On Monday, countless Americans across the country will pause their activities to take a moment and look up at the sky.
This upcoming total solar eclipse has truly captured our collective attention like few other celestial events. And for those who are taking the time to witness it, two questions are likely to be on their minds: Is there a chance that my area will experience totality? If so, I’m curious about the duration of the resulting darkness.
Many people across the nation will be able to see the eclipse. However, only 13 states are fortunate enough to be directly in the path of totality, where the moon will completely cover the sun, revealing only its corona.
When planning your eclipse-viewing experience, these interactive maps can assist you in determining the time and duration of totality in cities along the path.
Totality Map of the Solar Eclipse Path
The path of totality, spanning 115 miles in width, will traverse from the southwest to the northeast, encompassing parts of Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
At around 11:07 a.m. PDT, Mexico’s Pacific coast will be the first spot in continental North America to witness totality, according to NASA.
In the United States, totality will start around 1:27 p.m. CDT in Eagle Pass, Texas, as the moon’s shadow moves northeast. After that, the route will cut diagonally across the nation, coming to an end in Lee, Maine, at approximately 3:35 p.m. EDT.
Recall: If you want to see the eclipse, you must wear appropriate eyewear. Once the eclipse reaches totality, the naked eye may observe it.
To illustrate how the length of totality would change, below is a map of some of the major cities in each of the 13 states along the path:
States, Cities on Totality Path
In all, thirteen US states and about 500 cities are situated along the eclipse’s path of totality. Each of the 13 states has the following large cities as some examples:
- Dallas and San Antonio, Texas
- Idabel, Oklahoma
- Poplar Bluff, Missouri
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- Paducah, Kentucky
- Indianapolis and Evansville, Indiana
- Carbondale, Illinois
- Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio
- Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, New York
- Burlington, Vermont
- Lancaster, New Hampshire
- Caribou, Maine
- Erie, Pennsylvania
Eclipse Watch Parties, Festivals
If you’re unlucky enough to reside beyond the path of totality, skygazing tourists will undoubtedly be drawn to this unusual occurrence. Luckily, a lot of the locations where the complete eclipse will occur have a ton of events scheduled for both residents and visitors.
Thanks to Kristian Campana of festivalguidesandreviews.com, the following map shows the locations of events related to the eclipse’s arrival, such as music festivals and watch parties:
