun with our sun quiz!

For space fans and skywatchers alike, Wednesday Aug. 12 is destined to be a date for the history books. For those in North America — including Alaska, eastern Canada and parts of the northeastern U.S. — viewers will be able to see a partial solar eclipse during the daytime. Across the pond, the total eclipse will be visible from eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. (For those planning to see this rare event in person, it's important to wear the right solar eclipse glasses, especially if you're watching the partial phase of the eclipse; we have some gear suggestions that can help you watch this skywatching event from anywhere).

Once the sun goes down, the night skies offer their own treat: the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks overnight on Aug. 12-13. Thanks to a new moon, stargazers will have an even better chance of catching these streaking lights across the night sky, with the best hours to watch occurring from midnight to 2 a.m. local time. According to the Planetary Society, observers in dark sky areas can hope to catch between 50 and 75 meteors per hour. The dark skies also make it a great night to try and spot the Milky Way, or the six planets that will appear together before dawn.

With so much going on in the skies on Aug. 12, will you be watching? Take our poll and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Millions of people across Europe and North America will witness a solar eclipse on Wednesday, Aug. 12, but the event will vary greatly depending on the location. A narrow corridor stretching from Greenland to northeastern Spain will experience a total solar eclipse, much of Europe will enjoy a deep partial eclipse, and parts of North America will see a smaller partial eclipse.

Want to know what you can expect to see from where you are? Here's an overview of the event from various locations, along with the exact viewing times for the Aug. 12 solar eclipse.

Remember, it's important to wear certified solar eclipse glasses during all partial phases of the eclipse. Totality ‪—‬ when the sun's face is completely blocked by the moon ‪—‬ is the only time it's safe to remove your eclipse glasses. (It’s not too late to order last-minute eclipse glasses if you don’t have a pair on hand.)

If you're in the path of totality

If you're fortunate enough to be inside the 180-mile-wide (290 kilometers) path of totality — the path of the dark shadow of the moon — in eastern Greenland, western Iceland or northeastern Spain, you'll experience the moon completely covering the sun for up to 2 minutes, 18 seconds. The sky will darken to twilight, bright stars and planets may appear in the daytime sky, and the sun's spectacular corona (its wispy outer atmosphere) will become visible. Here’s a handy guide to all the gear you’ll need to get the most out of totality.

The closer you are to the centerline of the path, the longer totality will last. But the most important consideration is to stay within the boundaries of the path, because it has a hard edge. Madrid, for example, is barely outside the path and will see a 99.99% partial eclipse — and no totality whatsoever. The partial phases last an hour on each side of totality.

Here's when totality will occur in various locations for the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse:

• Scoresby Sund, Greenland: 4:35 p.m. WGST (up to 2 minutes, 17 seconds)
• Reykjavik, Iceland: 5:48 p.m. GMT (60 seconds)
• León, Spain: 8:28 p.m. CEST (1 minute, 45 seconds)
• Soria, Spain: 8:29 p.m. CEST (1 minute, 43 seconds)
• S'Arenal, Mallorca, Spain: 8:31 p.m. CEST (1 minute, 36 seconds)

If you're in North America

Viewers in North America will see a modest partial eclipse, with the biggest eclipse seen from northern and eastern Canada, Alaska and the northeastern U.S. The farther northeast you are, the deeper the eclipse will appear. Eclipse glasses are essential at every stage of the two-hour event, because there will be no totality. Here are the times of maximum eclipse in various locations:

• Iqaluit, Nunavut: 1:24 p.m. EDT (61% eclipse)
• St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: 3:00 p.m. NDT (53%)
• Fairbanks, Alaska: 8:27 a.m. AKDT (37%)
• Anchorage, Alaska: 8:21 a.m. AKDT (28%)
• Bangor, Maine: 1:53 p.m. EDT (23%)
• Quebec City: 1:46 p.m. EDT (24%)
• Montreal: 1:45 p.m. EDT (18%)
• Boston: 1:55 p.m. EDT (16%)
• New York: 1:54 p.m. EDT (9%)

If you want to watch totality from outside the path, there are many live stream options available, including planned streams from NASA and the European Space Agency.

If you're elsewhere in Europe and North Africa

Most of Europe and far northwestern Africa will see a spectacular deep partial eclipse, with more than 90% of the sun covered in many western cities. Although the eclipse will never become total, it will still be an impressive sight, though solar eclipse glasses will be required throughout the event. Here are the times of maximum eclipse in some major cities:

• Madrid: 8:32 p.m. CEST (99.9%)
• Barcelona: 8:29 p.m. CEST (99.8%)
• Algiers, Algeria: 7:33 p.m. CET (96%)
• Nice, France: 8:24 p.m. CEST (95%)
• Lisbon, Portugal: 7:36 p.m. WEST (94%)
• Dublin, Ireland: 7:10 p.m. BST (94%)
• Cardiff, Wales: 7:13 p.m. BST (93%)
• Belfast, Northern Ireland: 7:08 p.m. BST (93%)
• Paris: 8:17 p.m. CEST (92%)
• Tangier, Morocco: 7:40 p.m. WEST (92%)
• London: 7:13 p.m. BST (91%)
• Edinburgh, Scotland: 7:05 p.m. BST (91% eclipse)

To check exactly what you'll see and when, enter your location on an interactive map of the eclipse, which will give you a schedule for when the eclipse begins, peaks and ends where you are.

Even though August 12's solar eclipse won't be much to look at for observers in the U.S., it'll be even less impressive if you can't look at it at all. In order to see the partial phases, you MUST wear a pair of certified solar glasses or solar binoculars to view the sun safely.

The American Astronomical Society states, "ISO 12312-2 specifies the properties that a solar viewer should have in order to protect your eyes from injury and provide a comfortable view."

With the eclipse fast approaching, there is still time to pick up some last-minute solar viewing equipment, but some retailers are already selling out and won't be able to deliver before Wednesday, August 12.

Here are the best options you can still get hold of before the solar eclipse.

Every total solar eclipse travels from west to east, because the moon and Earth move in the same direction — counterclockwise, or from west to east. Earth rotates eastward once every 24 hours, and the moon also travels eastward as it orbits our planet. Because the moon's shadow moves across Earth faster than the planet rotates beneath it, the path of totality (the route of the moon's umbra, the darkest part of its inner shadow) always sweeps from west to east.

But if you've looked at maps of the Aug. 12, 2026, total solar eclipse, you may have noticed something puzzling. At first glance, the eclipse appears to do the exact opposite. The path seems to begin in far northern Siberia, near the North Pole, before heading toward eastern Greenland, making it look as though the moon's shadow were traveling from east to west. It then appears to curve over western Iceland and northern Spain. So what's going on?

The apparent reversal from Siberia to Greenland is an illusion. It's created by geometry, but it's also a result of viewing the eclipse on a flat map instead of on a globe. The moon's shadow follows a smooth arc across Earth's curved surface and never changes direction, as shown by this animation. This eclipse passes so close to the North Pole that the distortion caused by map projections makes the track appear to bend back on itself, when in reality, the shadow is simply sweeping over the top of the world.

"The path of this eclipse also has a strong north-south component, the combined effect of Earth's rotation and the tilt of both Earth's axis and the Moon's orbit," experts at NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio explained. "Combined with Earth's rotation, the umbra's eastern motion during the first half of its travel is effectively canceled out."

This causes the shadow to sweep over the Arctic in a broad curve, instead of following the more familiar west-to-east path. On a flat map, that curved route can make it look as though the eclipse briefly reverses direction, even though it never actually does.

The moon's shadow has two parts — the narrow umbra, where observers experience totality, and the much broader penumbra, where only a partial eclipse is visible. The widths of these shadows depend on the moon's distance from Earth, while their speed is influenced by the moon's orbit, Earth's rotation and the geometry of the eclipse.

If you are among the millions of people who will be in the moon's penumbra on Aug. 12, make sure to always wear a pair of certified solar eclipse glasses (or use a solar filter on your telescope or binoculars) to view the partial eclipse. It is never safe to look directly at the sun, except during the moment of totality, when the sun is 100% covered.

If you aren't in the right spot for the total solar eclipse, fear not. A near-total lunar eclipse will be visible over most of North America just two weeks later, and there are plenty of other summer skywatching highlights to watch for.

Skywatchers across North America and Europe should mark Wednesday, Aug. 12 on their calendars. From a daytime solar eclipse to the peak of the Perseid meteor shower beneath a moonless sky, the date offers an exceptionally rare combination of celestial events within a 24-hour period. Add brilliant Venus and the glowing band of the Milky Way after sunset, and the result is a full day of astronomy that could become one of the standout skywatching opportunities of the year.

The first spectacle arrives during daylight as the moon partially covers the sun across Alaska, eastern Canada and parts of the northeastern U.S. A dramatic total solar eclipse will be visible along a narrow path stretching across eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain — and that's where eclipse chasers will be. However, about 779 million people in North America, Europe and North Africa will see at least a 10% partial eclipse, according to Time and Date.

Northern Canada will experience North America's deepest partial eclipse, with parts of Nunavut in the Canadian Arctic seeing up to 93% of the sun covered, according to Time And Date; large eastern cities like Toronto, Ottawa and Quebec will see between 8% and 24% coverage. The best views in the U.S. will be from Alaska and the Northeast, with Fairbanks, Alaska, seeing 37% of the sun covered, and Boston seeing 16%.

In Europe, London will see a 91% eclipse and Paris will get 92%. No matter your viewing location, it's important to use ISO 12312-2 certified solar eclipse glasses throughout the entire partial eclipse. Also remember to fit binoculars, telescopes and cameras with solar filters before pointing them at the sun. (Here’s a great selection of gear that will help you safely watch the eclipse from anywhere).

After sunset, the day's second major event begins. Brilliant Venus will be easy to spot as it reaches dichotomy, the point at which the planet appears half illuminated. Through a small telescope or large stargazing binoculars, skywatchers should see Venus resembling a tiny half-moon as it moves closer to Earth.

Once darkness falls, the day's third and fourth major events will begin. The annual Perseid meteor shower will peak during the overnight hours of Aug. 12-13, and this year's display benefits from one crucial advantage: a new moon. With no moonlight washing out faint meteors, observers under truly dark skies could see between 50 and 75 meteors per hour, while even suburban locations should enjoy frequent "shooting stars," according to The Planetary Society.

The best time to look is from midnight to 2 a.m. local time, when the sky is darkest and the constellation Perseus is highest in the sky. As a final bonus, those under dark, rural skies will see the Milky Way arch overhead, providing one of the finest views of our home galaxy all year.

A daytime solar eclipse, a moon-free Perseid meteor shower, a dazzling Venus and spectacular views of the Milky Way make Aug. 12 a great opportunity for anyone with an interest in the night sky. If skies are clear, it could be the single greatest day and night for skywatching in years.

See how much you know about the sun with our sun quiz!

July’s full Buck Moon, the second full moon of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, will turn full on Wednesday (July 29). It will be the final full moon before a flurry of solar and lunar activity — notably, a total solar eclipse caused by the new moon on August 12, and a partial lunar eclipse during the following full moon on August 28.

Named for the new antlers that emerge from male deer during summer, July’s full moon is also known as the Thunder Moon and Hay Moon, according to Time and Date. The Anishinaabeg people call it Miin Giizis, or Berry Moon, according to the Center for Native American Studies.

The Buck Moon will be at its fullest at 10:37 a.m. EDT on Wednesday — however, it will also look bright and full on Tuesday and Thursday night. From North America, the best time to see it will be at moonrise in the southeast during dusk on Wednesday evening. The exact time of moonrise will depend on your location. A full moon looks most dramatic as it first appears above the eastern horizon shortly after sunset, with Rayleigh scattering making it loom orange — the same light-scattering phenomenon that makes the sky blue and sunsets red.

July's full moon is one of the lowest full moons of the year as seen from the Northern Hemisphere because it occurs relatively soon after the June solstice. A full moon always sits opposite the sun, so the path of July's full moon mirrors the sun's path in February.

You can easily enjoy the full moon with the naked eye, but a good backyard telescope or pair of stargazing binoculars can help you zoom in on famous structures, such as craters and Apollo landing sites. And if you want to take stunning photos of the moon, here’s everything you need to know.

Two weeks after theBuck Moon, the new moon will slide directly between Earth and the sun, causing a total solar eclipse. Observers along a narrow path of totality in eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain will see the moon block the sun for a few minutes, revealing the solar corona.

A deep partial solar eclipse will be visible across Europe, with a small partial solar eclipse observed over Canada and the northeastern U.S.. The largest eclipse in Canada will be 93% in northeastern Nunavut, while northeastern Maine in the U.S. will see 29% of the sun covered by the moon. Solar eclipse glasses must be worn at all times to safely view the partial phases.

The next full moon, the Sturgeon Moon, will rise on August 27 and be partially eclipsed by Earth overnight. More than 96% of the moon will pass into Earth's shadow as seen from Europe, Africa, North America and South America.

How much do you know about the moon? Test your lunar smarts with our moon quiz!

The total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026, will bring thousands of photographers to a narrow path of totality through eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. For many, it will be their first opportunity to witness totality, the brief period when the moon completely covers the sun and reveals its delicate corona, a wonder of nature that normally remains hidden by sunlight.

Some first-time eclipse chasers heading to the path of totality pack expensive gear they've never used before, hoping to capture expert-level images without any preparation. Others just take a smartphone. Guess who usually comes back with the best images? Practice and rehearsal — or simplicity — are key.

Remember, you should never look at the sun directly without specialist solar equipment (unless you are in totality), or you risk permanent damage to your sight.

Preparing for totality

Photographing a solar eclipse is unlike photographing anything else. Solar safety matters, exposure changes dramatically, and totality lasts only a few precious minutes. Despite that, memorable eclipse photographs can be taken with almost any camera. The best approach depends on your equipment, your experience and what kind of memory you want to bring home.

However, you don't need to stand in the path of totality to photograph some of the event. Across much of Europe, a deep partial eclipse will occur near sunset, with more than 90% of the sun obscured in many locations. In northeastern North America, observers will see a smaller partial eclipse during the afternoon. While neither experience matches the drama of totality, both offer opportunities for striking photography.

1. Take a souvenir shot through eclipse glasses

To watch any partial solar eclipse, you'll need a pair of eclipse glasses or solar viewers; the former you wear and the latter you look through. Either works well as a solar filter for a smartphone. Simply wrap some eclipse glasses around your phone's camera lens or hold a solar viewer in front, and you can take basic images of a partial eclipse.

The way to get more than just a rough souvenir shot is to put your smartphone on a tripod or purchase a Solar Snap, which not only provides a solar filter that attaches to your phone with Velcro but also includes an app that zooms in on the eclipse.

If you want pinpoint sharpness without having to spend too much or travel with much gear, get yourself a smart telescope like the ZWO SeeStar S30 Pro, DwarfLab Dwarf Mini or Vanois Vespera Pro.

2. Use a smartphone during totality

If you're traveling to Greenland, Iceland or Spain to see the total solar eclipse, take a simple smartphone photograph during totality. A smartphone cannot compete with a camera's zoom lens for close-up detail, but it's perfect for recording a wide view of the landscape you're in.

In Greenland and Iceland, the eclipsed sun will hang about 25 degrees above the western horizon, making it possible to include fjords, volcanic landscapes or distant mountains in the frame. In Spain, where totality occurs late in the day, the low altitude of the sun offers opportunities to photograph the eclipse above villages, church towers, castles and mountain ridges.

Before the eclipse, switch off auto-flash and enable RAW images if your phone offers them. Burst mode works well — as does filming the event in 4K from a tripod and extracting stills later.

3. Take a wide-angle shot during totality

Many photographers using a manual mirrorless or DSLR camera become obsessed with the corona and forget that the eclipse affects the entire environment. The resulting images often feel disconnected from the actual experience. A well-composed landscape photograph can communicate the atmosphere of totality far more effectively.

The image above was shot by expert eclipse photographer Alan Dyer, author of How to Capture the Coming Solar Eclipses, in Teton Valley, Wyoming, during the Aug. 21, 2017, total solar eclipse. It was shot with a Canon 6D and a 14mm SP Rokinon lens at f/25 for 1/10 second at ISO 100. It's one shot from a 700-frame time-lapse and was taken just as totality began, moments after the diamond ring ended, and the dark shadow of the moon is approaching from the west.

4. Capture crescent suns

When a partial solar eclipse reaches about 50% — something it will only do in extreme northeast Canada and Europe on Aug. 12, 2026 — it's possible to project crescent suns through anything with defined holes. It works really well through a colander or spaghetti spoon.

By projecting crescent suns onto the floor, the walls and people around you, unique portrait images of eclipse chasers can be created. Unlike photographs of the corona, which thousands of people will capture, photographs like this, which document the human experience of an eclipse, can be really special.

• Read: Astrotourism, dark-sky and Northern Lights travel essentials

5. Take a close-up of the solar corona

This is the classic eclipse photography setup and the one most commonly used by experienced eclipse chasers — though it demands some serious equipment, commitment and practice.

A camera fitted with a telephoto lens between 200mm and 600mm provides enough magnification to reveal detail in the corona while remaining portable enough for travel. At 400mm, the eclipsed sun fills a useful portion of the frame. At 600mm, the corona becomes significantly more prominent and fine detail begins to emerge. Lenses like the Canon RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM, Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS and SIGMA 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sport would be good options.

Focus carefully on the partially eclipsed sun through a solar filter, and leave the focus untouched thereafter. With a camera set to ISO 100 and f/5-f/8 aperture, exposure bracketing is essential because the corona spans an enormous range of brightness. Automated exposure sequences, or bracketing, allow photographers to capture multiple exposure levels to combine later, if desired.

It's always best to rehearse in advance; the excitement of totality very often leads to basic errors — the classic being leaving the solar filter on during totality.

6. Shoot a close-up sequence of the eclipse

If you want to shoot a sequence throughout the entire solar eclipse that shows all of the various stages, you need to be in position, ready to take images as soon as first contact occurs, and stay there until fourth contact.

Since the size of the sun won't be huge in your finished image, you don't need a huge telephoto lens. Instead, concentrate on imaging the partial eclipse at very specific times before and after totality, so that you can produce a mirror image on either side of an image of the solar corona.

7. Shoot a wide-angle sequence of the eclipse

A wide-angle eclipse sequence is a different kind of image, showing not just the changing shape of the sun, but the landscape. Start with a base exposure taken during totality, when the eclipsed sun sits in a darkened twilight sky, then layer in the partial phases at regular intervals from first contact to fourth contact.

The result can show the sun's path across the sky, the moon appearing to bite across it in the opposite direction, and even bright planets nearby. It's a powerful way to tell the whole story of an eclipse in one frame, especially if you include water, mountains, people or a dramatic horizon.

Dyer's image above is a single exposure taken with a Canon EOS Ra and a Canon RF15-35mm lens at ISO 125, f/2.8 and 1/6s. The partial phases were photographed every five minutes from start to finish of the eclipse.

• Read: Best lenses for astrophotography 2026

While the new moon this Tuesday (Feb. 17) will pass without much fanfare in most of the world, something more exciting will be taking place over a sliver of Antarctica: a "ring of fire" solar eclipse, also known as an annular solar eclipse.

During an annular solar eclipse, the moon passes directly in front of the sun but appears too small in the sky to cover it completely. That’s because the moon is at its farthest point from Earth in its slightly elliptical orbit during these rare eclipses. On Feb. 17, 96% of the sun will be covered during the "ring of fire."

Observers within a narrow 383-mile-wide (616 kilometers) path will see a "ring of fire" — the glowing edge of the sun around the dark silhouette of the moon — for up to 2 minutes, 20 seconds.

However, few people will witness it. This eclipse is as remote as they come, with the eclipse's path passing over largely uninhabited terrain in the Antarctic interior.

"It's possible that only a few people will view this eclipse from within the annular zone," eclipse meteorologist Jay Anderson wrote on his website, Eclipsophile. "It's a challenge to reach, and there are only two inhabited locations within the annular shadow, neither of which is set up to welcome tourists. "At worst, a few dozen Russian researchers at Mirny and a small number of French/Italian inhabitants at Concordia [two research stations in Antarctica] will record the event for posterity."

An eclipse for scientists (and penguins)

At Mirny Station, on the Davis Sea coast, the "ring of fire" phase, called annularity, will last 1 minute, 52 seconds, according to Time and Date. Meanwhile, Concordia Station, which is jointly operated by France and Italy, will see the ring of fire for 2 minutes, 9 seconds. The latter location has a much better chance of clear skies, Time and Date adds.

The eclipse officially starts at 09:56 UTC (4:46 a.m. EST), when a partial eclipse will begin across Antarctica and parts of southeastern Africa. (Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius will see a 10% to 35% partial eclipse.) The annular phase takes place between 11:42 UTC and 12:41 UTC (6:42 to 7:42 a.m. EST), with the partial phases concluding by 14:27 UTC (2:27 p.m. EST).

Eclipses always come in pairs. With the alignment between the sun, the new moon and Earth precise enough to cause an annular solar eclipse on Feb. 17, a lunar eclipse is inevitable during the next new moon. On March 3, a total lunar eclipse will be visible from East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, parts of the Pacific Ocean and western North America.

The next annular solar eclipse will occur on Feb. 6, 2027, when a "ring of fire" will be visible for up to 7 minutes, 51 seconds from Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria, according to Time and Date.

The second full moon of 2026, February's Snow Moon, will rise Sunday (Feb. 1) alongside one of the most beautiful open star clusters in the night sky.

The moon will be officially full at 5:09 p.m. EST on Feb. 1 and will be best seen at dusk at moonrise where you are. It will be in the constellation Leo, hanging below the Beehive Cluster. The moon will also appear bright and full on Feb. 2.

The best way to see the full moon rise is to find an elevated location or an open space with a clear view of the eastern horizon. Although you can easily view a full moon with the naked eye, a pair of binoculars or a good backyard telescope will reveal the Beehive Cluster's 100-plus stars. Also called M44 and NGC 2632, it's one of the brightest open clusters and, at 577 light-years, one of the closest to the solar system.

You'll find the Beehive Cluster halfway between the bright stars Pollux in the constellation Gemini (to the top right of the moon) and Regulus in the constellation Leo (to the bottom left of the moon). Regulus will be easiest to see about an hour after the moon rises, as will the other stars of Leo.

If you look up on Feb. 2, it will be possible to watch Regulus be occulted (appear to vanish) by the near-full moon for an hour or so as seen from parts of North America — a rare event that won't be repeated until the late 2030s.

February's full moon is also known as the Hungry Moon, Storm Moon and Candles Moon, according to NASA. Per the Old Farmer's Almanac, other names for February's full moon include the Bald Eagle Moon or Eagle Moon (the Cree), Bear Moon (the Ojibwe), Black Bear Moon (the Tlingit), Raccoon Moon (the Dakota), Groundhog Moon (the Algonquin) and Goose Moon (the Haida).

Next comes the new moon, on Tuesday, Feb. 17, which will cause a rare annular solar eclipse — often called a "ring of fire," as just the center of the sun's visible surface is blocked by the moon — seen only from Antarctica.

The next full moon, the Worm Moon, will rise on March 3. This one will be extra special because it will be a total lunar eclipse. During this spectacular event, colloquially called a "blood moon," the lunar surface will turn a reddish-copper color for 58 minutes as seen from North America, the Pacific, Australia and East Asia.

This Sunday night (Sept. 7-8), Earth will pass directly between the sun and the full Corn Moon to trigger the year's second and final total lunar eclipse.

Spanning more than five hours, the celestial event will peak with an impressive 82-minute totality phase, when Earth's massive inner shadow will plunge the moon's entire near side into a reddish darkness — earning it the eerie nickname "blood moon."

Sadly, unlike this year's previous blood moon lunar eclipse on March 13-14, viewers in the United States will not be invited to the show. By the time the eclipse begins at 11:28 a.m. EDT (15:28 UTC), the full moon will already have set over North and South America, cutting most of the Western Hemisphere out of the event, according to Live Science's sister site Space.com.

Instead, the eclipse will be best seen from Asia and Western Australia, where more than 6 billion people (nearly 77% of the world's population) will be privy to the entire total phase of the eclipse, according to Time and Date. Skywatchers in most of Europe and Africa will be able to catch at least part of totality, which ends at 20:55 UTC globally, and most of the partial phase that follows it as the moon sneaks back out of Earth's shadow.

How to live stream the lunar eclipse

Skywatchers in North America who want to catch the blood moon in real time aren't totally out of luck, however. A free livestream of the event, courtesy of the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy, has been set for Sept. 7. The stream begins at 1:45 p.m. EDT (17:45 UTC), shortly after moonrise in Italy. The moon will rise partially eclipsed and will reach totality roughly 45 minutes later, according to Time and Date's eclipse map tool.

You can watch the entire stream on the Virtual Telescope Project's official YouTube page or via the video embedded below.

Why do 'blood moon' eclipses happen?

Total lunar eclipses always occur during the full moon, when the moon, Earth and the sun line up in a row. Once perfectly aligned, the innermost and darkest part of Earth's shadow — the umbra — falls across the visible surface of the moon, blotting out the sun's light.

The moon appears red during this phase thanks to a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering, in which particles in Earth's atmosphere preferentially scatter different wavelengths of light.

As incoming sunlight curves around Earth's perimeter, atmospheric particles scatter shorter-wavelength blue light while allowing longer-wavelength red light to pass through and strike the moon's surface, Live Science previously reported, giving the appearance of a "blood moon."

As is always the case on Earth, a solar eclipse will follow two weeks after its lunar counterpart. On Sept. 21, a partial solar eclipse will be visible from parts of New Zealand, Australia and Antarctica, with up to 80% of the sun's disk blocked by the moon during the peak. Several Pacific islands — including Fiji, Tonga and Samoa — will see a slimmer eclipse, with less than 30% of the sun's disk covered.

Editor's note: This article was updated at 10:45 a.m. EDT on Sept. 5 to include new information about the weekend's total lunar eclipse.

An Earth-orbiting spacecraft just experienced an unusual phenomenon: a lunar transit and an Earth eclipse on the same day.

On July 25, at different times, both the moon and Earth passed between NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the sun.

SDO studies the sun's activity, including the solar wind (the stream of charged particles flowing from the sun), solar flares and changes in the sun's magnetic field. These data help scientists forecast solar activity that can affect Earth. The spacecraft launched in February 2010 and has been observing the sun almost continuously since May of that year.

To keep a constant eye on the sun, SDO is in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth, meaning it circles the planet once every day. The plane of its orbit is angled relative to Earth's rotational axis, which keeps the planet out of the way of its observations. This means the spacecraft usually has a view of the sun.

But occasionally, the moon blocks that view. Several times per year, the moon partially eclipses the sun from SDO's perspective. The July 25 lunar transit, which began around 2:45 UTC, was SDO's fourth partial eclipse since April, according to SDO's blog. It was also the deepest, covering up to 62% of the sun's disk and lasting about 50 minutes.

Earth also occasionally passes between SDO and the sun. SDO's orbit is designed to minimize these interruptions to the craft's regular observations, but roughly twice per year, Earth blocks out the sun for a short period each day. Each of these "eclipse seasons" lasts around three weeks, according to NASA. SDO is in the midst of its 31st eclipse season, which began July 10 and will last until Aug. 7.

Beginning around 6:30 UTC, about three hours after the moon finished its transit, Earth completely blocked SDO's view of the sun. The total eclipse ended shortly before 8:00 UTC, according to the Solar Dynamics Observatory blog.

The two events look a bit different in SDO's images of the sun. Because Earth's atmosphere absorbs some sunlight, its shadow has a fuzzy edge. Meanwhile, the moon, which has no atmosphere, carves a crisp circle out of the sun's disk.

This isn't the first time both Earth and the moon have gotten in SDO's way on the same day. In 2015 — and again in 2016 — both bodies eclipsed the sun from SDO's perspective at the same time, resulting in a "double eclipse."

Earth-bound eclipse spotters will have to wait a few more weeks to catch the next event. A partial solar eclipse will be visible from New Zealand and parts of Australia on Sept. 21. The next total solar eclipse — which will be visible from parts of Greenland, Iceland, Russia, Spain and Portugal — will occur on Aug. 12, 2026.

Sun quiz: How well do you know our home star?

Total solar eclipses are rare, but exactly how rare is now up for debate after the European Space Agency debuted the first images today (June 16) from two new satellites that together operate as an "eclipse machine."

Total solar eclipses currently occur 14 times every 18 years and 11 days somewhere on Earth, which is one every 16 months, on average. According to NASA, they occur once every 366 years in any specific place.

Requiring neither lucky geography nor patience, the European Space Agency (ESA) Proba-3 mission, which launched on a PSLV-XL rocket from India's Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Dec. 5, 2024, has just sent back its first images that are sure to impress eclipse chasers across the world. The mission is the first to see two satellites orbit in a "precision formation," with one acting as the moon to eclipse the sun in front of the other, which points a telescope at the sun to capture its elusive corona.

A decade in the making, these first images — from the mission's first successful formation flying demo on May 23 — are a glimpse of what's to come.

The sun's corona

The solar corona, the sun's outer atmosphere, is a mystery. The sun's photosphere, its surface, is about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,500 degrees Celsius), but the corona is two million degrees Fahrenheit (over 1,1 million degrees C) — about 200 times hotter. Scientists need to know why and how this is the case, mainly because the corona is where the solar wind is generated.

"As well as being an amazing thing to see, the corona is also a laboratory for plasma physics and the main source of space weather," said Andrei Zhukov, Principal Investigator for the Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun (ASPIICS) at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, speaking at the Solar Eclipse Conference in Leuven, Belgium.

Capturing a prominence

Observations of the corona are crucial to understanding phenomena such as solar wind and coronal mass ejections, which can disrupt Earth's power and communication systems and produce spectacular displays of the northern lights. However, Proba-3's images will also help solar physicists see features in the corona that are sometimes visible to observers of total solar eclipses. "Sometimes, clouds of relatively cold plasma are observed near the sun, creating what we call a prominence," said Zhukov. Prominences are much colder than the surrounding million-degree hot plasma in the corona, though still around 10,000 degrees Celsius. "We are very happy to have been able to capture one such structure in one of the first ASPIICS images," said Zhukov.

Coronagraphs in space

But there's a problem. The sun's disk is a million times brighter than the corona and completely overwhelms the human eye. The only time the corona can be seen is during a total solar eclipse. "They're inconvenient, they're rare and last only a few minutes," said Zhukov."The last total solar eclipse in Belgium was in 1406, and the next is in 2090. That's why we have coronagraphs."

A coronagraph is a device attached to a telescope that blocks out the direct light from a star — in this case, the sun — so that whatever is around it can be seen. Sometimes it's exoplanets. In this case, it's the corona. Unfortunately, Earth's atmosphere scatters that light. In short, they work much better in space. "Current coronagraphs are no match for Proba-3, which will observe the sun's corona down almost to the edge of the solar surface," says Jorge Amaya, Space Weather Modelling Coordinator at ESA. "So far, this was only possible during natural solar eclipses."

Proba-3's first images

In March, Proba-3's two spacecraft — the Coronagraph satellite and the Occulter satellite — aligned 500 feet (150 meters) apart with millimeter accuracy for several hours without ground intervention. The Occulter successfully blocked the sun's disk to cast a shadow onto ASPIICS — the coronagraph's sensitive optical instrument that captures the corona. "Having two spacecraft form one giant coronagraph in space allowed us to capture the inner corona with very low levels of stray light in our observations, exactly as we expected," said Damien Galano, Proba-3 mission manager. "I was absolutely thrilled to see the images, especially since we got them on the first try," said Zhukov. "It's just a teaser because we are still in the commissioning phase."

How Proba-3's images are created

The images themselves were processed by scientists and engineers at the ASPIICS Science Operations Centre at the Royal Observatory of Belgium. Each complete image — covering the area from the occulted sun to the edge of the field of view — is constructed from three images. "The difference between those is only the exposure time, which determines how long the coronagraph's aperture is exposed to light. Combining the three images gives us the full view of the corona," said Zhukov. "Our 'artificial eclipse' images are comparable with those taken during a natural eclipse — the difference is that we can create our eclipse once every 19.6-hour orbit."

Proba-3 will create about 1,000 hours of images of the corona over its two-year mission — and anyone will be able to download the data. "We have an open data policy — the uncalibrated data will be published immediately so everyone will be able to calibrate their own data," said Zhukov.

Proba-3's orbit

The solar-powered Proba-3 satellites have an elliptical orbit with a perigee (closest point) of 373 miles (600 kilometers) and an apogee of 37,000 miles (60,000 kilometers). They only fly in formation when close to apogee because that's when Earth's gravity, its magnetic field and atmospheric drag are at their weakest. That allows the satellites to use minimal propellant to attempt formation flying. The coronagraph satellite positions itself 492 feet (150 meters) behind the occulter satellite — two orders of magnitude farther than any other space-based coronagraph — with the formation flying performed down to a single millimeter in precision. The 4.4 feet (1.4 meters) occulter casts a 3.15 inch (8 centimeters) shadow onto the coronagraph. Remarkably, it's all done autonomously, with Proba standing for "Project for onboard autonomy".

"The precision achieved is extraordinary," said Dietmar Pilz, ESA Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality. "It validates our years of technological development and positions ESA at the forefront of formation flying missions."

The first artificial solar eclipse

Proba-3 is not unique. A joint mission between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975 saw the first coronal observation using formation flying, with the Apollo spacecraft acting as an improvised coronagraph, allowing the Soyuz crew to photograph the solar corona. "It was all done by hand — the image was taken through a window of a Soyuz spacecraft," said Zhukov. The results were disappointing, mainly because the thruster gases around the spacecraft scattered the light.

With Proba-3, the concept has become a reality, and artificial solar eclipses will be possible, revealing the inner solar corona without the need to wait for a total solar eclipse. Will that deter eclipse chasers? Absolutely not!

This article was originally published on Space.com.

The moon hovers over a shadowy void wreathed in sunlight in a stunning new photo taken by NASA's Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission on April 27.

PUNCH is a collection of four small satellites orbiting Earth with their instruments aimed at the sun. Launched on March 11, its goal is to study the solar wind — the stream of charged particles emanating from the sun and the cause of space weather. It will do so by taking pictures of the sun and the space between it and Earth.

To prepare for its science operations phase, PUNCH must go through commissioning — a phase of instrument testing and alignment. The image above was taken as part of the commissioning process. The dark, circular shadow is from the "occulter." The occulter is needed to prevent the sun's light from overwhelming the images, just like the moon blocks out the sun during a solar eclipse, revealing the delicate streamers and filaments that stretch from the sun's surface into the corona, the sun's outermost atmosphere.

The golden glow surrounding the sun is light reflecting off the occulter, and the dark areas at the top of the image are outside the instrument's field of view. The moon is illuminated by light reflected off Earth. Images collected during the mission's science operations will undergo more processing to remove the stray light and some small distortions left by contamination to reveal detailed images of the sun's corona.

Related: The sun just spat out the strongest solar flares of 2025 — and more could be headed toward Earth

Photos of the sun's corona can help scientists study the solar wind — the more than 300,000 tons (272,000 metric tons) of material the sun blasts into space every second at a million mph (1.6 million km/h), bathing the entire solar system in a feisty stew of charged particles. The solar wind is responsible for geomagnetic storms that, on Earth, can cause power grid failures and radio blackouts, and disrupt or damage satellites. Understanding the solar wind helps us prepare for geomagnetic storms so life on Earth can continue without disruption.

The photos PUNCH will take won't directly show the sun's volatile magnetic field. Instead, they'll show massive, glowing plasma loops and outbursts that are shaped by it. Patterns in the streamers and filaments emanating from the sun help researchers map out regions that are connected to the extreme space weather that causes geomagnetic storms on Earth. When combined with data collected within the sun's corona by the Parker Solar Probe (PSP), PUNCH's science will enable a much deeper understanding of the processes that drive the solar wind. This knowledge, in turn, can help protect the planet from geomagnetic storms.

"PSP and PUNCH are both working to unite two separate branches of heliophysics into a unified whole," PUNCH's principal investigator, Craig DeForest, told Live Science in an email. "PSP is carrying the techniques of space physics (in-situ sampling) inward to touch and measure the solar corona. PUNCH is extending the techniques of solar physics (scientific imaging) outward to measure how the solar corona touches us. The two missions complement each other beautifully."

PUNCH is scheduled to complete its commissioning phase June 9 and will start collecting new images of the sun and the area around it continuously. The data collected will be available to anyone who wishes to access it as part of PUNCH's commitment to open, inclusive science.

This striking satellite footage shows the moon's shadow racing across North America at more than 1,500 mph (2,400 km/h) during 2024's historic total solar eclipse, when several unique phenomena were observed as day briefly turned to night.

On April 8 last year, tens of millions of people in the U.S., Canada and Mexico looked up to the skies to see the moon temporarily block out our home star. During the event, totality — the period in which the sun is completely obscured — lasted up to 4 minutes and 28 seconds, depending on the viewer's location. This was the first total solar eclipse visible from the continent since 2017, but the longest totality there for 54 years.

From space, the darkest part of the moon's shadow, or umbra, slowly swept across the continent from western Mexico to eastern Canada over roughly 4 hours, allowing satellites and astronauts to snap some stunning shots of the event.

NOAA's 16th Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-16) was one of these orbital observers. This spacecraft is geostationary, meaning that it orbits Earth at the same speed as the planet spins, allowing it to watch one part of Earth from a fixed position. From its vantage point around 22,300 miles (36,000 kilometers) above North America, the satellite captured thousands of photos that were later digitally stitched together into the time-lapse video above.

Related: See all the best images of Earth from space

Photos from other spacecraft also provided alternative perspectives of the sweeping shadow.

NASA's Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) captured video of the shadow moving across the globe from its position, roughly 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) from Earth. And astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) also snapped up-close photos of the shadow from around 260 miles (418 kilometers) above our planet's surface.

A unique event

Several strange phenomena can occur during a total solar eclipse, and 2024 was no exception.

Many observers spotted pink or red spots around the sun's obscured disc. Some people wrongly assumed that these were solar flares exploding from the sun. Experts later revealed that these were solar prominences — plasma plumes that tower above the sun but do not explode outward.

On the same day as the eclipse, astronomers also discovered a tiny sungrazer comet dive-bombing toward the sun. The newly spotted object was then photographed during totality, before it was destroyed by our home star just a few hours later.

One of the most bizarre effects observed was a subtle shift in global time signals sent and received by communication centers across North America as the sun's shadow cooled the upper atmosphere, slightly altering how radio signals bounced off this part of our planet. However, the changes were too small to impact any time-keeping devices.

Several other unusual things were seen during totality, including disappearing clouds, daytime-visible planets, changes to color perception and optical effects around the sun as seen from Earth, such as "Baily's beads" and "diamond rings." Some wild and captive animals also appeared to be confused as the skies turned dark.

The world's next total solar eclipse will occur on Aug. 12, 2026 and will be most visible from parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain.

Tomorrow (March 29), viewers in parts of the Northern Hemisphere, including in 13 states in the northeastern U.S., will get the opportunity to witness a partial solar eclipse.

This phenomenon occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth and partially blocks the sun, making it look like a bite has been taken out of our nearest star.

But staring directly at the sun without certified eclipse glasses can lead to an eye condition known as solar retinopathy, which can cause permanent vision loss.

So what is solar retinopathy and how can you protect yourself against it?

Related: How to watch tomorrow's sunrise 'devil horn' solar eclipse online for free

What is solar retinopathy?

Solar retinopathy occurs when intense light causes damage to the light-sensitive tissue in the retina.

The retina detects light and converts it into signals that the brain translates into the images that you see. Despite its name, solar retinopathy can be caused by any intense light source, including the sun, a laser pointer or the bright light from a welding torch. Solar retinopathy can occur within seconds of exposure to intense light in one, or more often, both eyes.

Anyone who stares at the sun, even on a regular day, can get solar retinopathy, Dr. Julie Rosenthal, a clinical assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Michigan, told Live Science. However, the eclipse is a time that those of us who don't weld or use lasers can easily get exposed to this kind of damage, she said.

People may be particularly vulnerable to solar retinopathy during a partial eclipse because the dark conditions caused by the sun being partly covered prevent the protective reflexes in the eye from properly kicking in, Live Science previously reported.

When it's light outside, for instance, people tend to squint their eyes while their pupils — which control how much light enters the eye — constrict to protect the retina, Dr. Sandra Montezuma, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Minnesota, told Live Science. However, when it's dark, the pupils dilate, allowing more light to enter the eye and potentially damage the retina, she said.

Typically, people will not feel the damage happening as they stare at the sun as there are no pain receptors in the retina.

What are the symptoms of solar retinopathy?

A common symptom of solar retinopathy is blurred vision, often with a big blurred spot in the middle of your field of vision. Patients may also have distorted vision, for example seeing straight lines as being curved or perceiving objects as smaller than they actually are.

Other symptoms include headaches and changes in color vision when color-sending cells are damaged. Solar retinopathy can also cause a blind spot in a patients' line of sight. People may also complain that their eyes feel watery or sore.

The longer and more directly you look at the sun, as well as the more often you do it, the greater the damage. Symptoms of solar retinopathy may take hours or days to emerge after injury.

An eye doctor can image the retina to diagnose solar retinopathy, and to determine how much damage has been done to your retina.

Is solar retinopathy treatable?

There is no treatment for solar retinopathy, however, the condition will improve for many people during the first six months after damage occurs, Dr. Rosenthal said. Nevertheless, even if a patients' symptoms and vision problems get better over time, many may still have a permanent dark spot or see some wavy lines in their vision, she added.

In some cases, the retina may be so severely damaged that it does not repair itself. This can leave patients with permanent vision loss.

How can you prevent solar retinopathy?

The best way to avoid solar retinopathy is to not look directly at the sun, Dr. Montezuma said.

However, if people still want to view the partial solar eclipse on March 29, then they should ensure that they are either wearing solar eclipse glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard, or using solar filters on skywatching equipment, she added. Solar filters are specialized filters that are added to equipment such as telescopes, binoculars or cameras that block sunlight.

If you don't have access to any of these things then another safe option is to just watch the partial eclipse online, Dr. Montezuma said.

"It's really a great time to be a part of science and to enjoy this cool phenomenon, but just make sure you're doing it safely," Dr. Rosenthal said.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.

The sun will go partially dark tomorrow for millions of people as a partial solar eclipse blocks out a chunk of our star.

This astronomical phenomenon will fall on Saturday, March 29, 2025, and will be visible in 13 U.S. states, parts of northeastern Canada, and across much of western Europe and Africa. To help you find out if your location is in the path of the eclipse, NASA has now released a map revealing exactly how much of the sun will be eclipsed and where, and what time the eclipse begins in each region.

The East Coast of the U.S. and Canada will see the partial eclipse take over the largest portion of the sun, with 83% of the sun being blocked out in St John's in Canada, 64% in Portland, Maine, 43% in Boston, and 22% in New York City, according to NASA. With the sun rising partially eclipsed in these locations, the moon will make our star appear to have a pair of ‘devil horns’ in the dawn light.

On the NASA map, the yellow lines show the extent of how much sun will appear to be blocked out from each location, and the green lines track the time in UTC at which the eclipse will hit its peak.

In St. John’s, Canada, for example, the partial eclipse will begin at 6:57 a.m. local time, peak at 7:52 a.m., and end at 8:51 a.m. In Boston, it will start at 6:31 a.m. local time, peak at6:38 a.m. and end at7:07 a.m., while in New York City, it will start at 6:44 a.m., peak at 6:46 a.m., and end at 7:04 a.m. In these spots, the moon will already be partially blocking the sun as the two celestial bodies rise above the horizon in the morning.

In London, meanwhile, where the eclipse will cover a maximum of 31% of the sun, the eclipse will start at 10:07 a.m. local time, peak at 11:03 a.m., and end at 12:00 p.m.

Related: How to watch tomorrow's solar eclipse from anywhere on Earth

The orange loops on NASA's map represent areas where the eclipse starts or ends at sunrise and sunset: the left side of the western loop (over the Americas) will see the eclipse end at sunrise, while the right side of this loop will see the eclipse start at sunrise. Meanwhile, the blue line bisecting these loops show where the eclipse will hit its maximum at sunrise or sunset.

Solar eclipses occur when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking out the light from our star and casting a shadow on the Earth's surface. Unlike a total solar eclipse, where the sun is completely blocked in some areas, a partial eclipse results in the sun appearing as a crescent in the sky. This occurs because the alignment between the sun, moon, and Earth is not perfect.

How to watch the eclipse

According to timeanddate.com, over 800 million people will be able to catch at least some of the partial eclipse, although only 21 million will see the moon cover more than 50% of the sun. For everyone else, free live streams of the entire eclipse are being hosted on both sides of the Atlantic — Live Science has rounded up the best ones here.

Those hoping to catch a glimpse of the eclipse should never look at the sun directly without protection; even during a partial eclipse, the sun’s rays can cause serious eye damage. Observers should wear a pair of certified solar eclipse glasses at all times, or otherwise use a telescope or binoculars equipped with proper solar filters over the front lens.

"Do NOT look at the Sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury," NASA advises.

If you miss this partial eclipse, another partial eclipse will be visible from Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, and the Pacific Ocean on September 21 this year.

On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will be visible in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and Portugal, while a partial eclipse will be visible in Europe, Africa, and North America.

Sun quiz: How well do you know our home star?

Tomorrow morning, the March 29 partial solar eclipse will finally be upon us!

Early on Saturday, the sun will rise partially eclipsed over 13 U.S. states and a broad swath of northeastern Canada. With the new moon covering up to 93% of the sun's visible surface, millions of people will have the opportunity to watch our star appear to grow a pair of "devil's horns" in the eerie dawn light.

But even if you're not in the immediate path of the eclipse — or if you don't have protective eyewear — you can still watch this rare phenomenon unfold in several free online live streams, which you can find right here on this page, courtesy of Timeanddate.com and the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

Watch live: March 29 solar eclipse from North America

Beginning at 5:30 a.m. EDT, tomorrow, Timeanddate’s stream will show the partial eclipse transpire from a variety of angles and locations around the world. The precise time, duration and extent of the eclipse will be different depending on where in the world it's being observed from.

Related: What time does the March 29 solar eclipse start?

The live feed will feature images and videos of the eclipse as soon as the sun rises in North America, with prime views coming from St. John's — the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada. If skies are clear, the "devil's horns" will appear prominently on the sun when the eclipse peaks at around 7:53 a.m. EDT, reaching 82% coverage of the solar disk, according to Timeanddate's eclipse map. The partial eclipse over Newfoundland will end an hour later.

Watch live: The view from Europe

Timeanddate's stream will also feature several views from across the Atlantic. These will include images from Siena, Italy, which will see a maximum eclipse of about 5% at noon local time; views from the towns of Kristiansand and Skibotn, Norway, where the sun will reach 30% and 37% obscuration, respectively; and a feed from the Royal Observatory Greenwich in London, U.K., where the eclipse will peak at around 11:03 a.m. local time with about 40% coverage.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich will also be hosting its own free live stream of the eclipse, beginning at 10 a.m. local time. For that midmorning view of the eclipse, you can watch the stream below.

If you're watching the live stream, you need nothing but your eyes (and probably a fresh cup of coffee). But if you do manage to see the partial eclipse in person, you MUST wear protective eyewear — such as certified solar eclipse glasses or a backyard telescope with solar filters — at all times, according to NASA. Unlike last year's total solar eclipse over North America, there will be no moment of totality (when the sun is completely covered by the moon) during Saturday's partial eclipse, so there is no safe time to remove your eclipse glasses.

After March 29, the next solar eclipse visible from North America will be a partial eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026. This eclipse will appear as a total solar eclipse in Spain, Iceland, Greenland, Russia and a small area of Portugal.

Sun quiz: How well do you know our home star?

The upcoming total solar eclipse takes place on Aug. 12 across Spain, Iceland and Greenland, with many parts of Europe, Africa, Eastern Canada and the Northeastern US being treated to a partial eclipse.

With so much on offer in the way of solar viewing equipment these days — from eclipse glasses to solar binoculars and telescopes — this guide features our top recommendations for making the most of solar viewing. You don’t want to fall into the many pitfalls of selecting the kit that’s right for you — whether that's choosing the wrong product or making sure your gear is safe to view the sun with.

• 🕶️ Solar eclipse glasses: See the eclipse safely for under $10
• 🔍 Solar binoculars: Save up to 40% on handheld views
• 🔭 Solar telescopes: For detailed solar views
• ☀️ Solar filters: A great addition to your existing gear

Best solar eclipse glasses

Best solar filters

Best solar binoculars

Best solar telescopes

Best smart telescopes

Contributing experts

FAQs

At dawn tomorrow, March 29, a deep partial solar eclipse will be visible across much of the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada, as well as in northwestern Europe, northwestern Africa and northern Russia, as the moon takes a "bite" out of the sun from our perspective on Earth.

A lucky group of 13 states will have views of the sunrise solar eclipse, but exactly when to watch the celestial event — the first solar eclipse of the year — depends on your location.

What time is the March 29 solar eclipse?

According to Time and Date, the eclipse officially begins at 4:50 a.m. EDT and ends just under four hours later, at 8:43 a.m. EDT. However, that doesn't tell you exactly when to see it, when the eclipse will reach its peak, or how long it will last for any particular location.

Related: How to watch tomorrow's solar eclipse from anywhere on Earth

The easiest way to get the precise timings for your location is to type your city or address into this eclipse map, which will give you a full schedule of the eclipse start time, the time of sunrise, the moment of maximum eclipse and the eclipse end time for your location. It will also tell you where in the sky to look, as well as simulate what you'll see.

For example, in Boston, sunrise is at 6:31 a.m. EDT and will take place at 85 degrees azimuth (measured clockwise from north), so just north of due east. The eclipse will be at its maximum (43%) shortly after at 6:38 a.m. EDT while just 1 degree above the horizon. The eclipse will end at 7:07 a.m. EDT, with the moon departing the sun while it's 6 degrees above due east.

In New York City, sunrise is at 6:44 a.m. EDT and will also occur at 85 degrees. The eclipse will be at its maximum (21%) at 6:46 a.m. EDT while on the horizon and end at 7:04 a.m. EDT while it's 3 degrees above the horizon.

With the eclipse taking place very low on the horizon in North America, it's best to be in a coastal location to see the sunrise above the ocean or to observe from an elevated position. Also, because this is a partial solar eclipse, viewers must wear protective eyewear at all times, be it a pair of certified solar eclipse glasses or a backyard telescope with solar filters attached.

Across Europe, the eclipse becomes a midmorning event. The sun will be eclipsed to a much lesser extent, but it will be much easier to see than in North America because it will be higher above the horizon. For example, in London, the eclipse begins at 10:07 a.m., peaks at 11:03 a.m. at 31%, and ends at midday. There, the entire event will occur high in the southeastern sky, making precision far less important.

Sun quiz: How well do you know our home star?

On August 12, a total solar eclipse will be visible from Spain, Iceland and Greenland, with a deep partial eclipse visible across much of Europe and the UK. If you want to witness this breathtaking natural event in person, you don't have long to stock up on the best gear to see it.

Our picks of the best solar eclipse glasses will ensure you're safe to view the upcoming eclipse. We've verified that they are all certified to ISO 12312-2:2015(E), which requires specific testing to meet the International Standards Organization's safety parameters.

You might spot some brands labeling their solar eclipse glasses as 'NASA-approved' but we can confirm that NASA does not approve any solar eclipse glasses, so be wary of these products.

If you want to get a closer look at the upcoming eclipse event, check out our guides to the best telescopes and the best binoculars (although bear in mind you'll need eye protection or solar filters to use these, too). We also have a handy guide to the equipment you need to see the solar eclipse, which we'd recommend you take a look at if you want to get a closer look at our star.

Remember, you should never look directly at a solar eclipse or a partial solar eclipse, even when wearing sunglasses. Specialized eclipse glasses are thousands of times darker than standard sunglasses, giving your eyes the protection they need to look directly at the sun.

The best solar eclipse glasses to buy in 2026

Contributing experts

Frequently asked questions

The March 29 partial solar eclipse is just days away now, and while viewing an eclipse with solar safe glasses is a great budget option that will protect your eyes, you might want something a little more robust to take a closer look at the sun, and the best solar binoculars are a perfect way to do just that.

We rated Celestron's EclipSmart 10x42 Solar Binoculars as one of the best pairs of binoculars for safe solar observing at their usual price of $87.95. Right now, they are even better value as you can pick them up with a $35 saving in this binoculars deal — so a terrific buy for viewing the partial solar eclipse on March 29.

Buy the Celestron EclipSmart 10x42 Solar Binoculars for just $52.35 at Amazon.

The Celestron EclipSmart 10x42 Solar is a great pair of binoculars for anyone new to sungazing and wanting to get great views of the partial eclipse without shelling out too much. As the name suggests, these are great binoculars for safe observation of the sun and feature Celestron Solar Safe filter technology – which conforms to the ISO international safety standard for filters for direct viewing of the Sun, as we mentioned in our full Celestron EclipSmart 10x42 review.

At full price, the Celestron EclipSmart 10x42 Solar is excellent value, but with 33% off the usual price in this deal, it's hard to beat. The build quality on these binoculars is good too, constructed from a lightweight aluminum frame with a weather-resistant rubber finish that enhances grip and provides protection. There's also a Celestron Limited Lifetime US Warranty.

Key features: Easy to use, solar-safe tech that meets ISO 12312-2:2015, Lightweight design.

Price history: These binoculars have been as low as $42, but that was in 2018 and this is the lowest price we've seen this year. With only a few days until the partial solar eclipse, we think this is a great time to buy them.

Reviews consensus: These sun-safe binoculars are easy to get started with, making them a great choice for beginners — especially at this price. Amazon reviewers have been overwhelmingly positive on the Celestron EclipSmart, and they get an aggregate score of 4.1 out of 5 from almost 300 ratings, with 63% of reviewers giving the binoculars top marks.

Live Science: ★★★★½ Space: ★★★★

Buy them if: You want binoculars, something more substantial than a pair of solar glasses, but don't want to spend too much.

Don't buy them if: You're an experienced sungazer and want something with larger objective lenses and greater magnification. The EclipSmart 12x50 Solar Binoculars would be a great choice for that.

The sunrise tomorrow (March 29) will look rather odd from the northeastern coast of North America. With a deep partial solar eclipse already in progress, a crescent sun will appear on the eastern horizon.

Thirteen U.S. states will see the March 29 solar eclipse in some form, with a deeper eclipse visible the farther northeast you go. Coastal New England will get the best views. In Maine, up to 86% of the sun will be eclipsed as it rises. New Hampshire and Massachusetts will see up to 57% and 55% coverage, respectively. Boston will see a 43% eclipse.

If you're not in these states, don't worry: You can get an even better view by watching the entire eclipse onling for free. (Follow the link to find out more).

The eclipse will be more modest in other areas of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. New York City will experience 21% obscuration, and the coverage will be less in Philadelphia (11%); Rochester, New York (8%); and Washington, D.C. (1.2%). Although many observers across the region will be able to glimpse a slight eclipse as the sun rises higher into the eastern sky, the best views will be from a coastal location as far north as possible.

Related: March 29 solar eclipse: Where and when to see the rare sunrise solar eclipse from North America

Note: Because this is a partial eclipse, viewers MUST use protective eyewear at all times, be it a pair of certified solar eclipse glasses, or a backyard telescope equipped with a solar filter.

You'll also need clear sight lines to the sunrise, which will take place slightly to the east-northeast. You can use Time and Date's map and The Photographer's Ephemeris to find suitable locations.

A 'double sunrise'

Seeing an eclipsed sunrise is a rare opportunity in itself, but from some locations, it will be possible to glimpse a "double sunrise" as the silhouette of the moon makes the rising sun look like two separate "horns" emerging from the horizon.

That unusual sight will be restricted to northeastern Maine, southwestern New Brunswick and eastern Quebec. Prime coastal viewing spots include Quoddy Head State Park and South Lubec in Maine; Forestville, Quebec; and St. Andrews, New Brunswick, all of which will host an 83% to 87% eclipsed "double sunrise."

Atlantic Canada will see a smaller eclipsed sunrise, with the eclipse deepening shortly thereafter. Moncton, New Brunswick, will see 84%, with similar obscuration in Halifax, Nova Scotia (82%), and St. John's, Newfoundland (82%). Quebec City will see a 72% eclipsed sunrise, and Montreal and Ottawa, Ontario, will get 46% and 29%, respectively.

No eclipse will be visible in Toronto. The point of maximum eclipse will be close to Akulivik, Nunavik, in northern Quebec, where a 91% eclipsed sunrise will be seen.

Iceland, Europe, and Africa

Beyond North America, it's a midmorning event. Reykjavik, Iceland, will experience 67%, but the scene will be much less dramatic in London (31%), Paris (24%), Madrid (20%), Berlin (15%), Vienna (6%) and Rome ( 2%). On the coast of Morocco, from Tangier to Agadir, around 15% to 18% of the sun will be obscured.

The next solar eclipse — another partial one — will occur on Sept. 21, 2025, and will be visible from Antarctica, New Zealand and the southwestern South Pacific. The next partial solar eclipse in North America will be on Aug. 12, 2026 (and will be a total solar eclipse in Spain, Iceland, Greenland, Russia and a small area of Portugal).

Sun quiz: How well do you know our home star?

A dramatic solar eclipse is coming to North America tomorrow.

On Saturday, March 29, two weeks after a total lunar eclipse was visible to all of North America, skywatchers will be treated to a spectacular event that has not been seen from anywhere since last October. (If you are not in the path of the eclipse, you can watch it for free online right here).

During this eclipse, which is expected to be one of the best skywatching events in 2025, observers in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. will be able to witness a partially eclipsed sunrise. It will be the first solar eclipse in North America since the "Great American Eclipse" on April 8, 2024.

Here's everything you need to know about where, when and how to watch the rare celestial spectacle.

A 'deep' partial eclipse

This event will be a deep partial solar eclipse; about 93% of the sun's disk will be blocked by the new moon. As such, it will be a near — but not quite — total solar eclipse.

The event will be visible at sunrise and shortly after from parts of North America, and then from Greenland, Iceland, Europe and northwest Africa, where it will be a smaller eclipse as the sun climbs higher in the sky throughout the morning. People in northwestern Russia can watch the eclipse late in the day, with a partially eclipsed sunset occurring over remote areas of Siberia. For more information, check out this handy eclipse map from NASA.

Note: Because the eclipse is partial, you must wear certified solar eclipse glasses at all times, or else use a telescope or pair of binoculars with a solar filter. Failure to do so could result in serious eye damage.

Where and when will the solar eclipse be visible?

Tomorrow's partial solar eclipse will take place for about two hours across the planet, between 4:50 a.m. and 8:43 a.m. ET (8:50 UTC and 12:43 UTC). Here's everything you need to know about what time the eclipse starts in your area.

The best places to view the eclipse will be northern Quebec, where a maximum of 93.1% of the sun will be obscured by the moon. The closer any location is to Akulivik in northern Quebec, the deeper the eclipse will be there. However, this region also sees the eclipse at sunrise.

Choice locations for viewing the spectacle include northeast of Quebec City and along the border between Maine and New Brunswick.

Best solar eclipse glasses deals March 2025

• Amazon: Solar eclipse glasses from Celestron
• Walmart: Smartphone filters, solar glasses
• Target: Solar eclipse glasses
• Best Buy: Solar gear: Telescopes, binoculars and viewers

Will the U.S. see the eclipse?

The solar eclipse will be visible from 13 states in the northeastern U.S. The views from each state will be slightly different.

From the eastern contiguous U.S., the sun will be eclipsed to a maximum of 85%, according to In The Sky. However, that will only occur in northern Maine; most population centers on the East Coast will miss out on the most dramatic spectacle. For instance, Philadelphia will see only 11% coverage, while Washington, D.C., will experience just 1%. An eclipsed sunrise will be visible from the U.S. East Coast, from the Canadian border down to Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Reykjavik, Iceland, will see 67% of the sun blocked by the moon, with less coverage in Dublin (41%), London (30%), Paris (23%) and Berlin (15%).

Because there will be no totality, all observers of this partial solar eclipse will need proper eye protection at all times — including certified solar eclipse glasses and solar filters for all cameras and binoculars.

Repeat: It is NEVER safe to look at a partial solar eclipse without eye protection, even during 93% coverage of the sun. Please observe safely.

Sun quiz: How well do you know our home star?

While millions of Earthlings watched the moon turn red during last night's "blood moon" total lunar eclipse, a spacecraft parked on the moon was watching Earth swallow the sun.

In a series of stunning images shared by Texas-based Firefly Aerospace — the private company whose Blue Ghost lander successfully touched down on the moon's near side on March 2 — the distant sun is slowly eclipsed by the dark orb of Earth until only a bright ring remains. Firefly also shared a time-lapse video of the entire eclipse (embedded below), showing the sun progressively blocked by the Earth until near-total darkness descended.

This eerie effect marks the moment of totality, the total phase of a lunar eclipse during which the sun's disk is entirely blocked and the moon is subsumed into the darkest part of Earth's shadow.

The March 13-14 lunar eclipse lasted about six hours in total, from roughly midnight to 6 a.m. EDT Friday, with totality lasting about an hour, from 2:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. EDT. On Earth, that was when the moon appeared to turn red — an effect of Rayleigh scattering, wherein shorter, bluer wavelengths of sunlight are scattered by molecules in Earth's atmosphere, leaving only longer, redder wavelengths of light to reach the moon.

Related: The 10 best stargazing events of 2025

At the same time, the moon experienced a totality that was shockingly reminiscent of the monumental total solar eclipse that crossed North America last April. As Earth blocked the sun's disk, only our star's outer atmosphere, or corona, was visible to Blue Ghost's cameras on the moon. (The time-lapse video also shows the spacecraft turning red as more and more sunlight is filtered through Earth’s atmosphere).

As totality finally ended, sunlight peaked around the edges of Earth, creating a glorious "diamond ring" effect in the sky.

This sparkling view of totality is the result of the precise size and orbital distance ratios of Earth, the moon and the sun. Although eclipses are also possible on other planets, lifeforms on those worlds wouldn't get to see a diamond ring of starlight like we do.

While shots like these are incredibly rare, this is not the first time a total eclipse has been seen from the moon. NASA's Surveyor 3 lunar spacecraft recorded one such eclipse back in 1967.

This month's total lunar eclipse isn't just a blast from the past; it's also a harbinger. Eclipses always come in pairs, with solar eclipses inevitably occurring two weeks after lunar eclipses.

(This is thanks to the lunar cycle; lunar eclipses can happen only during a full moon, when Earth gets between the moon and the sun; solar eclipses happen only during a new moon, when the moon swings between Earth and the sun.)

The next solar eclipse on Earth will happen on March 29, although it will be a partial one — so viewers must wear certified eclipse glasses the whole time. During the eclipse, up to 94% of the sun's disk will be blocked by the moon, with the northeastern United States and eastern Canada primed to get good views.

Another spectacular year for stargazers lies ahead. From the appearance of a brilliantly bright Venus to the first total lunar eclipse since 2022, there will be plenty of reasons to look skywards at night this year. Other highlights will include a deep partial solar eclipse in North America, four moonless meteor showers and three supermoons. While many of these events will be visible to the naked eye, investing now in a good beginner telescope can greatly enhance your experience.

Quadrantid meteor shower

When: Jan. 3/4, 2025

The Quadrantid meteor shower, the first meteor shower of the year for the Northern Hemisphere, can often impress — if you can stand the cold — with between 25 and 200 shooting stars per hour during its peak. It's also the last meteor shower until April's Lyrids.

Venus at its brightest

When: Feb. 19, 2025

As Venus reaches its closest point to Earth, it will shine at -4.5 magnitude — as bright as it ever gets — but the dazzling sight will reveal something else if you point a small telescope at it. As an inner planet, when it nears Earth, it appears as a crescent; watch from Jan. 11 to Feb. 19, and you'll see it shrink each night.

Total lunar eclipse

When: March 13 to 14, 2025

The first total eclipse of the moon since late 2022 will turn the lunar surface a gorgeous orangey-reddish color for 65 minutes. North America will get a ringside seat, with the event seen throughout the continent during the night. Europe isn't so lucky, as it will get just a glimpse of the phenomenon during moonset.

Northern lights at equinox

When: March 20 and Sept. 22, 2025

The equinoxes, when Earth's axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, create the ideal geometry for reliable and spectacular displays of auroras around the poles — and this year, these light shows will likely occur farther north and south. With the sun at solar maximum in 2025, expect increased solar activity, including aurora-triggering outbursts, particularly in the few weeks after the equinoxes.

Partial solar eclipse

When: March 29, 2025

Although it won't match the total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, for sheer drama, those in northeastern U.S. states and eastern provinces in Canada may glimpse an eclipsed sunrise if skies are clear. This partial solar eclipse will see as much as 94% of the sun blocked by the moon, and it will also occur across Europe and northwest Africa.

Lyrid meteor shower

When: April 21 to 22, 2025

With 2024's Perseids — the most prolific and popular meteor shower of the year — marred by bright moonlight, other meteor showers will have to pick up the slack. With a crescent moon setting early in the evening, expect a good show from the Lyrids, which deliver about 10 to 20 shooting stars per hour and a few super-bright fireballs. April is also a good month to begin looking for the Milky Way later at night.

Eta Aquariid meteor shower

When: May 6 to 7, 2025

Expect about 60 shooting stars per hour during the peak of the Eta Aquariids, which will take place under ideal astronomical conditions. It is one of two meteor showers caused by dust and debris left in the inner solar system by Halley's comet (the other being November Orionids). The Eta Aquariids are best seen from the Southern Hemisphere.

Saturn at opposition

When: Sept. 21, 2025

Saturn will be at its brightest and best in late September as Earth passes between the gas giant and the sun. This will be the best time to see Saturn, though you'll need a small telescope to see its rings. There will be no opposition from Jupiter in 2025 — the giant planet will align with Earth and the sun early in 2026.

Venus and Jupiter conjunction

When: Aug. 12, 2025

Get up before sunrise on this date, and you'll likely see the beautiful sight of Jupiter and Venus shining just a degree from each other. That's less than the width of your little finger held out at arm's length against the sky. Jupiter will shine at -1.8 magnitude and Venus at -3.9 magnitude.

Beaver supermoon

When: Nov. 5, 2025

There will be three supermoons in 2025, the closest of which will be November's Beaver Moon at 221,726 miles (356,833 kilometers) from Earth. It will be the closest full moon this year and the closest since 2019. It will be preceded by October's Hunter's Moon and December's Cold Moon, with January 2026's Wolf Moon also being a supermoon.

What it is: The sun's corona

Where it is: About 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) from Earth

When it was shared: Dec. 10, 2024

Why it's so special: This stunning image shows the sun's corona during two total solar eclipses — on April 20, 2023, and April 8, 2024. The photo, snapped by a team of eclipse-chasing astrophotographers known as the Solar Wind Sherpas, is significant because it shows the sun during solar maximum, the peak in its roughly 11-year cycle, scientists explained at a Dec. 13 news conference at the American Geophysical Union's annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

The sun's magnetic activity waxes and wanes over 11 years. The current solar cycle began in 2019 with solar minimum and reached solar maximum in mid-October. Scientists count the number of sunspots — cooler solar regions that are caused by a concentration of magnetic-field lines — to determine and predict the progress of the solar cycle. However, some solar science can be performed only during a total solar eclipse.

Related: Eclipse from space: See the moon's shadow race across North America at 1,500 mph in epic satellite footage

The sun's corona is the hottest and outermost layer of the star's atmosphere; it extends millions of miles into space. However, its intricate structures are overwhelmed by the sun's photosphere — its bright surface — and can be seen from Earth only during the totality phase of a total solar eclipse, when the sun is completely blocked by the moon from our perspective on Earth.

The image shows the combined results of images of the corona taken during two separate totalities and in multiple wavelengths. The photos show how, even though the sun was close to solar maximum during both eclipses, its magnetic field shaped the sun's corona differently during each eclipse. The images contain information about the corona's temperature and are vital for solar physicists' attempts to understand the corona and why it's so much hotter than the photosphere.

The photos that make up the two composite images were taken from heady heights. In addition to being snapped by cameras attached to telescopes, the photos were taken by spectral imaging cameras mounted on a kite in Western Australia (for the April 2023 eclipse) and on the NASA WB-57 research aircraft flying out of Houston (for the April 2024 eclipse).

For more sublime space images, check out our Space Photo of the Week archives.

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover was treated to a "googly eye" solar eclipse as the planet's moon Phobos passed in front of the sun.

Phobos — one of Mars' two moons, along with the even tinier Deimos — traveled between the Red Planet and the sun on Sept. 30, the 1,285th Martian day of Perseverance's mission. The rover, located on the western wall of Mars' Jezero Crater at the time, captured the eclipse using its powerful Mastcam-Z camera system.

NASA recently shared a new video of footage taken by Perseverance, showing the tiny, potato-shaped moon as it moved in front of the sun's disk. Phobos appeared as a dark black object against the warm glow of the sun, creating what looks like a "googly eye" (where Phobos is the pupil) in the skies above Mars.

This is not the first time that Perseverance has witnessed a solar eclipse from Mars. In fact, given that Phobos circles the Red Planet once every 7.6 hours, this type of event is much more common on Mars, compared to eclipses on Earth.

Related: Perseverance rover watches a solar eclipse on Mars

"Because Phobos' orbit is almost perfectly in line with the Martian equator and relatively close to the planet's surface, transits of the moon occur on most days of the Martian year," NASA officials said in the statement sharing the new Perseverance video footage.

Measuring only 17 miles (27 kilometers) at its widest point, Phobos is roughly 157 times smaller in diameter than Earth's moon. Given its swift orbit, a transit of Phobos usually lasts only 30 seconds or so. The video footage shared shows the eclipse in real time, as well as sped up by four times.

"At the same time that Phobos appeared as a large black disc rapidly moving across the face of the sun, its shadow, or antumbra, moved across the planet's surface," NASA officials said in the statement.

In addition to Perseverance, NASA's Curiosity and Opportunity rovers have also been treated to solar eclipses on Mars, during which Phobos passed in front of the sun. By capturing various eclipse events over the last 20 years, scientists are able to learn more about the moon and how its orbit is changing.

This data is particularly helpful as Phobos is nearing Mars at a rate of 6 feet (1.8 meters) every 100 years. As a result, the moon is predicted to crash into the Red Planet within about 50 million years, according to the statement.

Originally posted on Space.com.

Even Mars rovers like to chase solar eclipses.

On Sept. 30, NASA's Perseverance rover turned its Left Mastcam-Z camera toward the sky and photographed a solar eclipse from Mars, capturing the planet's moon Phobos partially blocking the sun's disk.

In the series of photographs, you can distinctly see the shape of Phobos, which resembles a lumpy potato. Phobos, which is the larger of Mars' two tiny moons, isn't spherical like our own moon — or many moons in our solar system, for that matter — but rather irregular like an asteroid.

Measuring roughly 17 miles by 14 miles by 11 miles (27 by 22 by 18 kilometers), this Phobos orbits Mars at an exceptionally close distance — just 3,700 miles (6,000 km). By comparison, our moon circles at an average distance of 238,855 miles (384,400 km) from Earth. And Phobos is a fast mover, completing three orbits of Mars in a single day.

Related: NASA's Perseverance rover may already have found signs of life on Mars, discovery of ancient lake sediments reveals

While Phobos might look like an asteroid, it likely isn't one. In fact, the origin of Phobos is one of the moon's biggest mysteries. Some scientists have ruled out Phobos as a captured asteroid for one main reason — its orbit around Mars is nearly perfect. If Mars' gravitational pull had snagged a passing asteroid, the abducted object likely would have an irregular orbit.

Current theories about the origin of Phobos and its companion moon, Deimos, revolve around some form of accretion, whether that's from leftover material as Mars formed or from a cataclysmic collision between the Red Planet and another celestial body.

Perseverance's recent photo series of Phobos isn't the first time the rover has imaged a solar eclipse; it also photographed the oblong moon transiting the sun in April 2022 and February 2024.

And, in fact, Perseverance wasn't even the first rover to image such an event. NASA's twin Spirit and Opportunity rovers observed Phobos solar transits in 2004, while Curiosity recorded the first video of one in 2019. See? Rovers really do love chasing solar eclipses!

Originally posted on Space.com.

What it is: An annular solar eclipse

Where it is: Over Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, in the Pacific Ocean

When it was shared: Oct. 2, 2024

Why it's so special: For up to 7 minutes, 25 seconds on Wednesday, Oct. 2, the new moon appeared to sit perfectly inside the sun's disk during a partial "ring of fire" solar eclipse. On both sides of that short time, the edge of the moon appeared to touch the inside edge of the sun, causing "Baily's beads" — sunlight pouring through the moon's mountains — to fizz. Onlookers had to use solar eclipse glasses and equipment fitted with solar filters to safely observe the phenomenon.

Annular solar eclipses differ from total solar eclipses because the moon is farther from Earth, so the moon can't cover the sun's entire disk. On Oct. 2, the moon eclipsed 86.9% of the sun at its peak while appearing 6.4% smaller than average, according to Moonblink.

However, there are ways to image the eclipse safely while extracting more detail than is possible through regular solar filters. This very special image was taken by astrophotographer Aditya Madhavan while traveling with the eclipse tour group Astro Trails to Easter Island. Madhavan used a Lunt H-alpha telescope, which sees in only the wavelength of light created by hydrogen atoms on the sun.

"We're looking at the sun's image in hydrogen-alpha, and what we're seeing is the chromosphere of the sun, specifically in the wavelength of 656.28 nanometers," Madhavan told Live Science. The sun's chromosphere is a thin layer of plasma that lies between the sun's visible surface, called the photosphere, and the sun's upper atmosphere, or corona, which becomes visible to the naked eye during a total solar eclipse.

"It's a special kind of filter known as an h-alpha etalon that isolates that layer of the sun's atmosphere," Madhavan added. The photographer used a Lunt 40-millimeter hydrogen Alpha telescope using a QHY174 monochrome camera and tracking on a Rainbow Astro RST 135 mount. That allowed him to capture solar prominences — bright features extending outward from the sun's surface and into the corona — around the solar limb

Related: 'Ring of fire' solar eclipse blazes over Easter Island in incredible new image

In sharp contrast to the total solar eclipse in North America on April 8, which crossed over about 50 million people, this eclipse was visible only from within a remote path about 165 to 206 miles (265 to 331 kilometers) wide across remote Patagonia in both Chile and Argentina, where barely 175,000 people live, as well as from Easter Island.

Madhavan observed the eclipse above a spectacular water-filled volcanic caldera called Rano Kau. From that location, annularity — the moment when the moon appeared to sit within the sun with a "ring of fire" circling its edge — lasted up to 6 minutes, 10 seconds.

Although the "ring of fire" was also visible from parts of Patagonia in Chile and Argentina, most eclipse chasers traveled to Easter Island, some 2,200 miles (3,500 km) off the coast of Chile. It's home to roughly 1,000 human-faced moai statues, all staring inland from its coast and constructed mainly between 1150 and 1290. A tiny island covering just 63 square miles (163 square kilometers), Rapa Nui is not often in the path of solar eclipses. This was Rapa Nui's first annular solar eclipse since 1788 and its last until 2345.

It was Earth's first annular solar eclipse since Oct. 14, 2023, the last until Feb. 17, 2026, and the longest until Feb. 6, 2027, when a "ring of fire" will be visible for 7 minutes, 51 seconds from Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria, according to Timeanddate.

For more sublime space images, check out our Space Photo of the Week archives.

On Wednesday (Oct. 2) a ring of fire appeared in the sky over one of the most isolated islands on Earth as thousands of enormous stone heads looked on.

This was not a sign of the gods' fury (we hope) but a spectacular form of partial eclipse called an annular solar eclipse — sometimes dubbed a "ring of fire" eclipse, for the bright hoop of light that becomes visible during the eclipse's peak, when the moon blocks out roughly 90% of the sun's visible surface.

Arriving just months after the April 8 total solar eclipse that stunned millions of skywatchers across North America, Wednesday's celestial event was only visible from a small handful of inhabited places, including southern Chile and Argentina. But the most spectacular view was arguably from the Pacific island of Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island), where U.K.-based astrophotographer Josh Dury was ready to watch the event unfold over the island's famous stone moai statues.

In an incredible composite image shared with Live Science, Dury captured the full transit of the moon across the sun's face — a slow-burning celestial event that lasted about 3.5 hours from start to finish, and a little over 6 minutes during its peak "ring of fire" phase. In the foreground, a stern moai statue points its nose skyward.

"[This is] 21 images blended into a single frame," Dury said in an email. "Captured between 12:23 - 15:52 local time."

Dury added that a personal friend and tour guide allowed him and his travel companion — Dury's mother — to access a normally restricted area of the national park called the Rano Raraku quarry, where hundreds of moai statues stand. "If it was not for him, we would not be able to get this picture," Dury said. This special tour allowed Dury and his mother to witness "the last annular eclipse over the island in 312 years," he added. "A very special moment to share indeed."

Related: Perseid meteor shower rains 'shooting stars' over Stonehenge in glorious astrophotography image

Solar eclipses occur when the moon is positioned precisely between Earth and the sun, always falling two weeks after a full moon. The last one was September's full Harvest Moon, which also featured a partial lunar eclipse.

During a total solar eclipse, the moon appears to block out the sun's visible surface entirely. During a partial solar eclipse, like the Oct. 2 annular eclipse, the moon is located a bit farther from Earth and appears a bit smaller in the sky, never fully blocking the sun. Because of this, partial eclipse viewers must always wear protective gear, like solar eclipse glasses, to view the event.

Approximately 1,000 human-faced moai statues dot Easter Island, though little is known about their purpose or their construction. Many of the surviving statues have massive torsos buried beneath the ground, and weigh up to 75 tons (68 metric tons).

Radiocarbon dating of food remnants found on obsidian tools on the island suggest that Rapa Nui was inhabited as early as 1,000 years ago. Thousands of people live there today, mostly to support the moai tourism industry. Located roughly 2,200 miles (3,540 km) west of Chile — the closest South American country — Easter Island is one of the most secluded inhabited islands in the world.

Update: This article was updated on Oct. 3 to include extra details and quotes from the photographer

A spectacular image of sunlight streaming through mountains on the moon during a solar eclipse has been crowned this year’s grand prize winner in the annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition hosted by the Royal Observatory, Greenwich in the U.K.

But the winning images in other categories were just as impressive, including stunning photographs of the Dolphin Head nebula and a backlit, worm-like galaxy.

The overall winner of the competition, Ryan Imperio, took the striking eclipse image on Oct. 14, 2023 in Odessa, Texas. The image, titled "Distorted Shadows of the Moon's Surface Created by an Annular Eclipse," features a sequence of continuous eclipse shots that captured shadows in the ring patterns, known as Baily's beads.

Baily's beads appear because the surface of the moon is peppered with mounds, valleys and craters, meaning sunlight is broken up as it shines around the moon during an eclipse. These visible breaks in sunlight are rare, only occurring as the moon enters or exits an eclipse, and it takes immense precision to capture them, according to a statement shared with Live Science.

"This is an impressive dissection of the fleeting few seconds during the visibility of the Baily's beads," Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn, a meteorologist and judge in the competition, said in the statement. "It's exceptional work deserving of high recognition."

Related: Space photo of the week: The 1st image of an alien planet

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich received around 3,500 image entries, from which a panel of judges selected winners in 11 categories.

In the Galaxies category, the judges chose an image of Centaurus A, a galaxy also known as NGC 5128, surrounded by powerful jets of radiation and particles traveling close to the speed of light. The image, captured by Bence Tóth and Péter Feltóti from Hungary, shows the galaxy in a worm-like shape. Centaurus A is only visible from the Southern Hemisphere and low northern latitudes, so the photographers traveled to Namibia to capture the image in June 2023, according to the statement.

A mesmerizing image of the Dolphin Head Nebula, showing both the main body of the nebula and background stellar wind, won the Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer. Xin Feng and Miao Gong captured the image over a period of 10 days in China's Sichuan province in January before processing the image.

For the Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation, the panel chose a multicolored picture of Earth created using satellite data. Land masses, oceans and atmospheric features appear red, green and blue in this image by Sergio Díaz Ruiz from Spain.

To view the full list of this year's contest winners, head over to the Royal Museums Greenwhich's Astronomy Photographer of the Year homepage.

As millions of people looked up to the sky to see the moon temporarily (and completely) block out the sun during the April 8 total solar eclipse, the extraordinary cosmic event also shifted invisible "time signals" being beamed from the U.S. across the globe, new data shows. But don't worry, these altered signals did not result in any changes to the time we observed during or after the event.

The shifted time signals came from the WWV radio station — a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) facility located in Fort Collins, Colorado, that monitors and broadcasts high-frequency radio waves. 

WWV, which is jointly operated by NASA's Ham Radio Citizen Science Investigation (HamSCI), constantly broadcasts a special signal embedded with "digital time codes" to millions of receivers around the world. Devices that pick up this signal interpret the digital codes embedded within the transmission and use them to stay in sync with NIST's atomic clocks, which serve as the gold standard for all U.S. timekeeping.

Related: 6 strange things observed during the April 8 solar eclipse: From doomed comets to 'diamond rings'

However, in order to do this, the signal must be bounced off the ionosphere — the upper part of the atmosphere between 50 and 370 miles (80 and 600 kilometers) above the Earth's surface, where gases are turned into plasma, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And during the eclipse, the ionosphere was slightly altered as the moon's shadow raced across the U.S. at more than 1,500 mph (2,400 km/h). 

As a result, the frequency of the signal being bounced off this part of the atmosphere was shifted slightly, Spaceweather.com initially reported. Similar frequency shifts were also seen in other radio signals sent or received by amateur radio operators across the country, HamSci reported.

Luckily, the change to the WWV signal's frequency was so small that the digital time codes transmitted by the radio waves were unaltered, meaning devices that rely on the signal to keep time were unaffected, according to Spaceweather.com. 

Radio waves from other major time signal stations across the world, including WWV's sister station WWVH in Hawaii, were unaffected by the eclipse.

A 'quick flip to darkness'

The shift to the WWV signal is known as a Doppler shift, which happens when the distance a signal must travel either increases or decreases. These changes can either stretch or truncate the waves, which in turn alters the frequency and wavelength of the waves.

Similar Doppler shifts happen naturally at least twice every 24 hours as the sun rises and sets, Kristina Collins (radio callsign KD8OXT), a researcher at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, told Live Science in an email. "Every day, light from the sun causes photoionization in the ionosphere, causing ionospheric layers to move, combine or separate." 

From sunrise onward, this causes the ionosphere to expand, which means radio waves do not travel as far before bouncing off this invisible barrier, Collins said. But when the sun sets, the ionosphere contracts, allowing signals to travel farther before being bounced back to the surface, she added. As a result, radio signals have to travel farther at night, which slightly increases their wavelengths. 

The same thing happened during the "quick flip to darkness" of the eclipse, Collins said. "Essentially, it's like a day/night cycle in miniature." 

Similar, less extreme Doppler shifts can also be caused by changes in solar activity, including large gusts of solar wind, explosive solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which can all alter Earth's ionosphere when they bombard our planet, Collins added. 

On April 8, millions of people across North America looked up to the sky as the moon temporarily (and completely) blocked out the sun during the total solar eclipse. The historic cosmic event, which was also seen from space, was special because of the length of totality — the period when the sun's light was completely obscured — which lasted up to 4 minutes, 28 seconds. 

However, several other strange things happened during the eclipse that helped to further elevate it to a once-in-a-lifetime experience. From mysterious red dots and a newly discovered solar system object to surprising animal and human behaviors, here are the six weirdest things that happened during the eclipse.

Related: Top total solar eclipses to look out for over the next decade

Shifting 'time signals'

As the moon's shadow passed across North America, radio operators noticed a small shift in the frequency and wavelengths of the signals they were sending and receiving. These subtle changes were also spotted in signals sent out by a government-run station in Colorado, which transmits digital time codes to millions of people across the world.  

The altered signals were the result of changes to the upper atmosphere caused by a sudden lack of solar radiation during the eclipse. These changes meant that radio waves which bounced off this part of the atmosphere, had to travel further and became stretched as a result.

Luckily, the changes to the time signals being transmitted did not alter the codes embedded within them, meaning that no actual changes to the time we experience occurred.

Puzzling plasma plumes 

During totality, thousands of people witnessed peculiar red dots around the edge of the sun's obscured disk. Detailed photos of these dots revealed that they were fiery plumes of plasma that had seemingly erupted from the sun and were towering above our home star's surface.

Lots of people assumed that these solar outbursts were the result of powerful explosions known as solar flares. However, there were no flares during totality. Experts later explained that what people were seeing was another phenomenon known as solar prominences. These large plasma structures erupt from the sun but remain intact and attached to the solar surface for weeks at a time.

Photographers initially hoped to photograph solar flares during totality. But in the lead-up to the eclipse, the sun entered a surprising lull in solar activity, despite being near the peak in the solar cycle. As a result, explosive flares were always going to be unlikely.

New comet discovered (and destroyed) 

One of the biggest surprises during the total solar eclipse was the discovery of a tiny "sungrazer" comet named SOHO-5008, which was first spotted by an amateur astronomer just hours before the event began.

Scientists immediately predicted that the comet might be visible to photographers during the eclipse. As suspected, multiple photographers captured blurry images of the comet as it raced toward the sun. However, it was not visible to the naked eye.

Then, just a few hours after the eclipse ended, the newly identified comet appeared to be destroyed by the sun as it got too close to our home star and likely disintegrated.

Animals acting oddly 

For humans, the eclipse is a special event that we can understand and predict in advance. But for animals, totality is a massive shock, and this surprise can trigger some rather interesting behaviors. 

Zoos located along the path of totality kept a close eye on their animals during the eclipse. 

At the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas, lots of animals — including gorillas, tortoises, elephants and bonobos — mistook the darkening sky for dusk and went to return to their indoor areas, CBS News reported. And at the Indianapolis Zoo, several bird species began to settle down for the night.

At Dallas Zoo, zebras, giraffes and chimpanzees were seen running around or patrolling their enclosures, while flamingos huddled together for safety, all of which are signs of anxiety, according to CBS News. Meanwhile, an ostrich at the same zoo laid an egg during totality, although it is unclear if this was caused by the eclipse.

Live Science's Brandon Specktor also witnessed some strange animal behavior as he watched the eclipse live from the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, Ontario, with his family — and a goose. The waterfowl stayed eerily quiet during totality before erupting with a loud honk as the sun reappeared, which was echoed with chirps from other birds seemingly "greeting what they may have imagined was a new dawn."

Massive internet usage drop-off 

During totality, humans in the path of the moon's shadow displayed a surprising behavioral change that is becoming increasingly rare in the modern age: They put down their phones and stopped using the internet.

Network services and cybersecurity company Cloudflare reported that, during the eclipse, internet usage across the path of totality fell as people looked up to the sky. Across the U.S., internet usage dropped by 8% during the eclipse. However, in certain states — including Vermont, Ohio, New Hampshire, Maine, Indiana and Arkansas, parts of which were in the path of totality — internet usage decreased by at least 40% during totality. The biggest drop was seen in Vermont, where online traffic plummeted by 60%.

Similar decreases were also seen in parts of Mexico and Canada, which were in the path of the eclipse as well, Cloudflare reported.

Visible daytime planets 

Observing the planets is normally reserved for nighttime hours and is possible only if you know where to look. But during totality, eclipse observers got a rare chance to spot some of the planets during the day.   

As initially predicted, Jupiter and Venus were visible to the naked eye during totality. Both appeared near the sun, although they were not visible to everyone because of cloud cover.  

Planets can be seen during the eclipse only if they are near our home star in the sky. The extended period of totality experienced by most eclipse observers also increased the chances of seeing the planets.

"Baily's beads" and "diamond rings" 

Depending on where you were during totality, you also may have seen some weird lights around the sun. 

Lots of people reported witnessing multiple points of light around the obscured sun. This effect, known as Baily's beads, occurs when rays of sunlight shine between mountains on the moon's uneven edge just before and after totality. Others may have spotted a "diamond ring," where a large, bright point emerges as the moon continues to move farther away. (You may have missed these phenomena completely if you were wearing your eclipse glasses at the time.)

Showing impeccable timing, Space.com reporter Josh Dinner used one of these diamond rings to propose to his partner during totality — and she said yes.

Other weird eclipse stuff

Lots of other strange things happen during an eclipse. You also may have sensed a sudden cooling effect as the sun's radiation was blocked out by the moon, or started seeing predominantly purple light thanks to a color-shifting phenomenon known as the Purkinje effect. You also may have seen clouds vanish overhead as the ground beneath you rapidly cooled. 

Even if you missed the eclipse, you can still watch NASA's livestream of the event. And the next total solar eclipse is just a couple of years away, in 2026 — if you can make it to Greenland, Iceland or Spain.

With the April 8 total solar eclipse over, North America has exactly eight years, 11 months and 22 days to wait until its next one. Although total solar eclipses occur in the same location only every 375 years or so, they are not rare. In fact, they happen on our planet about once every 18 months, on average.

In the next decade, seven total solar eclipses will occur on Earth, plunging countries as diverse as Australia, Egypt, Spain and Sudan under the central shadow of the moon. The first of these will be on Aug. 12, 2026, and the last will be on March 20, 2034, with maximum durations of totality ranging from 1 minute, 8 seconds to 6 minutes, 23 seconds.

Here are the important details about where, when and how to experience a total solar eclipse in the next decade.

Related: Here are the best photos of the April 8 total solar eclipse over North America

1. Total solar eclipse of 2026

Europe's first total solar eclipse for 27 years will coincide with the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower. The path of totality will pass over Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. The place to experience maximum totality will be on a cruise ship off the coast of Reykjavik, Iceland. The chances of a clear sky are much higher in northern Spain, but the eclipse will be much lower, so sight lines will be key. From the Spanish island of Mallorca, it will even be possible to see a "sunset totality" featuring a golden corona (as long as there are clear skies).

2. Total solar eclipse of 2027

Saros 136 is our era's preeminent family of total solar eclipses. It repeats every 18 years, 11 days and eight hours. The next one is on Aug. 2, 2027, with Luxor, Egypt, destined for a clear view of 6 minutes, 23 seconds of totality. Other options include southern Spain; Gibraltar; Tangier, Morocco; Tunisia's Kerkennah Islands; and Jeddah and Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

However, all eyes will be on Luxor, where an eclipsed sun will be visible from the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Colossi of Memnon and the Temple of Hatshepsut.  A whopping 89 million people will experience totality in 2027 — far more than witnessed the 2024 total solar eclipse in North America.

3. Total solar eclipse of 2028

This solar eclipse — the second of five in 15 years for Australia — will be visible from remote locations such as the Bungle Bungles and Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles) in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, respectively, as well as Dubbo, the Blue Mountains and Sydney, where observers will get to witness 3 minutes, 48 seconds of totality. The South Island of New Zealand — including Milford Sound, Queenstown and Dunedin — will also experience totality close to sunset.

4. Total solar eclipse of 2030

This eclipse will occur mostly at sea, but it will cross almost 11 million people on two continents. Totality will occur shortly after sunrise from Namibia's Skeleton Coast before moving across Botswana to Durban on the east coast of South Africa. The path of totality will then stretch across a remote part of the Indian Ocean before a low-setting eclipsed sunset is seen from South Australia and the outback of New South Wales and Queensland. It's the perfect opportunity to explore Namibia or take part in a remote safari adventure in Botswana.

5. Hybrid total-annular solar eclipse of 2031

For many people, this remote and short eclipse might not be worth the effort. After all, a brief totality during this very remote eclipse will be visible only from inside a narrow path in the North Pacific Ocean, making a cruise ship from Hawaii the most likely way to experience it. 

But this is the most dramatic type of eclipse — a hybrid. A hybrid eclipse, which occurs only seven times in the 21st century, combines an annular (or "ring of fire") solar eclipse and a total solar eclipse. However, the short duration and small shadow are crucial, with informed eclipse chasers destined to enjoy an extended display of Baily's beads and a lingering diamond ring before and after totality. A "ring of fire" will be visible from the coast of Panama for 25 seconds. 

6. Total solar eclipse of 2033

For many people, this remote and short eclipse might not be worth the effort. After all, a brief totality during this very remote eclipse will be visible only from inside a narrow path in the North Pacific Ocean, making a cruise ship from Hawaii the most likely way to experience it.

But this is the most dramatic type of eclipse — a hybrid. A hybrid eclipse, which occurs only seven times in the 21st century, combines an annular (or "ring of fire") solar eclipse and a total solar eclipse. However, the short duration and small shadow are crucial, with informed eclipse chasers destined to enjoy an extended display of Baily's beads and a lingering diamond ring before and after totality. A "ring of fire" will be visible from the coast of Panama for 25 seconds.

This is the next total solar eclipse for North America. Because it occurs close to the spring equinox, it will be a great opportunity to explore Alaska during peak northern lights viewing season. An eclipsed sun as low as 8 degrees above the eastern horizon will be seen from locations such as Utqiagvik (Barrow), Sagavanirktok (Prudhoe Bay), Kotzebue and Nome.

7. Total solar eclipse of 2034

If you want a total solar eclipse to take you off the beaten path, this eclipse will suit you. The path of totality will envelope 109 million people in 13 countries in Central Africa and South Asia. Chief viewing locations will include the Red Sea Coast, in Egypt; the UNESCO World Heritage site of Persepolis, in Iran; and Leh, in the Indian Himalayas.

Additional resources

You can read all about these eclipses in the book "When Is the Next Eclipse? A traveler's guide to total solar eclipses 2024-2034," by Jamie Carter, and on his website, WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com. Other useful resources for eclipse chasers include Eclipse Wise, a website dedicated to predictions of eclipses; cartographer Michael Zeiler's GreatAmericanEclipse.com and Atlas of Solar Eclipses 2020-2045; climate and weather predictions by meteorologist Jay Anderson on Eclipsophile.com; and Xavier Jubier's Interactive Google Maps.

Originally posted on Space.com.

Now that the "Great North American Eclipse" is over, you may be itching for the next opportunity to witness another celestial marvel. So when is the next solar eclipse? 

The next total solar eclipse is more than two years out, on Aug. 12, 2026, in Greenland, Iceland and Spain. However, on Oct. 2, 2024, a "ring of fire" annular solar eclipse will pass over parts of the Pacific Ocean, southern Chile and southern Argentina.

Whereas 43.8 million people were able to experience totality for the April 8, 2024, eclipse in North America, only 175,000 people will have that opportunity for the Oct. 2 annular solar eclipse, according to Time and Date. The paths of both eclipses cross in the Pacific Ocean.

Related: Eclipse from space: See the moon's shadow race across North America at 1,500 mph in epic satellite footage

During an annular solar eclipse, it is NEVER safe to look directly at the sun without solar eclipse glasses designed for solar viewing.

So, ready to go eclipse chasing? Here's everything you need to know about the annular solar eclipse on Oct. 2, 2024, in Chile and Argentina. 

What is an annular solar eclipse?

The Oct. 2 eclipse will be very similar to the annular solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023, which was visible across the U.S. Southwest, Central America and South America. All solar eclipses occur when a new moon is positioned precisely between Earth and the sun and casts its shadow on Earth. However, unlike a total solar eclipse, an annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon is slightly farther from Earth. So, even when the disks align from our perspective, the moon's shadow doesn't completely block out the sun's light. Instead, a ring of sunlight is visible around the moon.

Related: What's the difference between a total solar eclipse and an annular solar eclipse?

The eclipse on Oct. 2, 2024, will have an eclipse magnitude of 0.9326, according to EclipseWise.com. That means about 93% of the sun will be blocked by the moon during the eclipse, resulting in an "annulus" (Latin for "ring"). The moon will appear 6.4% smaller than average, according to MoonBlink.

The closer the observer is to the centerline, the more circular the ring of fire will be and the longer it will last. But experienced eclipse chasers often observe from the edge of the path during an annular solar eclipse to see extended views of Baily's beads fizzing around where the limb of the moon appears to touch the sun. They can be visible for several minutes.

From where can you see the Oct. 2 annular solar eclipse?

The ring of fire will be visible only within a path of annularity that passes across the Pacific Ocean, southern Chile and southern Argentina.

This area will include the volcanic island of Rapa Nui/Easter Island, an iconic travel destination that's famous for the mysterious stone statues called moai, some of which reach 40 feet (12 meters) tall and weigh 75 tons. The island, which is only 63 square miles (163 square kilometers), is located 2,300 miles (3,700 km) from the Chilean coast, making it the most isolated inhabited landmass on Earth. Remarkably, it will be the second time a central solar eclipse has been visible from this tiny Pacific island in recent decades, with a total solar eclipse glimpsed there on July 11, 2010. The next total and annular eclipses there will be in 2324 and 2345, respectively.

A good option would be to position yourself slightly south of a moai at multiple sites to get a view of the ring of fire just above one of the statues, according to the Atlas of Solar Eclipses — 2020 to 2045. Iconic locations will include the platform at Ahu Tongariki, where 15 moai are positioned on a 200-foot-long (60 m) ceremonial platform and nearby Rano Raraku.

October's ring of fire will also be visible from southern Patagonia in Chile and Argentina. The path will be 180 to 185 miles (290 to 300 km) wide.

Where and when can I see the Oct. 2 annular solar eclipse?

Here are some places eclipse chasers will gather for this annular solar eclipse:

• Rapa Nui/Easter Island, Chile (5 minutes, 38 seconds to 6 minutes, 12 seconds of annularity starting at 14:03 EAST, 67 degrees above North)
• Cochrane, Chile (5 minutes, 40 seconds of annularity starting at 17:21 CLST, 26 degrees above NNW)
• Perito Moreno National Park, Argentina (6 minutes, 17 seconds of annularity starting at 17:21 ART, 25 degrees above NNW)
• Puerto Deseado, Argentina (3 minutes, 22 seconds of annularity starting at 17:27 ART, 20 degrees above NNW)
• Puerto San Julian, Argentina (5 minutes, 12 seconds of annularity starting at 17:24 ART, 21 degrees above NNW)

Organized eclipse-viewing tours include Sky & Telescope, TravelQuest and AstroTrails. All are experienced eclipse tour operators that are headed to Rapa Nui/Easter Island.

What will the weather be like for the Oct. 2 annular eclipse?

It's always best to travel somewhere you want to visit regardless of a solar eclipse. That certainly applies to the Oct. 2 event, because the prospects of a completely clear sky are relatively low. The chances of clouds that day are 75% for Rapa Nui/Easter Island,, 90% for Perito Moreno National Park, and 65% to 70% for locations on Argentina's Atlantic coast, according to Time and Date.

On Rapa Nui/Easter Island, the cooling of the land could cause convective clouds to dissipate, according to Eclipsophile, with the south coast statistically slightly favored. The chances of seeing the ring of fire are smallest on Chile's Pacific Coast and highest on Argentina's Atlantic coast. The latter has the least interesting scenery of anywhere in the path, but the eclipse will arguably be a more dramatic sight because it will occur much lower in the sky.

Why is the Oct. 2, 2024, annular solar eclipse special?

The Oct. 2, 2024, annular solar eclipse is special for three very different reasons. First, it follows the Great North American Eclipse of April 8 — so interest in solar eclipses should be high, and many eclipse chasers will travel to see it.

Second, it's a long eclipse, with the ring of fire lasting up to 7 minutes, 25 seconds. That's much longer than the 4 minutes, 52 seconds possible in the U.S. during the last annular solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023.

Third, the best place to view this event is a truly iconic destination: Rapa Nui, also called Easter Island.

Where to see the partial solar eclipse on Oct. 2

Although a ring-of-fire eclipse will be visible only from the aforementioned areas of Chile and Argentina, other areas will experience a partial solar eclipse on Oct. 2. These areas include parts of the Pacific Ocean and the southern half of South America. Here's what percentage of eclipse will be seen from major cities and destinations in the partial-eclipse zone:

• Galapagos Islands (1%)
• La Paz, Bolivia (1%)
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (9%)
• São Paulo, Brazil (10%)
• Buenos Aires, Argentina (42%)
• Montevideo, Uruguay (42%)
• Santiago, Chile (44%)
• Villarrica, Chile (63%)
• El Calafate, Argentina (83%)
• Falkland Islands (84%)
• South Georgia Island (76%)
• Punta Arenas, Chile (75%)
• Ushuaia, Argentina (72%)
• Elephant Island (56%)
• Port Lockroy, Antarctica (44%)

After October 2024, when is the next annular solar eclipse?

Here are the dates and locations for some upcoming annular solar eclipses:

• Feb. 17, 2026: Antarctica
• Feb. 6, 2027: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria
• Jan. 26, 2028: Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Brazil, French Guiana, Portugal, Morocco and Spain
• June 1, 2030: Algeria, Tunisia, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Japan

Additional resources

Want to look further ahead? You can find a concise summary of solar eclipses out to 2030 on NASA's eclipse website. Read more about solar and lunar eclipses on EclipseWise.com, a website dedicated to predictions of eclipses. See beautiful maps on eclipse cartographer Michael Zeiler's GreatAmericanEclipse.com and interactive Google Maps on Xavier Jubier's eclipse website. You can find climate and weather predictions by meteorologist Jay Anderson on eclipsophile.com.

Bibliography

Anderson, J. (February 2024). Annular Solar Eclipse 2024 October 2. Retrieved March 1, 2024 from https://eclipsophile.com/annular-solar-eclipse-october-2-2024/

Bakich, M. and Zeiler, M. (2022). Atlas Of Solar Eclipses 2020-2045.  https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/books/atlas-of-solar-eclipses-2020-to-2045

Espenak, F. Solar Eclipse Prime Page: Annular Solar Eclipse of 2024 October 2. Retrieved March 1, 2024 from: https://eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/2001-2100/SE2024Oct02Aprime.html

Jubier, X. (n.d.). Solar eclipses: Interactive Google Maps. Retrieved March 1, 2024 from http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/SolarEclipsesGoogleMaps.html

Time and Date. (n.d.). October 2 2024 Annular Solar Eclipse. Retrieved March 1, 2024 from https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2024-october-2

Originally posted on Space.com.

During the recent total solar eclipse, you may have glimpsed what looked like explosive solar flares bursting from the sun after its fiery corona briefly came into view. But it turns out this was not the case. 

However, what you or others may have seen was equally impressive and just as beautiful. 

On Monday (April 8), millions of people across North America watched as the moon temporarily blocked out our home star and its shadow raced along the path of totality between Mexico and Canada at more than 1,500 mph (2,400 km/h). The cosmic event, which was also seen from space, was particularly special because of the length of totality — the period when the sun's light was completely obscured — which lasted for up to 4 minutes and 28 seconds.

During totality, some observers saw red dots around the obscured sun. Detailed photos of these dots revealed they were actually plasma, including a particularly large, fiery plume on the sun's southwest limb. As a result, multiple outlets including USA Today and NDTV reported that these fiery structures were produced by solar flares — explosions on the sun's surface that can launch massive clouds of plasma, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), into space. Lots of observers also took to social media to share their photos of these "solar flares." 

But experts weighed in to point out there were no solar flares during the eclipse.

"There are many (incorrectly) reporting that a solar flare was visible during the total solar eclipse," Ryan French, an astrophysicist at the National Solar Observatory in Colorado, wrote on the social platform X. "This is sadly untrue, and the bright feature seen by millions was actually a prominence. These are longer-lived plasma structures, and not explosive like flares."

Related: When is the next total solar eclipse after 2024 in North America?

Solar activity data backs up French's claim. On April 8, there was just one minor C-class solar flare that ended several hours before totality began anywhere in the U.S., and it did not launch a CME, according to SpaceWeatherLive.com. This flare was also not linked to the large prominences seen during the eclipse. 

Unlike solar flares, which eject plasma as they explode from the sun's surface, prominences are plasma structures that remain connected to the solar surface for days or weeks, normally forming a large loop, according to NASA. Prominences can eventually snap and fling plasma into space like a CME, but this didn't happen during the eclipse.

Many people were expecting solar flares during the eclipse because the sun is currently near the peak of its roughly 11-year solar cycle, known as solar maximum. During this period, dark sunspots litter the solar surface and frequently unleash flares and other solar storms as the sun's magnetic field begins to unravel. 

However, in the lead-up to the eclipse, the sun became surprisingly inactive with almost no sunspots, which meant the chances of solar flares occurring were greatly reduced. This solar activity lull is only temporary and is expected to pass by the end of the week, according to EarthSky.com.   

If you missed the eclipse, don't worry, it is still possible to rewatch NASA's live stream of the event.

A tiny "sungrazer" comet was discovered, photographed and destroyed during the recent total solar eclipse — all within 24 hours. It is one of just a handful of times a comet has been spotted during an eclipse, experts say. 

On Monday (April 8), millions of people across North America watched the moon as it temporarily blocked our home star and its dark shadow raced along the path of totality between Mexico and Canada at more than 1,500 mph (2,400 km/h). The cosmic event, which was also seen from space, was particularly special because of the length of totality — the period when the sun's light was completely obscured — which lasted for up to 4 minutes and 28 seconds.

In the hours leading up to the eclipse, Worachate Boonplod, an amateur astronomer based in Thailand, discovered a small comet near the sun after spotting a faint disruption picked up by the coronagraph on NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), Spaceweather.com reported. The comet was named SOHO-5008.

Karl Battams, an astrophysicist and computational scientist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington D.C. and leader of NASA's Sungrazing Comets Project, later predicted on the social platform X that the "tiny" comet could be visible to photographers during totality — and he was right.

As the moon's shadow passed above New Hampshire, amateur astronomer Lin Zixuan snapped the comet during totality, Spaceweather.com reported.

"Ground-based observations of sungrazing comets are extremely rare" and only possible during eclipses, Battams wrote on X. But the comet was not visible to the naked eye, he added.

Related: When is the next total solar eclipse after 2024 in North America?

Later the same day, astronomers lost track of SOHO-5008 as it likely disintegrated after getting too close to the sun, like most other sungrazers eventually do, Spaceweather.com reported. Due to the limited data collected by researchers before the comet's destruction, it is unclear how large the comet was or how close it got to the sun. 

Sungrazers, which are comets that pass within around 5 million miles (8 million kilometers) of the sun, or around 10 times closer to the sun than Mercury, were first discovered in the late 19th century. Most sungrazers belong to the Kreutz group, which are believed to be fragments of a giant comet that exploded around 2,000 years ago, according to Spaceweather.com.

This is not the first time a sungrazer has been photographed during an eclipse. During the Dec. 14 solar eclipse above Argentina and Chile in 2020, comet C/2020 X3 (SOHO-3524), which was also discovered by Boonplod, was photographed sailing toward the sun. Experts believe this sungrazer, which was observed for a longer period, was around 50 feet (15 meters) wide and traveling at 450,000 mph (725,000 km/h), according to NASA.

SOHO-5008 was not the only comet that photographers were hunting for during the eclipse. Cryovolcanic comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as the "devil comet," was also expected to be visible via camera and potentially even to the naked eye. However, this hellish comet proved to be much harder to spot than anticipated, Business Insider reported. 

If you missed the recent eclipse, don't worry, it is still possible to rewatch NASA's live stream of the event.

Syracuse, N.Y. — On Monday morning (April 8), a crowd began gathering on the lawn of the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology (MOST), hoping to witness a total solar eclipse.

"I've seen a number of partial [solar] eclipses, but this is my first total eclipse," said Lindsay Hays, a program scientist in the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters. "So I'm very excited for it."

Hays answered questions from eclipse viewers as a part of the museum's Solar Eclipse Festival, which lasted from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET Monday, though many arrived earlier. With free eclipse glasses, a huge eclipse cake and a variety of vendors and food trucks, the event brought a communal eclipse experience to downtown Syracuse's Armory Square. Attendees, including many families with children, stretched out on picnic blankets in the mild weather.

One attendee, Christopher Ducey of Solvay, New York, set up a Cave Astrola telescope from the 1970s on the lawn. The vintage telescope is heavy and bulky by modern standards, Ducey said.

"But I like this old thing, and it easily converts to a really nice projecting solarscope, which is what I'm using it for today," Ducey added. Earlier in the day, the telescope's eyepiece cast a crisp projection of the sun onto a screen behind it, but clouds prevented the solarscope from working later in the day.

Related: Here are the best photos of the April 8 total solar eclipse over North America

Still, the morning's clouds were patchy, and attendees remained optimistic that they might get a glimpse at totality — the moment during a total solar eclipse when the moon completely blocks the sun's disk, plunging the ground below into shadow. If the cloud cover remained light, Hays said, there was a chance that the eclipse itself could cause the clouds to dissipate slightly. The decreased sunlight could limit the evaporation of water into the atmosphere, she said, resulting in fewer clouds forming. Hays said this same effect often causes the sky to clear up slightly during the night.

Hays was even hopeful that the sky might clear up enough to reveal planets, such as Jupiter,  near the moon during the sudden darkness of totality.

Like Hays, many at the event were excited to experience totality for the first time.

"It's the most pretty part of it," said Theo, 5, from New York City, showing off the picture he'd drawn of a dark-blue moon rimmed by a pale-yellow corona (the sun's outer atmosphere, which is visible with the naked eye only during totality).

Other attendees were simply excited to be there, pointing to the eclipse as a uniting force in a divided world.

"I'm excited to watch everyone together, especially in such a chaotic time," said Ora Jezer, who was at a booth representing the Central-Northern New York (CNNY) chapter of the Sierra Club, along with her mother, Rhea Jezer, who is the CNNY group chair.

As museum workers announced the start of the partial phase of the eclipse, the sky remained cloudy, with the sun drifting in and out of view. Often, nothing at all was visible through the eclipse glasses. But every few minutes, rays of sunlight shone through the clouds and cheers from onlookers marked each good look at the eclipse.

Just before the start of totality, the clouds dissipated enough to watch the last rays disappear behind the moon. Colors became bizarrely muted, and soon enough, the darkness of evening suddenly swept across the sky.

Unfortunately, the sun's corona wasn't bright enough to pierce the layer of clouds over MOST. But others in Syracuse, including onlookers watching from an event at Syracuse Inner Harbor, were lucky to catch a glimpse of the corona through a gap in the clouds.

Despite the weather, the eerie darkness of totality filled the crowd with awe.

"When the darkness washed over the crowd, you could feel the energy and the wonder that people were experiencing," Emily Stewart, senior director of education and curation at MOST, wrote in a email to Live Science.

After a minute and a half, a single bead of bright, golden light began to emerge from the clouds. The phenomenon, called Baily's beads, happens when sunlight peeks through valleys on the moon's surface. There were more cheers during the sun's reemergence, and the partial views immediately after were some of the clearest of the day.

Though the view of the eclipse from MOST wasn't ideal for viewing totality, Stewart said the experience was still memorable.

"Seeing so many people come out to witness an astronomical event, to hear them cheering and clapping when they saw the eclipse with their own eyes, was so rewarding for our whole team," she said.

Are you wondering what to do with your eclipse glasses now that the April 8 total solar eclipse has come and gone?

The nonprofit group Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) has partnered with libraries, schools, museums, businesses and other organizations across the U.S. and Canada to collect and recycle gently used eclipse-viewing glasses. The glasses will be sent to underserved communities and schools around the world to use during future solar eclipses, according to a statement from the organization.

"This one-of-a-kind program helps to bring eclipse glasses to people who may not otherwise have a safe way to view the eclipse directly," AWB officials said in the statement. "AWB is committed to continue sending glasses to those who need them for outreach and educational programs around the world."

Related: Here are the best photos of the April 8 total solar eclipse over North America

On Monday (April 8), a total solar eclipse passed over Mexico, 15 U.S. states and Canada. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, casting a shadow on our planet's  surface. For those in the path of totality, the moon appears almost exactly the same size as the sun, so it blocks the entire solar disk for a few minutes. However, solar eclipse glasses are needed to safely view the sun during the partial phases of an eclipse.

Millions of solar eclipse glasses were used by viewers across North America, and now AWB wants to prevent them from unnecessarily ending up in landfills. Every pair of glasses donated will be inspected by trained volunteers to make sure they meet safety certifications and are not damaged or counterfeit, according to the statement.

One of AWB’s donation partners is Warby Parker, a prescription glasses retailer, which will use over 240 retail locations across the U.S. to collect used eclipse glasses through April 30. Other donation locations include Vessel Refillery FW in Indiana, Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful and Twinsburg Public Library in Ohio, and Montshire Museum of Science and Chittenden Solid Waste District in Vermont. The latest list of AWB collection partners can be found online.

AWB has also partnered with the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia to help with processing and storing collected glasses before they are sent to underserved communities around the world, according to the statement.

"This unique resource-sharing project is the second recycling campaign AWB is conducting, having had great success distributing hundreds of thousands of eclipse glasses collected from the 2017 American solar eclipse," AWB officials said in the statement. "Recycled and vetted solar glasses were sent to schools that were in the path of solar eclipses in South America, Africa and Asia over the past seven years."

AWB also aims to make eclipses more accessible with its "One Eclipse" app. The app features an interactive eclipse map for users to pinpoint the perfect viewing spot, along with a countdown timer for when the moon's shadow will pass overhead. The app also has an eclipse simulator that lets users see what the eclipse will look like from any location on Earth, from start to finish. One Eclipse can be downloaded on both Apple and Android devices.

Originally posted on Space.com.

Following the total solar eclipse raced across North America at a whopping 1,500 mph (2,400 km/h) Monday (April 8), drawing the eager eyes of tens of millions of skywatchers, internet searches for "my eyes hurt" seem to be spiking.

So how can you tell if you injured your eyes while watching the eclipse? And if you have, what should you do?

How can an eclipse hurt your eyes?

The only time it's safe to look at a solar eclipse with bare eyes is during totality, which is when the moon completely blocks the sun. It's dangerous to look at the sun without special eye protection any other time, including during partial phases of a solar eclipse, when the sun isn't fully obscured. This is due to a risk of "solar retinopathy," which refers to damage to the retina — the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye — caused by sun exposure or other bright lights.

Typically, protective reflexes, like blinking and pupil contraction, kick in if we glance at the sun on a normal day. During an eclipse, though, these reflexes may not be as robust because the sun is partly covered. This can make it easier to stare at the sun without discomfort — long enough to cause retinal damage.

You wouldn't necessarily feel this damage happening in real time because "the retina has no sensory nerve fibers," Dr. Vincent Giovinazzo, interim chairman of ophthalmology at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City, told Live Science after North America's 2017 eclipse.

That's why it's recommended that you view eclipses through an eclipse viewer, a solar filter fitted to a telescope or binoculars, or special eclipse glasses — although, unfortunately, there were counterfeit glasses floating around for this year's eclipse, Live Science's sister site Space.com reported.

In theory, looking at an eclipse could also burn the surface of the eye, causing a condition called solar keratitis, NBC reported. But this sort of burn would be much more common among people spending time at high altitudes or in bright, white snow without eye protection, as compared to eclipse watchers.

Related: The best photos and videos of the April 8 total solar eclipse over North America

Signs of eye damage after an eclipse

The main symptoms of solar retinopathy don't always include pain, but they tend to disrupt a person's vision, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

For example, symptoms can include having blurred vision or noticing a blind spot toward the center of one or both eyes. People may also experience increased light sensitivity or distorted vision, where straight lines look curved or objects appear smaller than they really are, for instance. Changes in a person's color vision can also occur because the cells responsible for sensing color are in the retina. 

These various vision changes can also give rise to headaches, and people also commonly report eye soreness, wateriness and discomfort, the Cleveland Clinic says.

These symptoms typically show up within about four to six hours of the viewing event, although they could appear the next day, Dr. Nathan Podoll, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and co-division chief of comprehensive ophthalmology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, previously told Live Science.

Importantly, though, the symptoms that may show up after an eclipse aren't necessarily signs of permanent eye damage. In mild cases of solar retinopathy, the symptoms typically go away on their own, although it may take up to six months in some instances, the Cleveland Clinic notes. The New York Times reported that it sometimes takes closer to a year.

In severe cases of the condition, though, the eye damage can be irreversible. An ophthalmologist may suggest that they check your eyes several times across multiple visits, to see if the damage is improving or not; they can diagnose solar retinopathy and judge its severity with a test called optical coherence tomography, an imaging test that uses light to reveal damage and irregularities in the retina.

There's no specific treatment for permanent damage caused by solar retinopathy, NBC reported.

If it's not eye damage, why do my eyes feel weird?

If your eyes felt weird after the eclipse but it doesn't turn out to be retinal damage, what is it?

Staring at anything for a prolonged period can cause eye soreness, The Washington Post reported. That discomfort can arise when the eyes are dried out or when they've been focused on something for a long time, for example.

If you viewed the solar eclipse only through certified eclipse glasses, it's unlikely that your eyes were damaged, Dr. Carl Jacobsen, a clinical professor at the UC Berkeley School of Optometry, told The Washington Post. You may just be experiencing eyestrain — but if any vision changes persist, you should see an eye doctor, he said.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.

Ever wonder why some people build muscle more easily than others or why freckles come out in the sun? Send us your questions about how the human body works to community@livescience.com with the subject line "Health Desk Q," and you may see your question answered on the website!

Eerie new satellite images show the moon's gigantic shadow racing across North America during the April 8 total solar eclipse. Photos captured by astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) also highlight the mind-boggling scale of this rare cosmic event.

On Monday (April 8), millions of people along or near the path of totality watched the moon temporarily block out our home star as its shadow swept across North America from Mexico to Canada. During this event, totality — the period where the sun is completely obscured — lasted up to 4 minutes and 28 seconds, depending on the viewer’s location. 

Despite some adverse weather conditions and an uncharacteristically inactive sun, observers were able to capture stunning images of the eclipse from the ground. Some people were even lucky enough to catch glimpses of rare phenomena including slithers of sunlight known as "Baily's beads" and plasma eruptions from the sun, known as solar prominences. But from space, the event was arguably even more impressive.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) 16th Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-16) took thousands of photos of the eclipse from its fixed position above North America. When these images were stitched together, they showed the moon's shadow sweeping across the continent, Spaceweather.com reported.

The resulting footage looks like something straight out of a sci-fi film.

"The Moon's shadow raced across North America faster than 1,500 mph [2,400 km/h], creating a mind-altering cone of darkness," Spaceweather.com wrote.

Related: When is the next total solar eclipse after 2024 in North America?

Astronauts on board the ISS also watched the eclipse from their unique viewpoint, and a member of the Expedition 71 crew captured a striking shot of the moon's shadow from around 260 miles (418 kilometers) above Earth, NASA reported. At this point, the dark void was passing from New York state into Newfoundland, Canada.

The ISS photo was no accident. NASA had been gradually maneuvering the space station for months so that it would pass through the eclipse, while also making sure the orbiting station avoided space junk. In the end, the ISS experienced a totality of around 90%, according to NASA. 

However, astronauts were unable to take photos of the actual eclipse because the windows facing the sun, which are located in the Roscosmos section of the station, were inaccessible due to "cargo constraints," NASA representatives wrote.

The gigantic dark patch was also spotted by one of SpaceX's Starlink satellites during the eclipse.

The moon's shadow is often referred to as the umbra, which is Latin for shadow. However, an umbra is just the darkest part at the heart of the moon's shadow. Our natural satellite's shadow also contains two other parts: the penumbra, where only part of the sun is covered; and the antumbra, where a fainter shadow is cast across a wider radius. 

Observers located in the path of totality were temporarily covered by a true umbra, but anyone who experienced a darkened sky outside of this route was experiencing a penumbra or antumbra. This is why the moon's shadow appears much wider than the path of totality in the new images.

If you missed the eclipse, don't worry, it is still possible to rewatch NASA's live stream of the event.