General information only, from NASA.
The next total solar eclipse visible in the contiguous United States will be on Aug. 23, 2044.
An eclipse happens when Earth, the Moon, and the Sun line up.
Solar eclipses occur during the new moon phase — the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun and blocks the Sun's light for viewers in the Moon's shadow.
We cannot normally see the corona — the Sun's outer atmosphere — because the Sun's surface below it is so much brighter.
During a total solar eclipse, the corona becomes visible.
An eclipse season is one of only two periods during each year when the Sun, the Moon, and Earth are aligned, allowing eclipses to occur.
Each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months later.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center eclipse catalog, compiled by Fred Espenak, lists this event as the “Total Solar Eclipse of 2044 Aug 23.”
It belongs to Saros series 126 — a family of related eclipses that repeat in a long cycle.
The path of totality, where the Sun is completely covered, crosses only three U.S. states — Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Most of the path lies outside the United States, over Greenland and Canada.
The eclipse is dated August 23 in Universal Time.
Where the path crosses Montana and the Dakotas, that moment falls in the local evening of August 22 — so some listings give August 22.
Both dates describe the same eclipse.
Safety is the number one priority when viewing a solar eclipse.
Except for a specific and brief period of time during a total solar eclipse, you must never look directly at the Sun without proper eye protection, such as safe solar viewing glasses (eclipse glasses).
Eclipse glasses are NOT the same as regular sunglasses; regular sunglasses are not safe for viewing the Sun.
During a total solar eclipse, you must wear your eclipse glasses (or use other solar filters) to view the Sun directly during the partial eclipse phase.
You can only take your glasses off during the short time when the Moon completely obscures the Sun — the period of totality.
If you do not have eclipse glasses, you can use an indirect viewing method, such as a pinhole projector, which projects an image of the Sun onto a nearby surface.
This page prints no start times, no city-by-city path details, and no length of totality — when 2044 comes close, NASA will publish detailed maps and times.
Sources: NASA Science, “Eclipses” (science.nasa.gov); NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Eclipse Catalog (Fred Espenak).
General information only, from NASA.