NASA Details Where to View the Next 2 Solar Eclipses (Without Ruining Your Eyes)

If you're looking to view the next two solar eclipses, bookmark NASA's newest maps.

Based on observations from several agency missions, the chart details the path of the Moon's shadow as it crosses the contiguous US during the annular solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023, and total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

The dark bands on NASA's map show where observers should be stationed to see the so-called "ring of fire" once the Moon covers the sun. This year's annular eclipse will cross North, Central, and South America, making it visible for millions of people in the Western Hemisphere.

In the US, the event is expected to begin in Oregon at 9:13 a.m. PT (12:13 p.m. ET) and end in Texas at 12:03 p.m. CT (1:03 p.m. ET). As the sun is never completely blocked during an annular solar eclipse, it's not safe to look directly at the burning ball of fire without eye protection.

Mark your calendars: This is the last annular solar eclipse visible from the US until June 21, 2039, and for that one, Alaska is the only US state in its predicted path.

Some lucky folks in Texas, meanwhile, will get a double solar whammy when the annular eclipse passes over the same location as the total eclipse six months later.

Locals should keep those special-purpose solar filter glasses on hand come April 8, 2024, when the Moon passes between the sun and Earth, darkening the sky as if it were dawn or dusk. Weather permitting, the eclipse will appear along Mexico's Pacific coast at 11:07 a.m. PT (2:07 p.m. ET), entering the US in Texas and traveling northeast toward Maine, before exiting continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. NT (3:46 p.m. ET).

Don't miss this solar event—the only one during which viewers can momentarily remove their eclipse glasses. After next year's total solar eclipse, you'll have to wait another 20 years—until August 2044—to see the next one above the continuous US.

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As the Moon's dark silhouette completely obscures the bright light of the sun, a faint solar corona is all that remains visible of the burning star, allowing a unique (if not relatively short-lived) chance to study it. While the sun is about 400 times wider than the Moon, the Moon is about 400 times closer to Earth. So when the two line up in the sky, voila: total eclipse of the heart sun.

In locations close to the center of the paths, the events will last longer (up to 4.5 minutes) than those near the outer edges.

Don't worry if you're not on a direct route, though. On both dates, all 48 contiguous US states (as well as Alaska, Mexico, and most of Canada) will experience at least a partial solar eclipse.