When Does the Next Solar Eclipse Happen in North America?

On Tuesday, October 25, a partial photo voltaic eclipse was seen throughout Europe, western Asia and northeast Africa. While the eclipse was not seen in North America, viewers within the U.S. have been promised a string of photo voltaic spectacles over the approaching years.

What Are the Different Types of Solar Eclipse?

A photo voltaic eclipse seems when the moon passes between the solar and Earth.

“A partial solar eclipse occurs when the new moon covers a part of the sun’s surface,” Tom Kerss, a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society within the U.Okay., instructed Newsweek. “If the alignment is just right, the new moon can bull’s-eye the center of the sun and create a total solar eclipse.

“Since the moon varies in distance from the Earth, and the Earth varies in distance from the solar, on most events the moon seems too small to completely eclipse the solar. This ends in an annular photo voltaic eclipse, generally generally known as a ‘ring of fireplace’ eclipse, the place the solar’s brilliance spills across the edges of the brand new moon.”

The astronomer, author and consultant said that the extent and visibility of the eclipse will depend on your location. “A central eclipse is most spectacular alongside a slender path known as an eclipse observe. Outside of this path, over a a lot bigger space, partial phases may be seen,” Kerss stated.

Between two and 5 photo voltaic eclipses may be seen yearly, however typically may be considered solely from the ocean. “Most of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, so many eclipse tracks go unseen across the oceans before or after making landfall,” Kerss stated.

“Over a long period of time, eclipses will grace every country on Earth, but in the near future, the majority will fall over the Americas and Australia.”

When Will the Next Solar Eclipse Be Visible in North America?

The subsequent complete photo voltaic eclipse within the U.S. is anticipated on April 8, 2024, and on October 14, 2023, an annular photo voltaic eclipse will even be seen.

“Predicting the occurrence of eclipses is an ancient science,” Kerss stated. “About 2,000 years ago, the Greeks built a bronze computer called the Antikythera mechanism, which could predict events involving the sun and moon, including eclipses.

“Today, with our present data of the orbital properties of each the Earth and the moon, we are able to calculate the exact circumstances of eclipses everywhere in the globe, hundreds of years into the long run.”

The next total solar eclipse to occur globally is expected on April 20, 2023, but this will be visible only from south and east Asia, Australia, the South Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Antarctica.

How Can You Safely Watch a Solar Eclipse?

“The best way to safely view a solar eclipse is indirectly, by projecting an image of the sun,” Kerss stated. “You should never look directly at the sun.

“A easy pinhole projector–a tiny gap poked by a bit of card–will forged a picture of the solar in its shadow, revealing the section of the eclipse,” Kerss said. “Even a colander makes a really efficient eclipse projector, its many tiny holes every producing a picture of the solar.”

Solar-eclipse viewing glasses and photo voltaic filters are additionally out there, though you will need to be sure that these are genuine and bought from a reputable provider of astronomy tools.

Correction: 10/26/22 6:52 a.m. ET: This article was up to date to right the spelling of Tom Kerss’s identify.