Topline
Skywatchers in northeast U.S. states and eastern Canada may witness a rare celestial event at sunrise on Saturday, March 29, 2025, as the first solar eclipse of 2025 strikes. While not a total solar eclipse like the one on April 8, 2024, this partial solar eclipse will be in progress as the sun rises, creating the rare sight of a crescent-shaped sun on the horizon and the unusual view of separate cusps of the sun appearing to rise independently. The event comes two weeks after a “blood moon” total lunar eclipse was seen across North America and also from the moon.
Key Facts
A partial solar eclipse occurs when the moon only covers a portion of the sun’s disk, its central shadow slightly missing Earth. During this eclipse, the alignment of the sun, moon and Earth is only slightly off-center, thus causing a very deep eclipse.
The point of greatest eclipse is the Nunavik region of Quebec, Canada, from where 94% of the sun will be seen to block the moon at sunrise. During a partial solar eclipse, this point is always somewhere along the “terminator” line that divides the daytime and nighttime sides of the Earth, according to Timeandddate.com.
From North America, the event will happen at sunrise and, from some locations along the terminator — from Nunavik down through Quebec, New Brunswick, and Maine — a crescent sun will rise as a “smiley face.” As it does, the sun will display sharp, pointed cusps known as solar horns or “devil’s horns” to create an eery “double sunrise.”
A smaller eclipsed sunrise will be seen across the Atlantic coast in northeastern U.S. states, notably in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and in eastern Canada, most easily in New Brunswick and Quebec.
The exact schedule for any location can be found using this searchable map of the eclipse, which contains a simulation of what the observer will see. The Photographer’s Ephemeris is useful for calculating sight lines to the sunrise. Both are important to check, particularly if you want to see a “double sunrise” — though a clear horizon will be necessary.
Staying Safe During The Eclipse
Partial solar eclipses require eye protection at all times, and even a small sliver of exposed sun can cause eye damage. Use eclipse glasses, and solar filters for cameras and binoculars, suppliers of which can be found on the American Astronomical Society’s Suppliers of Safe Solar Filters & Viewers list. A pinhole projector can also be used to safely view the crescent shape.
Key Background
Fifty million people may have witnessed the “Great North American Eclipse” on April 8, 2024. During that total solar eclipse, a path of totality 115 miles (185 kilometers) wide crossed North America from northern Mexico to south-eastern Canada via 15 U.S. states. Weather satellites and astronauts on the International Space Station captured views of the moon’s shadow during the event. The next partial solar eclipse visible in North America will be a small partial solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026, while the next total solar eclipse on the continent will be on March 30, 2033, in Alaska.
