A total solar eclipse will be visible over North America on Monday, one of the most anticipated skywatching spectacles in recent years. If the weather is right, millions of people in Mexico, 15 U.S. states, and eastern Canada will witness the moon temporarily hide the sun.
A “path of totality” over 100 miles wide will span the continent during the total solar eclipse. The moon will entirely cover the sun along that path, darkening afternoon sky for a few minutes. In the rest of the continental U.S., a partial solar eclipse will show the moon eating the sun. Bite size depends on location.
NASA said totality will begin on Mexico's Pacific coast at 11:07 a.m. PT. After traversing northeast Mexico, the eclipse passes through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Conditions permitting, Michigan and Tennessee will also see totality.
Southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton at the eastern edge of Nova Scotia will see the eclipse.
Eclipse timing and totality vary by location. The center of the eclipse's path has the longest totality periods, but most regions will see 2 minutes of darkness. This year, the longest totality will last 4 minutes and 28 seconds northwest of Torreón, Mexico. NASA provides timings for various U.S. cities along the totality path.
Dallas: Total eclipse at 1:40 p.m. CT after partial eclipse at 12:23. Idabel, Oklahoma: Partial eclipse at 12:28 p.m. CT, totality at 1:45. Little Rock, Arkansas: Partial eclipse at 12:33 p.m. CT, totality at 1:51. Poplar Bluff, Missouri: Partial eclipse at 12:39 p.m. CT, totality at 1:56. Paducah, Kentucky: Partial eclipse at 12:42 p.m. CT, totality at 2:00.
Carbondale, Illinois: Partial eclipse at 12:42 p.m. CT, totality at 1:59. Evansville, Indiana: Partial eclipse at 12:45 p.m. CT, totality at 2:02 p.m. Cleveland: Partial eclipse at 1:59 p.m. ET, totality at 3:13 p.m. In Erie, Pennsylvania, partial eclipse begins at 2:02 p.m. ET and totality at 3:16. Buffalo, New York: Partial eclipse at 2:04 p.m. ET, totality at 3:18.
Burlington, Vermont: Partial eclipse at 2:14 p.m. ET, totality at 3:26. Lancaster, New Hampshire: Partial eclipse at 2:16 p.m. ET, totality at 3:27. Caribou, Maine: Partial eclipse at 2:22 p.m. ET, totality at 3:32.
NationalEclipse.com and TimeandDate.com can also assist you determine when the eclipse will be visible in your area. Remember that looking directly at the sun through binoculars, telescopes, or camera lenses is dangerous when watching the cosmic spectacle. Solar eclipses require special spectacles to prevent irreversible eye injury.
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