The next alignment of the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun that will produce a total solar eclipse visible in North America will occur on April 8, 2024. The view to the right in the main panel shows this particular geometric alignment. Totality will begin over the Pacific Ocean at 16:38:52 (UT) and will end over the Atlantic Ocean at 19:55:35 (UT).

• Press the Run Time Forward button to see how this arrangement of bodies results in the solar eclipse. (Note: The initial time is set for 16:38:52 UT, the start of the total eclipse. Run this simulation until the total eclipse ends at 19:55:35 UT.)

Although this total eclipse will start in the Pacific Ocean and end in the Atlantic Ocean, a significant part of the total eclipse time will be spent over the North American continent. This total eclipse will be visible in parts of Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

• Click here to see a view of the umbra and penumbra for the April 8, 2024 eclipse. Note that the time is again set to 16:38:52 UT, the start of the total eclipse.
• Now press the Run Time Forward button to see the umbra and penumbra travel across the Earth’s sphere.
• Click here to see a view of the umbra and penumbra shadow cones for the April 8, 2024 eclipse. These shadow cones are caused by the Moon blocking light from the Sun. Note that the time is set to 16:38:52 UT, the start of the total eclipse.
• Now press the Run Time Forward button to see the shadow cones for the umbra and penumbra travel across the Earth’s sphere.

Note that the umbra in Mexico travels through states from Sinaloa to Coahulla, in the U.S. it travels in a band from Texas to Maine, and in Canada it travels through provinces stretching from Ontario to Newfoundland. The umbra leaves continental North America off Newfoundland and travels over the Atlantic Ocean until the total eclipse ends at 19:55:35 UTC.

Dallas, Texas is directly in the path of totality.

• Click here to see a ground eye view from Dallas, Texas.
• Now press the Run Time Forward button to see a ground eye view of how totality will look in Dallas.
• Click here to see a close-up view of the Moon and Sun over Dallas.
• Now press the Run Time Forward button to see a close-up view of the Moon slowly covering the Sun’s disk during the April 8, 2024 eclipse as seen from Dallas. This particular close-up gives you a good view of totality. Totality from Dallas will last for 3 minutes and 49 seconds.

Locations outside the path of totality will see a partial solar eclipse. As a matter of fact, with the exception of Alaska and a small northwestern sliver of the Yukon Territory in Canada, all of North America will experience some form of partial solar eclipse; the greater the distance from the path of totality, the smaller the portion of the Sun that will be covered by the Moon. Denver, for example, is about 1,065 km (662 miles) northwest of Dallas. Denver in Colorado will experience a partial solar eclipse with approximately 65% of the Sun’s disk covered by the Moon.

• Click here and press the Run Time Forward button to see a close-up view of the partial eclipse that Denver will experience; the Moon will cover 65% of the Sun’s disk.

Seattle, Washington, which is approximately 1,641 km (1,019 miles) further northwest of Denver or 2,703 km (1,679 miles) NW from Dallas) will experience an even more reduced partial solar eclipse in which only approximately 20% of the Sun’s disk will be covered by the Moon.

• Click here and press the Run Time Forward button to see a close-up view of the partial eclipse that Seattle will experience; the Moon will cover 20% of the Sun’s disk.