Maps of the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse (2024)

By Jonathan Corum

Updated April 5, 2024

On April 8, the moon will slip between the Earth and the sun, casting a shadow across a swath of North America: a total solar eclipse.

By cosmic coincidence, the moon and the sun appear roughly the same size in the sky. When the moon blocks the glare of the sun, the sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, will be briefly visible.

Below are several maps of the eclipse’s path as well as images of what you might experience during the event.

Where Can I See the Total Eclipse?

The eclipse will begin at sunrise over the Pacific Ocean, then cut through Mexico and cross the United States from Texas to Maine. Most of North America will see a partial eclipse, but viewers within the deepest shadow — a band sliding from Mazatlán, Mexico, to the Newfoundland coast near Gander, Canada — will experience a total solar eclipse.

Maps of the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse (1)

Maps of the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse (2)

Viewers inside the path of the total eclipse may notice a drop in temperature, a lull or shift in the wind, the appearance of bright planets in the sky, and the quieting of birds and other wildlife.

Many cities lie inside the path of the total eclipse, as shown below, the width of which varies from 108 miles to 122 miles.

Maps of the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse (4)

Maps of the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse (5)

Explore our interactive cloud outlook for eclipse viewing times and average cloud data at your location.

What Will I See?

Maps of the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse (10)

If the sky is clear, viewers in the path of the total eclipse should see a “diamond ring” effect a few seconds before and after the total eclipse, as the edge of the sun slips in and out of view.

Maps of the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse (11)

The sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, is normally hidden by the sun’s glare. These tendrils and sheets of gas, heated to a million degrees Fahrenheit or more, are in constant motion and shaped by the sun’s swirling magnetic field.

Maps of the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse (12)

The sun is relatively active this year and is nearing the expected peak of its 11-year solar cycle. Researchers at Predictive Science are using data about the sun’s magnetic field to predict and model a dramatic corona for the April eclipse.

Maps of the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse (13)

What Colors Should I Wear?

As the sky darkens, light-sensitive cells in human eyes become more sensitive to blue and green hues than to reds and oranges. This shift in color perception is known as the Purkinje effect, after a 19th-century Czech scientist, and is typically seen at twilight.

Maps of the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse (14)

To take advantage of the Purkinje effect, Solar Eyeglasses suggests wearing green clothes or a contrasting combination of greens and reds. Blue-green colors (shorter wavelengths) will appear brighter, while red colors (longer wavelengths) will appear to recede into the darkness.

What If I Miss It?

The next two total solar eclipses in the United States won’t occur until 2044 and 2045. But eclipse chasers might catch one in 2026 in Greenland, Iceland and Spain; 2027 along the coast of Northern Africa; 2028 in Australia and New Zealand; or 2030 across Southern Africa and Australia.

Maps of the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse (15)

Maps of the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse (16)

A Total Solar Eclipse Is Coming. Here’s What You Need to Know.These are answers to common questions about the April 8 eclipse, and we’re offering you a place to pose more of them.By Katrina MillerMarch 22, 2024

What’s the Cloud Forecast for Eclipse Day? See if the Weather Is on Your Side.April 8 could be your best opportunity to see a total solar eclipse for decades. But if clouds fill the sky, you may miss the spectacle.By Josh Katz, K.K. Rebecca Lai and William B. DavisMarch 14, 2024