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People view the eclipse on the campus of Southern Illinois University on April 08, 2024 in … [+]
Have you recovered from April 8’s total solar eclipse? A momentous day for millions of American it may have been, but few will realize that the events of that day—the strange darkness, the view of the sun’s corona (if skies were clear where you were) and the incredible buzz among eclipse-chasers—were not a one-off.
Everyone wants to know when the next total solar eclipse is, but the “Great North American” total solar eclipse will actually be repeated.
You may know the date of the next total solar eclipse in the U.S. It’s March 30, 2033, when St. Lawrence Island, Barrow/Utqiagvik, Kotzebue, or Nome in Alaska will be the places to witness a totality lasting 2 minutes 37 seconds maximum just after sunrise.
Totality In 2078
You may even know the date of the next total solar eclipse in the contiguous U.S. (contiguous refers to the 48 adjoining U.S. states and D.C.) That would be August 23, 2044, when Montana and North Dakota will experience a pre-sunset totality. Remarkably, the following year will see a coast-to-coast total solar eclipse, with a long six-minute totality coming to California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
However, none of those are a repeat of what happened on April 8. For that, the U.S. will need to wait until May 11, 2078, when Mexico and the U.S. (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia) will experience totality once again.
Saros 139
Saros Cycle
What will it have to do with the recent total solar eclipse? It’s the Saros cycle that determines when the moon’s shadow will strike Earth. It works like clockwork. A total solar eclipse from the same Saros occurs on Earth every 18 years, 11 days, and 8 hours. That eight hours is crucial. Since 24 hours is divisible by three, it means that every fourth eclipse in a Saros—so, every 54 years, 33 days—returns to the same place on the planet.
May 11, 2078 is precisely 54 years and 33 days after April 8, 2024. On that day, 5 minutes and 40 seconds of totality will occur over the Gulf of Mexico, with the coast of Louisiana having the best views. Cities doused in darkness will include New Orleans, Mobile, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbia, Charlotte, Raleigh and Norfolk.
Saros 139 through the decades.
When Is The Next Eclipse?
Both the 2024 and 2078 eclipses are part of Saros 139, a family of eclipses that will get better with time. Until July 16, 2186, in fact, when it will cause a totality lasting 7 minutes and 29 seconds off the coast of Brazil. That will be the longest total solar eclipse to ever occur on Earth in the 5,000 years that have been calculated.
Not that it’s all about Saros 139 for eclipse chasers in he U.S. Here are the six total solar eclipses coming to the U.S. before 2080 that an entire generation of Americans will get to enjoy:
- March 30, 2033: Alaska (2 minutes 37 seconds)
- August 22–23, 2044: Montana and North Dakota (2 minutes 4 seconds)
- August 12, 2045: California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida (6 minutes 6 seconds)
- March 30, 2052: Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina (4 minutes 8 seconds)
- May 11, 2078: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina (5 minutes 40 seconds)
- May 1, 2079: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine (2 minutes 55 seconds)
I’m an expert on eclipses—the editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com and author of When Is The Next Eclipse? A traveler’s guide to total solar eclipses 2024-2034.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.