Solar eclipse updates: When is the next total solar eclipse?
There will not be another solar eclipse in North America for 20 years.
A total solar eclipse passed over North America on April 8, creating a path of totality that cast parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada in darkness.
About 31 million people live along the path of totality and witnessed the total eclipse, while the majority of Americans saw at least a partial eclipse.
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When is the next total solar eclipse in the US and internationally?
The next total solar eclipse to occur in the contiguous U.S. won't be until Aug. 23, 2044, and will only shadow three states in its path, Montana and North and South Dakota, according to NASA.
The next year, on Aug. 12, 2045, a total solar eclipse will span coast to coast, according to NASA. The far-reaching path of totality will cover parts of California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Georgia, the agency reports.
Adding to the decades-away excitement, since the 2044 and 2045 eclipses are slated for August, the summer season increases the likelihood of clear, cloudless skies during the event.
Internationally, on Aug. 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse is set to sweep over the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, Iceland, Atlantic Ocean, Portugal and northern Spain, according to the National Solar Observatory.
Total solar eclipse reaches last US state
The total solar eclipse reached the final U.S. state as those in northern Maine observed the sun be covered by the moon under clear skies.
Peak totality shined over New Hampshire
In Colebrook, New Hampshire, Monday’s total solar eclipse was captured in rare form. The sun’s corona shined behind the traveling moon during totality, creating a bright, glowing crown for eclipse viewers.
Partial solar eclipse captured behind Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor is seen in the path of the partial solar eclipse. In New York State, the path of totality spans 124 miles across 29 counties.
Why is April’s total solar eclipse historic?
The contiguous United States hasn’t seen a total solar eclipse since August 2017, but the seven-year difference between eclipses is "deceptive," Fred Espenak, a former astrophysicist from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and author of "Road Atlas for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024," previously told ABC News.
"If you look previous to 2017, the last one was in 1979,” he said. "So, it's a little bit deceptive that these two eclipses were in seven years of each other."
The next total solar eclipse to occur in the contiguous U.S. won't be until August 2044 in Montana and North Dakota, and the next to span coast-to-coast is slated for 2045, according to NASA.
Comparatively, 2024's total solar eclipse is "better" than 2017's, because the path of totality is almost 60% wider and the duration of the eclipse is about 60% longer, according to Espenak, who explained some locations within the path will experience up to four and a half minutes of the eclipse.
-ABC News’ Leah Sarnoff
