U.S.
By Aliza Chasan
/ CBS News
Total solar eclipse cuts path across U.S.
A total solar eclipsecrossed North America Monday with parts of 15 U.S. states within the path of totality. Maps showwhere and when astronomy fans could see the big eventas skies darkened in the middle of the day Monday, April 8.
The total eclipse first appeared along Mexico's Pacific Coast at around 11:07 a.m. PDT, then traveled across a swath of the U.S., from Texas to Maine, and into Canada.
About 31.6 million people live in the path of totality, the area where the moon fully blocked out the sun, according to NASA. The path ranged between 108 and 122 miles wide. An additional 150 million people live within 200 miles of the path of totality.
Solar eclipse path of totality map for 2024
The total solar eclipse started over the Pacific Ocean, and the first location in continental North America that experienced totality was Mexico's Pacific Coast, around 11:07 a.m. PDT, according to NASA. From there, the path continued into Texas, crossing more than a dozen states before the eclipse enters Canada in southern Ontario. The eclipse exited continental North America at around 5:16 p.m. NDT from Newfoundland, Canada.
The path of totality included portions of the following states:
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Arkansas
- Missouri
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Indiana
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- New York
- Vermont
- New Hampshire
- Maine
Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan also experienced the total solar eclipse.
Several major cities across the U.S. were included in the eclipse's path of totality, while many others saw a partial eclipse. These were some of the best major cities for eclipse viewing — though the weather was a factor:
- San Antonio, Texas (partially under the path)
- Austin, Texas
- Waco, Texas
- Dallas, Texas
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Dayton, Ohio
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Buffalo, New York
- Rochester, New York
- Syracuse, New York
- Burlington, Vermont
Map of when the solar eclipse reached totality across its path
The eclipse began in the U.S. as a partial eclipse beginning at 12:06 p.m. CDT near Eagle Pass, Texas, before progressing to totality by about 1:27 p.m. CDT and then moving along its path to the northeast over the following few hours.
NASA shared times for several cities in the path of totality across the U.S. People could have alsochecked their ZIP code on NASA's mapto see when the eclipse was to reach them if they were on, or near, the path of totality — or if they saw a partial eclipse instead.
How much of the eclipse did people see if they live outside the totality path?
While the April 8 eclipse covered a wide swath of the U.S., outside the path of totality observers may have spotted a partial eclipse, where the moon covers some, but not all, of the sun, according to NASA. The closer they were to the path of totality, the larger the portion of the sun that was hidden.
NASA allowed viewers to input a ZIP code and see how much of the sun was to be covered in their locations.
Could there be cloud cover be during the solar eclipse?
Some areas along the path of totality had a higher likelihood of cloud cover that could interfere with viewing the eclipse. Here is a map showing the historical trends in cloud cover this time of year.
You could have checked the latest forecast for your location with our partners at The Weather Channel.
Where did the solar eclipse reach totality for the longest?
Eclipse viewers near Torreón, Mexico, got to experience totality for the longest. Totality there lasted 4 minutes, 28 seconds, according to NASA.
Most places along the centerline of the path of totality saw a totality duration of between 3.5 and 4 minutes, according to NASA. Some places in the U.S. came close to the maximum; Kerrville, Texas, had a totality duration of 4 minutes, 24 seconds.
What is the path of totality for the 2044 solar eclipse?
The next total solar eclipse that will be visible from the contiguous U.S. will be on Aug. 23, 2044.
Astronomy fans in the U.S. will have far fewer opportunities to see the 2044 eclipse they had on April 8. NASA has not yet made maps available for the 2044 eclipse but, according to The Planetary Society, the path of totality will only touch three states.
The 2024 eclipse will start in Greenland, pass over Canada and end as the sun sets in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, according to the Planetary Society.
- In:
- Earth
- Eclipse
- Space
- NASA
Aliza Chasan
Aliza Chasan is a digital producer at 60 Minutes and CBSNews.com. She has previously written for outlets including PIX11 News, The New York Daily News, Inside Edition and DNAinfo. Aliza covers trending news, often focusing on crime and politics.
