The next 12 months are going to be amazing for solar eclipse fans. People all over North America will be able to check out two different eclipses—one in the western part of North America in October 2023, and the other in the eastern part of the continent in April 2024.
Eclipse number one, an annular solar eclipse (i.e., one where the edge of the sun remains visible) will be visible on October 14, 2023 from Oregon to Texas. An estimated 6.6 million people live inside the eclipse’s path. It will be visible in Eugene, OR, Albuquerque, NM, Corpus Christi, TX, and everywhere in between.
The second eclipses is total—the entire sun will appear to fizzle out—and will be seen on April 8, 2024 from Mazatlán, Mexico to Newfoundland, Canada. This eclipse’s path will take it over a much more densely populated part of the continent that includes Dallas, Montreal, and Indianapolis. About 31.6 million people live within the path of totality of eclipse number two, and over half the US population lives within 250 miles of it.
Lucky people in San Antonio and the surrounding area live at the point where the two lines meet, and they’ll be able to see both eclipses without any travel.
Cool places to see the solar eclipses
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If you’re planning a trip to see either eclipse, book your rooms now: Astronomy fans are organized people, so I presume prime viewing spots are either filled already or filling up fast.
Speaking of optimum locations to view a solar eclipse, below are some ideas for sky-watching destinations.
See the eclipse at a national park
The October eclipse passes over a number of National Parks that make great places to see a solar event. Crater Lake National Park in Oregon is breathtaking even without the sun going partially dark, and Great Basin National Park in Nevada is known for its incredibly dark nighttime sky if you want to add some star-gazing into the eclipse gazing.
The total eclipse of 2024 has two national parks in its path: Hot Springs, AR, and Cuyahoga Valley, OH. Both are, I’m sure, beautiful.
See the eclipse a stadium
If you’d rather view the eclipse in a crowd, there are several stadiums along the path that hosted eclipse viewing events in the past, often with experienced astronomers to explain the goings-on and reassure superstitious members of the crowd that the sun will reappear shortly. According to skyandtelescope.org, Major League Baseball stadiums Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX and Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH are both in path of the April 2024 eclipse. The Nelson Wolff Municipal Stadium in San Antonio is in the paths of both the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses.
See the eclipse from a mountaintop
If you’re feeling sporty, you can’t beat the view of an eclipse from the top of a mountain. The 2023 eclipse can be seen from summits of Wheeler Peak and Mount Moriah in Nevada, Delano Peak in Utah, and Lake Peak in New Mexico, all of which are above 12,000 feet. The arduousness of the journey is certain to cut down on the number of other viewers. In 2024, Cerro Gorda in Mexico or Mount Katahdin in Maine will offer prime spots to see the total solar eclipse.
See the eclipse from a zoo
Sky and Telescope points out that an eclipse gives you a chance to test the hypotheses that animals behave strangely during them, so you could plan on seeing it at a zoo, like the Albuquerque BioPark, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, the Buffalo Zoological Gardens, or Parc Safari in Québec.
Looking ahead to future eclipses
If you want to plan further ahead, notable eclipse locations and dates in the coming years include Spain in 2026, North Africa in 2027, Australia and New Zealand in 2028, and Africa and Australia in 2030, according to Great American Eclipse.