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It's finally here: Today, (April 8) a total solar eclipse will pass across the skies North America, giving more than 33 million people living in 15 U.S. states a rare view of the totally-obstructed sun, and — weather permitting — a taste of some seriously strange eclipse phenomena.
If you’re wondering where the total and partial phases of the eclipse will be visible, the good news is that almost everyone in the contiguous U.S. will be able to see the celestial spectacle to some extent. But for a more detailed view of the eclipse’s path, take a look at these handy eclipse maps, courtesy of GreatAmericanEclipse.com.
Solar eclipse 2024 path of totality map
Map of path of totality across North America of solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
(Image credit: GreatAmericanEclipse.com)
Totality is the moment that every eclipse-chaser lives for: The moment when the moon completely covers the sun’s face, resulting in a brief but eerie darkness in the daytime. The path of totality, shown in the map above, is the path of the moon’s shadow across Earth’s surface.
On Monday (April 8), totality will begin in Sinaloa, Mexico, then move northeast up to Texas, ultimately crossing 15 states before moving on to Canada. The states where totality will be visible are: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine — although Tennessee and Michigan will only be glanced by the moon's shadow.
Viewers MUST be within the path of totality to witness the total phase of the eclipse; if you are off the path by even a mile, you will only see a partial eclipse, and miss out on the spooky daytime darkness. Furthermore, the closer you are to the center of the path of totality, the longer totality will last for you — up to a maximum duration of 4 minutes, 27 seconds in Torreón, Mexico.
Note: Totality is the ONLY TIME when it is safe to view the sun without protective eyewear like certified solar eclipse glasses. You must protect your eyes during the entire partial phase of the eclipse, no matter where you are.
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Solar eclipse 2024 partial eclipse map
A map of total and partial eclipse coverage across North America on April 8, 2024.
(Image credit: GreatAmericanEclipse.com)
If you live in the U.S. and can’t make it to the path of totality, a partial eclipse still awaits you on April 8. The entire contiguous U.S. will have some view of the partial eclipse, ranging from 99% coverage of the sun just off the path of totality to about 15% coverage far to the northwest of the path.
The map above shows how much of the sun’s disk will be blocked from your location. Watching the partial phases of the eclipse — which last about an hour and 20 minutes before and after totality — means wearing protective eyewear at all times. Failure to do so could result in permanent eye damage, according to NASA.
If you want to experience the celestial spectacle but don’t have a pair of eclipse glasses handy, there are many other ways to safely enjoy the partial eclipse. These include making a homemade pinhole projector, using a pasta strainer to project the shadow of the moon onto the ground or watching one of the various eclipse live streams available.
2024 eclipse travel maps
A travel map showing driving distances to the path of totality on April 8, 2024
(Image credit: GreatAmericanEclipse.com)
If you want to see totality but don’t live within the path, driving or taking public transit to a city within the path may be possible. The map above shows how far the drive is to the path of totality, based on where you’re coming from. Meanwhile, the map below shows the most populated cities within the path of totality — many of which are expected to be flooded with millions of eclipse tourists on April 8.
The biggest cities within the path of totality include: San Antonio, Dallas, Austin and Fort Worth in Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Hamilton and Montreal in Canada; and Torreón and Mazatlan in Mexico.
A map showing the 10 biggest cities on the path of the April 8, 2024 eclipse
(Image credit: GreatAmericanEclipse.com)
Wherever you are on April 8, we wish you clear skies and protected eyes during this rare, wondrous eclipse over North America.
Brandon is the space / physics editor at Live Science. With more than 20 years of editorial experience, his writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Reader's Digest, CBS.com, the Richard Dawkins Foundation website and other outlets. He holds a bachelor's degree in creative writing from the University of Arizona, with minors in journalism and media arts. His interests include black holes, asteroids and comets, and the search for extraterrestrial life.
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