So, was it worth all the hype and anticipation? Monday’s rare total solar eclipse rightfully galvanized much of North America, as portions of Canada, Mexico and the United States saw the sun completely blocked out during the afternoon for a few minutes.
The next time such a total solar eclipse is slated to occur in the contiguous United States will be Aug. 22, 2044, with the path of totality scheduled to cross over Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.
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There will be other eclipses in the coming months and years, which are listed below. But as a reminder, they won’t be the rare event Monday’s was.
There are three kinds of solar eclipses. A total solar eclipse is when the moon completely covers the face of the sun, a partial solar eclipse is when the moon only covers part of the sun, while an annular eclipse is when the moon covers the sun’s center, leaving the outer edges visible to form a “ring of fire.”
A total lunar eclipse happens when the Earth comes between the sun and the moon and its shadow covers the moon, turning it red. A partial lunar eclipse is when the Earth moves between the sun and full moon, but they aren’t precisely aligned and leave part of the moon’s surface visible.
Special eclipse glasses are needed for the events, and ones used on Monday can be recycled or donated to various organizations.
According to NASA, on average about 375 years can elapse between the appearance of total eclipses from the same place.
Here is when and where the next six eclipses are supposed to happen.
Sept. 17-18, 2024
A partial lunar eclipse will take place that will be visible across most of North America, Europe, a portion of Asia, South America and Antarctica.
Oct. 2, 2024
An annular solar eclipse will occur in South America, a small portion of western Mexico and Antarctica.
March 13-14, 2025
A total lunar eclipse will take place across North America, South America, Europe and large portions of Asia, Australia and Africa.
March 29, 2025
A partial solar eclipse will happen in most of Europe, the northeastern portion of North America, the northern part of Asia and South America, and the northwest part of Africa.
Sept. 7-8, 2025
A lunar eclipse will take place across Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, eastern South America and western Alaska.
Sept. 21, 2025
A partial solar eclipse will happen in southern Australia and Antarctica.