Topline
Skywatchers across the U.S. and Canada have two celestial events to catch within 24 hours. On Wednesday, Aug. 12, a partial solar eclipse will be visible across much of North America as a total solar eclipse sweeps across Greenland, Iceland and Spain. Then, after darkness falls, the annual Perseid meteor shower will peak beneath perfectly moonless skies. It brings together two of the celestial highlights of summer. Here’s exactly when to look up, where to get the best views and how to watch both safely.
Key Facts
A partial solar eclipse will be visible across Alaska, 26 U.S. states and every Canadian province and territory on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
The deepest eclipse in the contiguous U.S. will be seen from northern Maine, where the moon will cover up to 28% of the sun. Canada gets a much better show, with Nunavut seeing up to 61% obscuration and Newfoundland and Labrador more than 50%.
Anyone watching the eclipse must wear ISO 12312-2-certified eclipse glasses at all times. Binoculars, cameras and telescopes require securely fitted solar filters over the front of the optics.
Just hours after the eclipse ends, the annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak beneath almost perfectly moonless skies. Between about 2:00 and 4:00 a.m. local time on Thursday, Aug. 13, observers under dark skies could see 60 to 100 meteors per hour, including bright fireballs. However, some “shooting stars” will also be seen before midnight.
When And Where To Watch The Partial Solar Eclipse: North America
Although North America misses totality, millions of people will still see the moon take a noticeable bite out of the sun. The farther northeast in the U.S., the deeper the eclipse. Alaska also gets an excellent view, while eastern Canada enjoys the deepest partial eclipse anywhere on the continent.
When And Where To Watch The Partial Solar Eclipse: U.S.
Across the contiguous U.S., the partial solar eclipse begins at 10:27 a.m. MDT in Montana and North Dakota. It ends at 2:52 p.m. EDT in Maine, with the deepest eclipse visible across northern New England. Only a handful of U.S. cities will experience a partial eclipse of about 10% or greater, enough to make the event obvious through eclipse glasses. Here are some of those cities, including how much of the sun will be eclipsed at the peak of the event (and the time of the peak):
- Fairbanks, Alaska — 37% (8:27 a.m. AKDT)
- Anchorage, Alaska — 28% (8:18 a.m. AKDT)
- Presque Isle, Maine — 28% (1:50 p.m. EDT)
- Bangor, Maine — 23% (1:53 p.m. EDT)
- Portland, Maine — 19% (1:53 p.m. EDT)
- Augusta, Maine — 18% (1:52 p.m. EDT)
- Montpelier, Vermont — 17% (1:49 p.m. EDT)
- Manchester, New Hampshire — 16% (1:53 p.m. EDT)
- Boston, Massachusetts — 16% (1:55 p.m. EDT)
- Providence, Rhode Island — 15% (1:55 p.m. EDT)
- Albany, New York — 13% (1:47 p.m. EDT)
- New Haven, Connecticut — 12% (1:54 p.m. EDT)
- New York City — about 10% (1:54 p.m. EDT)
When And Where To Watch The Partial Solar Eclipse: Canada
Every Canadian province and territory will see at least part of the Aug. 12 partial solar eclipse. The event begins in western Canada shortly after 8:30 a.m. local time and continues into the late afternoon in Atlantic Canada, ending in Newfoundland and Labrador at 4:38 p.m. NDT. The deepest views will be in Nunavut and eastern Canada. Here are some notable places in Canada that will see the eclipse, including how much of the sun will be eclipsed at the peak of the event (and the time of the peak):
- Iqaluit, Nunavut — 61% (1:24 p.m. EDT)
- St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador — 53% (3:34 p.m. NDT)
- Moncton, New Brunswick — 32% (2:55 p.m. ADT)
- Halifax, Nova Scotia — 31% (3:00 p.m. ADT)
- Churchill, Manitoba — 27% (12:02 p.m. CDT)
- Québec City — 24% (1:46 p.m. EDT)
- Whitehorse, Yukon — 23% (9:26 a.m. MST)
- Montréal — 18% (1:45 p.m. EDT)
- Ottawa — 15% (1:42 p.m. EDT)
When To Watch The Perseids In The U.S. And Canada
The second event begins after dark. The Perseids peak overnight on Aug. 12–13 beneath one of the darkest skies in years. Under clear, rural skies, observers could see 60 to 100 meteors per hour, with activity building after midnight and peaking about 2:00 a.m. local time (i.e., the middle of the night). The meteors are tiny fragments shed by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle that burn up in Earth’s atmosphere at about 37 miles (59 kilometers) per second. Although they appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus, they can streak across any part of the sky. For the best experience, head somewhere away from city lights, allow your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adapt naturally to the darkness and look up. No telescope or binoculars are required.
When And Where Is The Total Solar Eclipse?
The Aug. 12 solar eclipse is total only from a narrow path across eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain, where the moon completely covers the sun for up to 2 minutes 18 seconds. Millions more across Europe will see a deep partial eclipse, with about 91% of the sun covered in London, 92% in Paris, 85% in Berlin and 87% in Vienna. North America lies outside the path of totality, but the moon’s outer shadow still sweeps across much of Canada, Alaska and the northeastern U.S., producing a partial eclipse.
When Is The Next Total Solar Eclipse In The U.S?
The next total solar eclipse visible from the U.S. will occur on March 30, 2033, when totality crosses northern Alaska, including Nome, where the eclipsed sun will hang low above the horizon, and totality will last about two and a half minutes. The next total eclipse to reach the contiguous U.S. comes on Aug. 23, 2044, crossing parts of Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota before continuing into Canada. Just under a year later, on Aug. 12, 2045, a much broader eclipse will sweep from California to Florida, bringing up to about six minutes of totality across the central U.S.