People think that the next solar eclipse will be a long time from now, but that isn’t true. They occur about every 18 months somewhere on Earth. The reason that they seem rare is because they don’t take place in the same parts of the world at the same time. For example, you may see a solar eclipse in Asia one year and North America the next.
The last major solar eclipse was on August 21, 2017. It was an international event where millions of people gathered to watch the short eclipse. Stores sold out their solar eclipse glasses. People resorted to making homemade viewing devices or buying old welder’s helmets online. News stations had special reports to show this 3-4 minute long event. Many believed that it was only a once in a lifetime event but that isn’t the case. In fact, there will be many solar eclipses to come in the next few years, alone.
Partial Eclipse – January, 2019
The next solar eclipse you look out for is the partial solar eclipse in the first week of January, 2019. Now, people don’t get terribly excited for a partial solar eclipse. In fact, you won’t see live news coverage of these events at all. People don’t often schedule viewing parties for partial eclipses like they do for total eclipses. That being said, they’re still absolutely beautiful. In fact, many photographers say that taking pictures of partial eclipses is a great way to get started in eclipse photography.
This upcoming partial eclipse will be visible in Northeast Asia and the North Pacific. It will start near Beijing and move toward Alaska. Few people will witness this partial eclipse, nor will many even realize it’s taking place. Of course, if you can’t make it out for the partial eclipse, you can look forward to the total eclipse scheduled to take place next year.
Next Total Eclipse
The next total solar eclipse is estimated to occur on July 2, 2019. It will be visible in Chile and Argentina just before sunset. This will appear as a partial eclipse in some regions of the Pacific and South America including Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil. These countries will only see their limited view of the eclipse if weather is clear.
The next total solar eclipse will take place in July. It will start at one phase and end in another. This eclipse will begin at 4:55:13 pm UTC time as a partial eclipse. The Sun will become a full eclipse at 6:01:08 UTC time and max out an hour or so later at 7:22:57 UTC time. The last chance to view the total eclipse will be around 8:44 pm.
For those in North America waiting to see their next eclipse, you’ll have to wait until April 8, 2024! This is because the one scheduled to take place next summer will not be visible from anywhere in North America.
When you look at the next solar eclipse, be sure to have ISO certified gear. For more information about the Sun, see the NASA web page.
