DALLAS — Whether you witnessed the moon completely block the sun, were thwarted by cloudy weather, or were not in the path of Monday's complete solar eclipse, there are still more opportunities to see it.
Here is what to understand about future solar events:
Complete solar eclipses occur about every year to three, because of a precise alignment of the sun, moon, and Earth. They can happen anywhere around the world, typically in isolated areas like the South Pacific.
Remember the date: The next complete solar eclipse, in 2026, will travel over the northern edges of Greenland, Iceland, and Spain.
The next experience of totality in the U.S. will be in 2033 when an eclipse grazes Alaska and Russia. Additionally, in 2044, one will move over Greenland and western Canada, touching parts of North Dakota and Montana.
An eclipse as significant as Monday's event won't occur again until Aug. 12, 2045.
“But it is going to be quite impressive,” said Mary Urquhart, a planetary scientist at the University of Texas at Dallas. “It will span the entire country.”
The eclipse will first be visible to viewers in Northern California, then move through Utah, Colorado, and Mississippi on its way to Cape Canaveral, Florida.
You can reuse eclipse glasses to observe sunspots — dark, planet-sized spots that appear on the sun due to twisted magnetic fields.
A partial lunar eclipse in September will be visible over Europe and much of Asia, Africa, North America, and South America.
Several meteor showers and supermoons will also light up the skies until 2024, as they do every year.
Space enthusiasts can also visit a local planetarium or science center. The planetarium at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, will remain open the weekend after the eclipse to offer themed shows and a guided sunset meditation.
“People will want to come back, and want to learn more,” said director Dayna Thompson.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Receive more Colorado news by subscribing to our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.
