Solar Eclipse 2024: Total Eclipse Duration for Biggest Cities in the Path of Totality

Solar Eclipse 2024: Total Eclipse Duration for Biggest Cities in the Path of Totality... and One Small Town.

The solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 is the only total solar eclipse happening on the planet this year. When the moon obscures the sun for a brief time, its shadow will sweep across North America in what is called the path of totality. For a brief time, the sun’s corona be visible to the human eye, but only at locations inside the path. Many major cities lie within the path. The closer they are to the middle section of the path, the longer the duration of totality. Though it's not a big city, the small town of Nazas, Mexico is listed because it will have the longest totality in all of North America: 4 min 46 seconds of obscured sun.

The fast-moving shadow will first hit land along the west coast of Mexico in the state of Sinaloa. As it makes its way across the continent at speeds ranging from 1,576 mph (2,536 km/h) to 3,692 mph (5,942 km/h), it will darken the sky and cause temperatures to drop. The shadow will move past the North American continent over Newfoundland, Canada and continue its way across the Atlantic Ocean. There is a period of partial eclipse lasting about 1 hr 15 min before and after the totality.

Locations outside the path of totality will experience a partial eclipse, when the percentage of the sun covered by the moon is less than 100%. 

The last total solar eclipse in North America was August 21, 2017. The next total solar eclipse to cross North America will happen August 12, 2045.

All times are listed in the local time zone.