A year ago, a dazzling total solar eclipse captivated Americans. When is the next one?
A year ago, a dazzling total solar eclipse captivated Americans. When is the next one? On April 8, 2024, millions of Americans paused their days to step outside to witness an incredibly rare sight. We look back and ahead.
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2024 solar eclipse wows millions; next chance is 2044
The 2024 total solar eclipse offered a once-in-a-lifetime light show as it swept from Texas to Maine. The next solar eclipse will happen in 2044.
Few, if any, celestial events have ever had the power to capture our collection attention the way the Great American Eclipse did just one year ago.
On April 8, 2024, millions of Americans paused their days to step outside to witness an incredibly rare sight. When totality reached cities across the U.S., schools let out, work was put on hold and people took a moment to witness what was very likely a once-in-a-lifetime cosmic display.
For many spectators, the weeks of social media hype and frenzied media coverage leading up to last year's total solar eclipse had paid off. Those in the eclipse's path were treated to an incredible display as the moon completely blotted out the sun and revealed its outermost layer, which for a few minutes appeared as a striking glowing ring.
If you missed out out on the event, or it left you wanting more, you may be in for some slight disappointment. Not only are you in for a long wait, but the next time an eclipse hits the U.S., it won't come close to living up to last year's event.
Here's a recap of last year's total solar eclipse, and when skygazers can plan to catch the next ones in both the U.S. and around the globe.
Celestial wonders: 4 events that dazzled skygazers in 2024, from total solar eclipse to northern lights
What happened during the April 2024 total solar eclipse?
Last year's total solar eclipse was the first in North America since 2017 and completely put its predecessor to shame.
A solar eclipse is what occurs when the moon comes in between the sun and the Earth. That differs from what happened in March during the lunar eclipse, when the Earth came between the sun and moon to block sunlight from reaching our celestial neighbor.
For the 2024 eclipse, the sun's outermost layer, the corona, was brighter, the moon appeared larger and totality last just a bit longer than it did seven years prior.
The total solar eclipse of April 2024 charted a 115-mile-wide path across Mexico, the United States and maritime provinces of Canada.
In the U.S., tens of millions of people lived in the path of totality – the area where the moon completely blotted out the sun's disk stretching from the bottom of Texas all the way to the tip of Maine.
During last year's total solar eclipse, spectators in the path of totality witnessed a stunning sight as the Earth, sun and moon perfectly aligned for a few minutes. The process not only ushered in uncharacteristic darkness, but unveiled the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere.
When is the next total solar eclipse in the US?
The awe-inspiring spectacle is a rarity – and will become even more so in the years ahead. While only seven years passed between total solar eclipses in North America, the next one visible in the continent won't be for another 20 years.
Those in the U.S. will be waiting until Aug. 23, 2044 for a total solar eclipse. And with only three states on the path – Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota – the next North American eclipse won't have nearly as big of a reach as the 2024 celestial event that blanketed 13 states.
Outside of the lower 48 states, Alaska is set to experience a total solar eclipse on March 30, 2033, according to nationaleclipse.com.
When is the next total solar eclipse in the world?
Americans with updated passports who are willing to travel don't have to wait for another 20 years until a total solar eclipse is visible in the United States.
The next total solar eclipse to occur anywhere in the world will be August 12, 2026 when one passes over Spain, Iceland, and Greenland, according to NASA. Then, another one will occur about a year later on August 2, 2027 over North Africa.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
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