Solar eclipses are the most spectacular of all celestial events and have captivated the minds of both scientists and civilians for millennia.
As well as teaching astrophysicists about the Sun, solar eclipses have also helped to prove Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, and even provide clues about Earth’s atmosphere. This spectacular natural phenomenon allows scientists to study the ionosphere (the upper part of our atmosphere), and how it affects communications and space weather. But more than that; they are pretty great to watch, and something to remember for years to come.
In this article, we list all the upcoming solar eclipses, including when and where you can see them, giving you plenty of opportunity to plan accordingly. So, mark your calendars for one of the most awe-inspiring astronomical events on offer.
When is the next solar eclipse in the US?
The solar eclipse on 14 October 2023 was the last annular, aka ‘ring of fire’ eclipse in the United States for 16 years. The next ring of fire eclipse visible from the US will be 21 June 2039, and will be visible only from parts of Alaska.
The next total solar eclipse in the US will be Monday 8 April 2024. The path of totality will begin in Mexico, cross into Texas, and travel across the US to Maine, before continuing into Canada.
When is the next solar eclipse in the UK?
The next solar eclipse for the western-most parts of the UK and Ireland will be a partial eclipse on 8 April 2024. After that, the UK will have to wait until 2090 for the next total solar eclipse.
- 8 April 2024: Partial
- 29 March 2025: Partial
- 12 August 2026: Partial
- 2 August 2027: Partial
- 26 January 2028: Partial
- 12 June 2029: Partial
- 1 June 2030: Partial
The last solar eclipse visible from the UK was the partial solar eclipse on 10 June 2021. The last total solar eclipse seen from the UK was 11 August 1999, with the path of totality covering Cornwall and parts of Devon.
When is the next solar eclipse worldwide?
Solar eclipses occur between two and five times every year, with a total eclipse somewhere in the world every 18-ish months. But as the path of totality is narrow, whether or not you can see the eclipse will depend on being in the right place, at the right time.
Here is a list of all the total and annular solar eclipses in the next 10 years:
8 April 2024: Mexico, US, Canada
Type: Total solar eclipse
Path of totality: Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland.
First location to see full eclipse begin: 4:38pm UTC
Last location to see full eclipse end: 7:55pm UTC
2 October 2024: South America
Type: Annular solar eclipse
Path of totality: Easter Island, Chile, Argentina
First location to see full eclipse begin: 4:50pm UTC
Last location to see full eclipse end: 8:39pm UTC
17 February 2026: Antarctica
Type: Annular solar eclipse
Path of totality: Antarctica, South Atlantic Ocean.
First location to see full eclipse begin: 11:42am UTC
Last location to see full eclipse end: 12:41pm UTC
12 August 2026: Russia, Greenland, Europe
Type: Total solar eclipse
Path of totality: Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Portugal, Spain, Ibiza, Palma.
First location to see full eclipse begin: 4:58pm UTC
Last location to see full eclipse end: 6:34pm UTC
6 February 2027: South America, Africa
Type: Annular solar eclipse
Path of totality: South Pacific Ocean, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Atlantic Ocean, Côte D’Ivoire, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria.
First location to see full eclipse begin: 2:04pm UTC
Last location to see full eclipse end: 5:55pm UTC
2 August 2027: Europe, Africa, Asia
Type: Total solar eclipse
Path of totality: Atlantic Ocean, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia, Indian Ocean.
First location to see full eclipse begin: 8:23am UTC
Last location to see full eclipse end: 11:49am UTC
26 January 2028: South America, Spain
Type: Annular solar eclipse
Path of totality: South Pacific Ocean, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Guyana, Atlantic Ocean, Portugal, Spain.
First location to see full eclipse begin: 1:14pm UTC
Last location to see full eclipse end: 5pm UTC
22 July 2028: Australia
Type: Total solar eclipse
Path of totality: Indian Ocean, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand.
First location to see full eclipse begin: 1:30am UTC
Last location to see full eclipse end: 4:20am UTC
1 June 2030: Africa, Europe, Russia, Asia
Type: Annular solar eclipse
Path of totality: Algeria, Tunisia, Greece, Turkey, Sea of Marmara, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Japan, Pacific Ocean.
First location to see full eclipse begin: 4:47am UTC
Last location to see full eclipse end: 8:08am UTC
21 May 2031: Africa, Asia
Type: Annular solar eclipse
Path of totality: Namibia, Angola, Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Indian Ocean, Southern India, Northern Sri Lanka, Bay of Bangal, Malaysia, Riau Islands, Indonesia.
First location to see full eclipse begin: 5:18am UTC
Last location to see full eclipse end: 9:11am UTC
14 November 2031: Pacific Ocean, Central and South America
Type: Total solar eclipse
Path of totality: Pacific Ocean, Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia
First location to see full eclipse begin: 7:23pm UTC
Last location to see full eclipse end: 10:48pm UTC
9 May 2032: South Atlantic Ocean
Type: Annular solar eclipse
Path of totality: South Atlantic Ocean, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands
First location to see full eclipse begin: 12:47pm UTC
Last location to see full eclipse end: 2:04pm UTC
30 March 2033: Russia, US, Canada
Type: Total solar eclipse
Path of totality: Eastern Russia, St Lawrence Island, Alaska, Arctic Circle, Beaufort Sea.
First location to see full eclipse begin: 5:35pm UTC
Last location to see full eclipse end: 6:26pm UTC
What are the different types of solar eclipse?
Total solar eclipse
When the Moon completely covers the Sun, casting a shadow of ‘totality’ over parts of the Earth. The result is a brief period of darkness, during which the solar corona – the Sun's outer atmosphere – becomes visible.
Annular eclipse
When the Moon passes exactly in front of the Sun, but is far enough away from Earth to leave the outer perimeter (annulus) of the Sun around the Moon. This is also called a ‘ring of fire’ eclipse. Annular eclipses are rare, and only visible over a very narrow path of annularity.
Partial eclipse
When the Moon only covers a portion of the Sun, resulting in a crescent Sun or partially obscured disc, depending on the degree of coverage. Partial solar eclipses are more common, and are visible over a wide geographical area.
Hybrid eclipse
This is when the character of the solar eclipse changes along the path of totality, transitioning between an annular and total eclipse. This change is due to the curvature of the Earth and where the observer is situated along the eclipse path.
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