How to watch (and record) the 2024 April 8 solar eclipse

The great North American solar eclipse will darken the US, Canada and Mexico on April 8, as you’ve no doubt heard. It is a significant astronomical event, the first since August 21, 2017, and the last to be visible over the continent until 2044.

Parts of all three countries will experience “totality,” or complete blocking of the sun by the moon. Those lucky people may even see the sun’s corona and “diamond ring,” both rare and dramatic sights. Other regions will experience partial eclipses, with the level depending on how close you are to totality. Watching the moon eat the sun, even just a little, is still an impressive sight.

So which cities and regions will experience totality? When will it happen? What is the weather forecast for these areas? And if you have a clear line of sight, how can you safely watch and record the event? Read on to learn more.

Where in the US will you experience the total solar eclipse and when?

The good news is that many major centers are within the 100 km zone of totality, so millions of people will be able to see a total solar eclipse. It follows a northeast track, so Mexico’s Pacific coast will get its first views in Mazatlán starting around 10:57 a.m. PDT (the total eclipse begins at 12:07 p.m. PDT), followed by the city of Torreon (all times are local).

The total eclipse moves into the United States at 12:10 p.m. CDT (Eagle Pass, Texas), then hits Austin, Fort Worth, and Dallas — three of five of Texas’ most populous cities. From there it moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, followed by selected parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana (including Indianapolis).

The Ohio cities of Dayton, Toledo and Cleveland get the full show, followed by Erie, Pennsylvania, then Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse in New York along with Maine. Canada also gets in on the fun, with parts of southern Ontario (Hamilton, Niagara Falls) and Quebec (Montreal) getting it all, along with New Brunswick, PEI and finally Bonavista, Labrador at 16:03 NDT (Newfoundland Time).

If you are elsewhere on the continent and unable to travel, know that the closer you are to the band of totality, the more the sun will be hidden by the moon (this card shows how much of the eclipse you’ll get depending on where you are on the continent).

An impressive list of major centers are within 200 miles of totality so will receive 90 percent or better eclipse (Houston, St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Toronto, New York, Boston).

Anyone in the southern, central, and northeastern US should get a decent view, as should people in southeastern Canada and the Atlantic coast. Even if you’re not in these regions, you might still see (and be able to film) a mini eclipse.

How long will the 2024 solar eclipse last?

From the beginning, when the moon first begins to cover the sun (a partial eclipse), to the end, when the two bodies separate, is quite a long time—up to two hours and forty minutes in Dallas and 2:18 in Caribou, Maine.

However, the totality itself is brief, with the duration depending on how close you are to the center of the totality range and the time of day. That’s just under four minutes in Dallas, less than three minutes in Presque Isle, Maine, and just one minute and 12 seconds in Montreal. As such, you’ll need to be prepared and hope that the skies are clear during this short window.

What is the weather forecast for my area?

It is still early for an exact forecast, but a week is enough to get a general idea by region. Suffice to say, April is not the ideal month for clear skies. However, the eclipse may still be visible through light cloud cover, and even if it is dense, the sky will darken dramatically.

Unfortunately, the chances of rain are indeed there above average throughout most of the eclipse band. Forecasters predict that the chances of clear skies are better the further northeast you live, the opposite of historical trends.

Rain is forecast for Dallas throughout the day (58 percent), which would mean continuous clouds and a lack of clear visibility if that happens. That improves a bit as you get to Indianapolis (partly cloudy, 24 percent chance of rain), with things even better in Buffalo, New York (partly cloudy, 11 percent).

Right now, though, things are looking good in Montreal, with mostly sunny skies and just a 9 percent chance of rain, and the same goes for Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Niagara Falls also figures to have decent weather during the eclipse (mostly sunny, 18 percent) and is in the path of totality, prompting the city to declare state of emergency out of caution. Officials estimate that a million people could pour into the area, creating potentially dangerous crowds.

How can I watch the solar eclipse at home?

Staring at the sun is obviously dangerous to your eyesight, and doing so during an eclipse can be just as harmful. Although you may not feel discomfort right away, you can damage your eyes through a condition called solar retinopathy. This can lead to serious consequences such as eye pain, blind spots, blurred vision and more.

To see it safely, you need to buy a pair of approved solar eclipse glasses based on an international safety standard called ISO 12312-2 (regular sunglasses won’t do). This determines the maximum light transmission, along with the wavelength range allowed (UVA, UVB and infrared).

There’s certainly still time to grab a pair if you don’t already have them. The American Astronomical Societyy (AAS) has many recommendations for manufacturers and suppliers, both online and in retail chains.

Warby Parker, for example, is offering free glasses (limit two per person while supplies last). You can also find them at Staples, Lowes, and Walmart, or online at B&H and numerous science and astronomy stores.

However, AAS advises against looking for the lowest price on Amazon or eBay in case you get a bad scam. “Before buying a solar viewer or filter online, we recommend that you make sure that (1) the seller is identified on the site and (2) the seller is listed in this page,” says the Solar Eclipse Across America website.

How to view the solar eclipse safely without glasses

It is possible to see an eclipse without glasses and through indirect means. The simplest way is to punch a small round hole in a piece of thick paper or cardboard, then position it so that the sun shines through the hole onto the ground or a flat surface (you can also attach a piece of foil with a hole, because NASA shows here). This will project an image of the sun’s disk, allowing you to see the eclipse in real time.

The same hole principle will allow you to use anything with perforated holes, such as a colander, projecting dozens of tiny dimples onto the surface. Trees can do the same, casting strange shadows on leaves with little bits of solar eclipse from them.

For a slightly better experience, you can build a rough projector in a box. With this, the sun shines through a hole in tin foil onto a white card, and you can look through a larger hole at the card, with the sun behind you. The Canadian Space Agency explains exactly how to do it.

Never, ever look at an eclipse directly through a pair of binoculars or a telescope, as this is a guaranteed way to damage your eyes. However, you can use binoculars or a telescope to project the sun on a piece of paper as shown on this video.

How to take pictures or video of the solar eclipse

Unfortunately, you can’t just point your smartphone or camera at the sun to record the eclipse, as the brightness will overwhelm the sensor and spoil the image (and possibly damage the sensor). Fortunately, you can protect your camera just like you do your eyes.

The cheapest way to do this is to buy an extra set of eclipse glasses, then cut an eyepiece out of one and glue it onto your smartphone (or other camera) lens. This will reduce light levels enough to see details of the sun during partial and total eclipses.

You can also buy special solar filters for smartphones like VisiSolar Photo Filter, which are intended for cameras and not for direct viewing. It’s another choice Solar Snap Eclipse App Kit, which also offers an application that helps in photographing the eclipsed sun. It is also recommended that you wear sunglasses when setting up your smartphone or camera to protect your eyes.

If you’re shooting the eclipse with a dedicated mirrorless or DSLR camera, you will must or a mylar, 16-stop ND (neutral density) or hydrogen alpha solar filter. Again, don’t look directly through the optical viewfinder of a DSLR at the sun if the lens doesn’t have one of these filters attached (the electronic viewfinder on a mirrorless camera is safe).

To photograph the eclipse with a smartphone, turn off the flash and set the camera to ultra-wide or wide-angle mode so it stays in frame. DO NOT look directly at the sun to line up your camera if you are not wearing solar eclipse glasses.

Don’t use digital zoom to try to make the blur bigger, as you’ll lose resolution (you can zoom in later in your photo editing app). Once the focus is set on the sun, use the focus lock feature on your smartphone so it doesn’t “hunt” for focus and blur the eclipse.

During the overall effect, the “diamond ring” effect only lasts a fraction of a second, so use the camera’s burst mode or you will likely miss the shot. And try to shoot RAW (rather than JPEG) images to preserve the maximum possible detail for later editing. Some iPhone and Android smartphones have built-in RAW capability, if not, you can use a third-party app.

If you decide to shoot video, you’ll need a filter, of course. But you should also use a tripod, as shooting handheld will cause blur and result in shaky video. Even a cheap tripod will do, along with a simple smartphone holder. Shoot the highest possible resolution (4K or even 8K) with the highest possible quality. You will also capture any cheers, shouts, etc. – a precious souvenir that you can look at again and again.

More resources

There are many government and private sites with more information about the eclipse, starting with The AAS eclipse sitedescribing things like eye safety, images, resources and even a complete application — “an interactive map that shows what you’ll see at every location in North America for the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.”

NASA also offers a dedicated site for North American eclipseas well as of National Weather Service and National Solar Observatory. Private site called Great American Eclipse is largely commercial, but has a very useful map showing the extent of totality and how much of the eclipse you’ll see depending on location, along with a comprehensive list of eclipse times and durations by city.