On Saturday, March 29, two weeks after a total lunar eclipse was visible to all of North America, skywatchers will be treated to a spectacular event that has not been seen from anywhere since last October: a solar eclipse.
During this eclipse, which is expected to be one of the best skywatching events in 2025, observers in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. will be able to witness a partially eclipsed sunrise. It will be the first solar eclipse in North America since the “Great American Eclipse” on April 8, 2024.
A ‘deep’ partial eclipse
This event will be a deep partial solar eclipse; about 93% of the sun’s disk will be blocked by the new moon. As such, it will be a near — but not quite — total solar eclipse. The event will be visible at sunrise and shortly after from parts of North America, and then from Greenland, Iceland, Europe and northwest Africa, where it will be a smaller eclipse as the sun climbs higher in the sky throughout the morning. People in northwestern Russia can watch the eclipse late in the day, with a partially eclipsed sunset occurring over remote areas of Siberia.
Where and when will the solar eclipse be visible?
The partial solar eclipse will take place for about two hours across the planet, between 4:50 a.m. and 8:43 a.m. ET (8:50 UTC and 12:43 UTC). The best places to view the eclipse will be northern Quebec, where a maximum of 93.1% of the sun will be obscured by the moon. The closer any location is to Akulivik in northern Quebec, the deeper the eclipse will be there. However, this region also sees the eclipse at sunrise.
Choice locations for viewing the spectacle include northeast of Quebec City and along the border between Maine and New Brunswick.
Will the U.S. see the eclipse?
From the eastern contiguous U.S., the sun will be eclipsed to a maximum of 85%, according to In The Sky. However, that will only occur in northern Maine; most population centers on the East Coast will miss out on the most dramatic spectacle. For instance, Philadelphia will see only 11% coverage, while Washington, D.C., will experience just 1%. An eclipsed sunrise will be visible from the U.S. East Coast, from the Canadian border down to Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Reykjavik, Iceland, will see 67% of the sun blocked by the moon, with less coverage in Dublin (41%), London (30%), Paris (23%) and Berlin (15%).
Because there will be no totality, all observers of this partial solar eclipse will need proper eye protection at all times — including eclipse glasses and solar filters for all cameras and binoculars.
Repeat: It is NEVER safe to look at a partial solar eclipse without eye protection, even during 93% coverage of the sun. Please observe safely.
Sun quiz: How well do you know our home star?
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