The next total solar eclipse with a path of totality visible from the continental U.S. is still about two decades away.
Millions of Americans witnessed a total solar eclipse chart its way across the United States in 2024. Viewers in the path of totality saw the moon completely block the sun.
The awe-inspiring experience won’t happen in the U.S. again until 2044, with only three states in the path, and 2045, with more than a dozen states in the path.
“A total solar eclipse is one of the most spectacular things anyone can see in their lifetime,” Virginia Tech astrophysicist Nahum Arav told CBS News. The eclipse “looks like a black hole in the sky,” said Arav, who watched the paths of totality of eclipses in 1991 and 2017.
The 2024 eclipse started on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, and then moved into Texas. The eclipse’s visibility tracked through 15 states — Oklahoma, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, among them — before heading northward into Canada and then exiting North America.
Even with spotty weather in some states, millions of people from coast to coast saw a partial solar eclipse, in which the moon partially covers the sun. However, only those within the path of totality experienced the darkness of the total solar eclipse.
When is the next total solar eclipse in the U.S. after the 2024 eclipse?
Solar eclipses happen about twice a year, said Arav. “Eclipses happen all over the Earth evenly,” he told CBS News — but noted the timings when they occur are not regular. That means eclipses can occur within just a few years, or every few decades, in North America.
Before the eclipse in 2024, the last total solar eclipses visible from the U.S. were in 2017 and 1979. The 2017 solar eclipse was the first whose path of totality crossed the entire continent in 99 years.
Even though eclipses may seem to occur randomly, scientists can pinpoint exactly when and where they will happen.
“There is no ambiguity, as we know exactly where it will land,” said Arav.
There will be eight total solar eclipses visible from parts of the continental U.S. in the 21st century, Arav said, with one occurring about every 12 years, on average.
The next one is predicted to occur on Aug. 23, 2044, NASA said. However, the path of totality from this eclipse will only touch three states, according to The Planetary Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to public interest in space.
This next eclipse will mainly be observed in Canada, Arav said.
Path of totality for the 2044 total solar eclipse
The 2044 eclipse will start in Greenland on Aug. 23, 2044, and will continue its path through Canada.
The total solar eclipse will be short, mostly appearing in Canada. It will be visible from just three states in the U.S.: Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.
The path of totality will cross Williston and Dickinson, North Dakota, and Great Falls, Montana.
Path of totality for the 2045 total solar eclipse
The next solar eclipse that crosses a significant portion of the continental U.S. will be in 2045, said Arav. That year, a solar eclipse on Aug. 12 will darken skies in parts of the U.S., Haiti, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname and Brazil.
It will be visible in many states as it moves from coast to coast. The eclipse will start in California and move east to end in Florida, similar to 2017, Arav said.
There will be numerous U.S. cities where eclipse watchers can view the total eclipse, including Reno, Nevada; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Little Rock, Arkansas; Jackson, Mississippi; and Orlando, Florida.
Future solar eclipses in North America after 2045
In addition to the 2017 and 2024 total solar eclipses, scientists have predicted six more will appear in the contiguous states in the 21st century.
“Natural phenomena are like a Swiss clock,” Arav said. “We know exactly when and where they will appear.”
After the 2044 and 2045 total solar eclipses, the next ones will occur in 2052, 2078, 2079 and 2099.
2052
The total solar eclipse on March 30, 2052, will cross over parts of the Southeast.
The path of totality includes:
- Pensacola, Florida
- Tallahassee, Florida
- Savannah, Georgia
- Charleston, South Carolina
2078
This total solar eclipse on May 11, 2078, will also pass over multiple states in the Southeast.
The path of totality includes:
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Montgomery, Alabama
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
2079
The total solar eclipse on May 1, 2079, will be visible from some Northeastern states.
The path of totality includes:
- Portland, Maine
- Manchester, New Hampshire
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Hartford, Connecticut
- New York City, New York
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2099
The total solar eclipse on Sept. 14, 2099, will cross a wide swath of the United States.
The path of totality includes:
- Fargo, North Dakota
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Chicago, Illinois
- Columbus, Ohio
- Charleston, West Virginia
- Richmond, Virginia
Cara Tabachnick is a news editor at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at [email protected]
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