Total Solar Eclipse

On Monday, April 8, 2024 a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. It will be the last total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until 2044.

 

What is a Solar Eclipse

A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. People viewing the eclipse from locations where the Moon’s shadow completely covers the Sun – known as the path of totality – will experience a total solar eclipse. The sky will darken, as if it were dawn or dusk. Weather permitting, people along the path of totality will see the Sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, which is usually obscured by the bright face of the Sun.

Eclipse Process

Path of the Solar Eclipse

The total solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean.  Weather permitting, the first location in continental North America that will experience totality is Mexico's Pacific coast at around 11:07 a.m. PDT.  The path of the eclipse continues from Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.  The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton.  The eclipse will exit continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. NDT.

When will the Eclipse Be Visible in Cedar Park, Texas?

The eclipse will be visible throughout the Hill Country from 1:32 pm - 1:41 pm CST on April 8, 2024. Cedar Park will experience about 1 minute and 46 seconds of the total solar eclipse at 1:35.43 pm CST. For a simulation of the eclipse time specific to Cedar Park, Texas, visit eclipse2024.org.

Safety

Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing. Viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury.

When watching the partial phases of the solar eclipse directly with your eyes, which happens before and after totality, you must look through safe solar viewing glasses (“eclipse glasses”) or a safe handheld solar viewer at all times. You can also use an indirect viewing method, such as a pinhole projector.​

Eclipse Glasses
Eclipse glasses.

Eclipse Celebrations & Viewing Locations

Details will be available closer to the event.  Please check back for more information!