Total solar eclipse streaks across the US on April 8, from Texas to Maine

MASS. — A total solar eclipse comes to North America on April 8. It will enter over Mexico’s Pacific coast, dashing across the U.S. from Texas to Maine before exiting over eastern Canada into the Atlantic.

The peak spectacle will last up to 4 minutes, and 28 seconds in the path of total darkness — a 115-mile-wide path that slices across the continent. That’s the place to be to experience the full eclipse — most of the rest of the continent outside the path of totality will get a partial eclipse.

WHAT IS A TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE

During a total solar eclipse, the moon lines up perfectly between the Earth and the sun, blotting out the sunlight. On April 8, the moon’s shadow will slice a diagonal line from the southwest to the northeast across North America, briefly plunging communities along the track into darkness.

North America won’t experience totality again until 2033, but only in Alaska. The next isn’t until 2044, when totality will be confined to Western Canada, Montana, and North Dakota. There won’t be another U.S. eclipse, spanning coast to coast, until 2045.

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WHICH STATES WILL GET A FULL ECLIPSE

The path of total darkness — the path of totality — crosses 15 states.

The key ones are:

Texas

Oklahoma

Arkansas

Missouri

Illinois

Kentucky

Indiana

Ohio

Pennsylvania

New York

Vermont

New Hampshire

Maine

— Tennessee and Michigan just get a small slice. The rest of the lower 48 states will see a partial eclipse. The farther from the path of totality, the smaller the moon’s bite will be out of the sun.

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FIND YOUR CITY ON ECLIPSE MAPS

These sites provide detailed maps and other information about the eclipse:

NASA

NASA - citizen science opportunities

American Astronomical Society

Timeanddate.com

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